University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-04-13

d. HldN Dt-
! have been referring here To the CON
-titutional inaccuracy oi human nature.
liut there Is another side. The P>almi>t
said in his haste. All men are liars. Ii
isn't pleasant t" contemplate his Ian
"uaYe il he had been il reporter for a
modern daily newspaper I'm Il news
paper office one i imprlIcd to recall the
lawyer VIII" whispered the repr"of to
the to" willin" witness. Il don't believe
in unnecessary perjury
-A~ in politics tn" average man is in
,rrr>trd in mild way in honest and
efficient government :" Ion" a~ his per-
~"nal interests aren't involved ~ in
! furnishing" news he l. usually ready to
tell his view of the truth unless lac j.
Interested in propa"atin" something"
else. am not complainim" ri this
state al affairs: | am merely >rttim"
forth what ! believe in br the facts
rr%arln" one ASPECT of the problemat
ical side ri the public with which IL
new ~paprr ha> /" deal. In reality the
uncertainties of the raw material "f
news add zr-t /" the Job "f newspaper
making. \ Western M, ,mbrr. You will
recall was once expelled from the Sell
ate fnr lla"raut drunkenness In his
valrdht"rN the senator referred To hi
failing" '\rNcrt hrl,-> he exclaimed.
/ Il can only pity the man who has
! !o"krd ont upon the world solely from
| tn" dull and m"not"n"ui- plane of or,i-
nary >"brirty.
! But. havin" emphasized the rc-pon~i-
bility "f the public in: inaccuracies in
,i'' News reports. am quite wiliin" Ia
admit frankly. in passing. that the men
VII" make the newspapers ar" human.
too. and that their shortcomings occa
sion mIrh more grief within the office
"f tl,r wrIlcondlctrd newspaper than
outside il. "Fakin". may add i not
tolerated by decent newspapers. This
Is a di>a%rrrablc subject however and
| hasten tn invite Your attention To an
other way in which the public proves an
in~crutablc mystery To the journalist.
An important newspaper i -mcarin"
ink on loo.0n" pounds "f wood pulp
'aiIy. ut heavy expense. and marketing"
the product. If it i To exist. il must
produce -alablr article -omrthin"
the public wants. And what does il
want. The avcra"" successful nrw>pi-
per has it, theories. but it doesn't know
This business side "f newspaper
usually ESCAPES public notice. lnu will
pardon me ii emphasize it, nncr it
triilin" sum "f money L" establish a
newspaper like the Tribune in New
York City. All he needed was II job
press and Il hatful of type. Today it
would he out of the question Ia do any
thin" "f the sort. Backin" of IL million
dollars would be >cant. \ modern
newspaper i Il great manulac,ur in
du>trI. supporting" community "f TO-
M" "r more persons. lis plant is equip
ped with costly presses and 1ypr~et,in"
machines. 1t maintains an art depart
mrnt and Il library. To oh, ain the news
Of the world aS promptly and accurately I.
IA possible il must maintain it, corps
"f staff and special correspondents. and .
i, must cooperate with other nrw>pa-
prr>. The Associated Press. with it,
in every quarter of the .
globe and it, leased wire service. i all
expensive institution. but il i nrcr>>a-
ry To meet IN" modern news require /
nrnt>. The rNprn>r> "f the Great news
paper will probably run in rNcy~~ "f
81 :Jo.n0o Il month.
haN" dwrlt on thi> aspect OF the
newspaper tn show You how very i'm
p"rtant ii l.. and what Il muInrntoII>
problem il sets for In" management.
For the metropolitan newspaper "f to-
day must study t" create Il prnriu,, -,
attractive that the public will pay for
i, more than I u million dollars il
Year. This wa> >"mcthin" vou miyit
llav" reflected upon when the city editor
told You h. wouldn't b. able tn print
Ia full the sermon or the lecture on
mcdiarval sculpture. or whatever that
'crI"u> locking document was that ynu
'irricd I" him ,ntlirl>ia i i,.allv the
'thrr day. 'lr j. responsible for max
M tri- department attractive Perhaps
ii> Judgment wa> at fault in thi- par
icIllar ease. and he would have, madn
ii" hit "f hi> life by printing" three col
INNS about Egyptian art. Perhaps.
The problem i complicated by Il con-
.iti'n which ! d" no, suppose exists in
my other business. The direct reason
or til" newspaper existence fails to
urnI>h 1t sufficient rrycnrr tu keep it
live. II i sustained bv by-prn,llIct. ,
must furnish In" cilief
"v"nuc>. very few metropolitan
newspapers. ii i true charge a sub ,
"rIp'i"n price sufficient to pay share
II the expense in addition Ia that for ,
Ia. hIi MI I,,,r