The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-08-09
OUT OF ITS OWN MOUTH

'The province of newspaper is to give the news, first
last and all the time begins our morning contemporary in
and half column editorial in defense of its alleged
graft story of Sunday morning. in which it mentioned the
of certain councimen and aldermen whose firms sold
articles to the city, and omitted the of others
This is admittedly true and elemental to scarcely
warrant the extended treatise, which followed All ask
is the story of Sunday morning by this standard
and the succeeding statement of the paper in question:
Sunday there given to the public story of some
existing conditions in the city of Paducah which mat
tiers of common talk and in order that these matters might
be presented in their true light and every fact connected
with the substantiaed by documentary evidence
special representative of this paper detailed make
thorough examination of the records that the truth might
be told without fear or favor
Assuming that the province of newspaper is to pub
fish news, let start with definitions what is news"f
Does it consist of isolated facts concerning trans
action picked here and there and patched together
to make connected story yet conveying suggestions and
inerences which the truth does not justify Or does call
the news consist of the facts of transaction accompanied
by such details and explanations of the circumstances
will inevitably to the reader their true significance
and mportf In other words what do people read news
papers f0r to learn the facts of contemporary events
be stimulated by excitement at the expense of the TRUTH
If the news must be the whole truth in its real light
then let the Sunday morning story of the News
Democrat with this conception of the province of
paper, and judge it by its words.
Here the facts and circumstances that would be
necessary to make complete news story of the article
plotted Sunday morning. the of the parties involved
their official positions the firms, with which they
nected, the AMOUNTS and dates of the transactions in
volved, and INTERVIEWS with each man. that he might
have chance to explain the circumstances of his trans
action
The News-Democrat did not publish the amounts
voved although the records necessary be searched
tanned these amounts and know they taken down
by the especial representative" 1t did interview the
implicated and it omitted the of two from the
list Moreover The Evening Sun yesterday published the
explanations of the transactions and added the names of
Councilman Foreman and Alderman Lackey to the list If
the NewsDemocrat had been honest in its original inten
ton, and only deficient capacity to fulfill its function
it would have admitted its omissions and attempted by be-
lated publication to undo the wrong it perpetated in the
first instance.
1t cannot plead haste; for knew Thursday of the
records being searched and know that the Especial
representative of the News Democrat secured the
of Councilman Foreman and Alderman Lackey BY Friday
had substantially the facts which presented yeser-
day. and the News Democrat had three DAYS in which
them and make complete story Instead it de-
beratey left out two from the list omitted the
amounts leave the inference of extensive dealings with
the cty and refraned from such explanations of the
actions would have shown that these men, did
not profit by their connection with the city; but actually
gave the business to their competitors
No abored defense will square the conduct of our morn
ing contemporary with even good intentions Its refusal
today to make the such tardy reparaton could by
copying The Evening Suns story of yesterday convcts it
of deliberate malice and Interior motives.