Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-27
Rev. William Mckenzie Delivers
Address on Highest Type Of
Modern Journalism
RECORDS OF ACHIEVEMENTS
Trustee of the Christian Science
Monitor LaudS Efforts for
Peace and Morality

in regard to the record of savagery.'
This was the keynote of the Rev
William 2. McKenzie's address in
Simpson auditorium last night on
"Clean Journalism" DIR. Mckenzie
one of three trustees of the Christian
Science Monitor, a daily paper pub
lished in Boston, Mass, and with an
international circulation. Elsewhere in
his talk he qualified his first statement
by asserting that the only good to be
accomplished through the publicity ac-
corded crime in the daily press comes
through indicating the futility Of life
given over to criminal endeavor.
Summed up, DR.. McKenzie's view is
that a newspaper should be not a brief
and abstract chronicle of crimes, but
record of the achievements of mankind
that make for better citizenship and
for the uplift of humanity. To this he
adds, however, that newspapers should
not preach, at least in their news col
umns.
DR.. Mckenzie was introduced by T.
T.. Gibbon editor of The Herald, who
explained that the modern newspaper
makes many concessions to the popu-
lar demand of its readers, concessions
which are at variance with the ideals
of it's proprietors and which are dictat-
ed by the law of financial self-preser-
walton. Mr.. Gibbon admitted that there
are few newspaper publishers that
capitalize crime and scandal, just as
there are men outside of the newspaper
business who grow wealthy by oppress-
ing women and little children, but he
expressed a belief that the ideals of
most publishers are high, and that they
live UP to them as nearly as possible
He referred to the Christian Science
Monitor as an experiment in daily jour
nalism of greater interest to publish
ers than to any other class of people,
and expressed q hope and belief that
1t will pave the way for cleaner jour
nalism, thus enabling publishers or
daily papers without church backing to
approach more nearly to their ideals Of
what clean journalism should be.
HIGH IDEALS IN JOURNALISM
DR.. McKenzie's address was directed
first to newspaper making generally
and, more specifically. to the one paper
with which he personally is connected.
"It is a privilege Of newspapers
properly conducted" he said, ito print
news which shall instruct their read
ers in the meanings of citizenship
Savagery has no proper place in citi-
zenship, and consequently the news
paper that devotes much space to this
kind of news fails to fulfill its high
est purpose. A good newspaper un-
covers error and wrongdoing only to
point out the right way.
"As a means of disseminating In
formation newspapers are an I'M
DOrJa0J
soon as men and women fully under
stand a problem the majority always
rises I'D on the right side. For this
reason they should be made to under
stand that no agency is so well
equipped for this purpose as the mod
ern newspaper. Civilized man is not
satisfied merely to be fed himself
while others are hungry. When he is
Informed Of abuses he realizes his re-
responsibility not to himself alone, but
ITO his neighbor.
$50 much news comes pouring into
newspaper office that the task of selec-
ton always is a most difficult one
The Christian Science Monitor writer's
,restate all news that comes to them,
to put heart into 1t and to develop
those features which may encourage
men and women to do right. Our ideal
THE evil that men do lives after them,
of clean journalism is directly opposed
to the idea of the poet when he wrote.
the good is oft inferred with their
bones We believe the good a man
does should be recognized; our en-
tdeavor Is to print a record of it which
shall be readable and interesting.
RECORD OF CIVILIZATION
.Tdeal Journalism will not endeavor
to arouse national antagonisms nor to
tr7agnify differences between nations.
l1t should be both a record of civiliza-
t1lOn anu du lilSpll cblOli IllSlCNO tIO
Ecally the aim of a newspaper should be
to make the city in which 1t is pub
Ilished q good place to live in, not
merely a good place to make money.
The city, as some one has said, Is
melting pot for men. 1t offers oppor-
Itunity for working out the formation
land reformation Of man and the news
tpaper has a large share in that work.
''Tt Is easy to distort facts, easy to
stir up men to hatred and bitterness
Eby exposing dishonesty in others Re
'aiizing this truth the endeavor Of the
lMonitor has been to interpret the dis
honesty of men rather than to find
fault with that dishonesty. The ideal
fOf n newspaper should be not TO excite
evil thoughts, but to interpret events,
Ito show that honesty Is not the best
fpolicy merely, but principle and power
las well Some of the Monitors best
friends have been journalists and edi-
tors, because the ideal journalist or ed
Iitor is tie man who expresses the best
of his time. who gives to his readers
1.-THE clearest thought with regard to
right conduct.
'"We have in this country some news
papers that practically glorify Grim
finals. They print every little fact that
can be CLEANED about the criminal.
They tell his likes and his dislikes.
They comment upon his taste in liter
ature. They give publicity to his opin-
ions on all sorts or matters ABOUT
which he knows little or nothing of
any value. Suppose instead those
papers were to interpret the futility
of a life that ends in crime. What
value can there be in gIorifying the
wrongdoer so that other men, mistak-
ing notoriety for fame, may come to
desire what Herber7 Spencer called the
immortality of shame?'
AGENTS FOR FOSTERING GOOD
'"The real ideal Of Journalism is the
presentation Of those influences that
bring out the fellowship Of all men,
make for universal peace, enable the
Individual man to feel a sense of re-
sponsibility for all mankind and en-
courage the man who is trying to do
right, thus fostering good until the
time comes when what was hoped for
becomes indeed a fact"
Elsewhere in his address, speaking
more directly of his own paper, DR.
mckenzie explained that within five
or six months of its first issue it had
become apparent that the Christian
Science Monitor was going to be a
success, a fact he attributed to the
loyalty of men and women who had
been benefited by Christian Science
and who were eager to show their