The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-11-30
AMERICA AND THE
RIGHT OF PRIVACY.
4" Everybody's Right to Anybody's
Privacy and the Evils.-Rem-
edy Lies with Public.

Editorial in November Century.
T:3ere can be no doubt that in
America the right Of privacy is be-
coming more and more strongly in
trenched; the form it takes, how
ever, is everybody's right to any
body's privacy. The ''yellow press, ~
and its competitors in paler .tints Of
Journalism, have so persistently en-
forced the doctrine Of the property
Of the public in the affairs Of the in
6ividual that often even in decent
society one who declines to yield to
t1sir demands is put upon the de-
fensive. Recently, lady,-the wife
Of certain explorer-who, with rare
instinct, and discretion, had declined
10 allow the details Of her domestic
life and her personal emotions to be
exposed to the curious in order to
make newspaper "copy,' was tor
that reason proclaimed to be I'm
hiding,'' whereas her reticence
should be neld up as model Of wo-
manly and wifely good taste Of which
the country may be proud. The arts
Of this modern Inquisition have
reached a perfection Of technlc, play
ing upon every weakness Of human
nature and ranging in their methods
from deception to. downright black
mail. In it's code Of procedure moth
ine is hidden that shall not be re-
vealed. The hypocrisy of the clam
that those who let loose the resulting
flood of trivia;ity, gossip and scandal
are engaged in a
priestlike task
Of pure ablution round. earth's hu-
man shores,-
that in order to safeguard society
everything spoken in the closet must
be proclaimed upon the !housetop-ls
perhaps the meanest aspect OF the
whole vulgar and sordid business.
One effect Of this growing system is
that decent reporters who are under
the tutelage of decent editors are con-
founded with the others, and thus
the whole press suffers in public es-
,timation. Indeed, under the whip
and spur Of competition for. news,
which is put upon them, the Houng
and impressionable men and women
engaged in this phase Of newspaper
work are constantly in danger OF
being drawn into maelstrom Of
wrong-doing. There are editors OF
newspapers in America who consld-
er themselves in good and regular
standing in society who virtually are
maintaining a school Of brlgandage
to prey upon the rights and the hap
piness of their fellow men.
We are not pretending to say any
thing new. This, is but the common
talk Of street, club, and home circle,
and yet the situation seems to be
growing worse. The yellow Journal
ist is becoming more audaeious. Ex-
cry hotel keeper knows the sinister
resources Of this detective service.
Where interviews cannot otherwise
be had, they are sometimes obtained
by extortion, under the threat of in
venting something seven times worse.
Character is DETAINED by open lies
or covert insinuation. DefenselesS
women are tarassed and dogged by
newspapers that proclaim the chiv-
airy Of the American. A favorite |
device often more of stupidity than
of malice-is to present out Of Sc
rious- lecture OF speech some pic
turesque, humorous Or piquant pass
age, so as to give wrong color or
aspect and make a part appear
greater than the whole. AS in the
case of Professor George H. Palmer,
an innocent or playful remark be-
comes in the hands of "the awkward
squad an instrument Of misrepre-
sentation, and the record once made,
the decent press, without intention.
completes the injury through the
credulity of the public.
Now, is there a remedy for this
state of affairs? So far as it effects
intelligent and respectable people,.
who make pubic opinion, we think
there is.
First, the editor Of every newspa-
per ought to be held personally re-
sponsible for its tone, and for the
code of conduct Of his staff. It the
ethics of this paper are wrong, 1t IS
because they are his ethics. No en-
ployer can guarantee inerrancy IN