Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-05
qz:*@SeEbn
EVILS OF INACCURATE REPORTING

EVILS OF INACCURATE REPORTING
The evils of inaccurate reporting are
many. Possibly individuals are most
Inconvenience or embarrassed by mac
curate reporting, but not infrequently a
whole is embarrassed by failure to OBJ
serve the truth or by slipshod or slouchy
presentation of current event. For ex-
ample, week or so. ago Mr.. D. NJ.
Noah, or R. S. Noah, or whatever his
name may be, offered to the legislative
assembly, through communication, an
opportunity to hear him on the subject
of capital punishment, a subject in
which, he suggested slyly, he was not
greatly interested, although he is at the
present time confined in the state peni-
Tertiary under sentence of death, and
spared only because he has taken the
benefit of an appeal to the supreme
court, right open to every convicted
criminal
But the inaccurate or untruthful re-
porter, in order to make story of
Noah and his request, has sent to the
world the statement that Noah will ad-
dress the legislature in joint assembly
on the. subject of capital punishment
Such a proceeding by legislature
would be worthy of and would attract
general interest and attention. Evil
IDENTIFY the inaccurate reporter knew
that to be the case, and fifty embellished
his story to make it sell" AS mat
ter of fact the legislature Of the state
has not granted an audience to Mr..
Noah and the chances are it will not
do so, and all of the comments based
upon such a statement are undeserved
and unwarranted
TO illustrate the interest with which
this news" was received, it is only
necessary to quote from leading New
York newspaper, the Times Fortu-
nately the Times is mistaken in its dates
and places. and ascribes to the South
Dakota legislature the questionable dis
function of having granted audience to
convicted murderer. We are entirely
willing South Dakota should have the
credit, 1nasmuch as it is just as much
entitled to it as North Dakota. The
Times says:
Capital punishment is now under con-
sideration III the South Dakota legisla-
ture, with the members divided in opin-
lon as to whether it should be retained
or abolished. AS change from estab-
1ished customs, the state is rather in
clined to favor abolition, but even there
fingers the old notion that the man who
kills is occupying room desirable for
other purposes. They have received
and accepted an offer of help in max
ing up their minds from an unexpected,
surprising and; in way, amusing
quarter
One I. B. NJ. Noah, who languishes
in prison, waiting the near day when
the: hangman shall inf1ict upon him the
uUw allotted penalty of murder, has
asked permission to address the law
makers in Joint session on the subject,
and they, with admirable willingness to
hear all sides of the question, have
granted his request and appointed day
when they will listen to what he has to
say.
1t is reported that Mr.. Noah, be-
SIDES being murderer, is a student of
criminology, thus uniting practice with
theory. Report further has it that he
will not, as might be expected, endeav-
or to prove that capital punishment is
as injudicious as it is painful. On the
contrary, ne will uphold the ancient
plan as on the whole benefcent. Wheth-
er he will take up the question of its
application in his own case is not stat
ed, but il is unlikely that he will en-
tireiy avoid an example so near at hand,
: and not impossibly. Mr. Noah hopes
50 to impress the legislature, and
} through 1.-THE governor, and the state,
with the conviction Of his intelligence
and -n1indedness that effective COM
FUNCTIONS about sending him to the gal
lows will arise. - ,.... ..-..s
AT any rate, the incident will be
an interesting one, and it may make
for edifcation as well. The details of
I Mr.. Noat's crime are not at hand, but
ne must be murderer of somewhat
f7Fxt - - Va = Es.
unusual quality. Perhaps, though, a
good deal Of the nnusualness lies in the
SoutH Dakota legislature. Certainly it