The Paducah evening sun., 1910-06-16
trNCLE JOC AND THE PRESS

Joe Cannon at the request OF the
American Press submitted a criti-
cism to the method OF handling and
publishing news. which summed up.
goes to the discretion in discrimin-
ating between what shall be "play-
ed up and what subordinated in the
makeup" He gives for example
one day on which he received a pos
tai card, ostersibly from a coterie OF
spinsters, asking his advice on mat
presentation of testimony
before an investigating committee;
the "swan song" OF a retiring sena-
tor: a debate on the sundry civil
bill and a constitutional argument on
the postal savings bank. "Jo-Uncle"
protested that his matrimonial bu-
reau" should not have secured first
place, the senatorial "swan song"
second. and the constitutional angu-
ment, the suDdry civil debate and
the investigating committee been ae-
corded only paragraphic mention. He
says IL Is evidence that newspapers.
instead of trying TO educate the pub
lie, are made to sell.
Mr.. CannoL's deductions are fine;
newspapers are made to sell: and
they will "play up news in proper
ton to the ratio of the public in
terest in the various items. But Mr.
Cannon will find, that after he Is
retired from the speakership to his
farm near Danville. H., he may re-
ceive a whole postal card shower"
without so much as winning him a
line in the local paper, and then he
will appreciate more fully how far
the personality in the lime light at
that particular time affects news
values" Any item, which includes
the name of "Jo-Uncle" just now,
has news value, relatively important
as the connection with the speaker
is close or remote. II the average
reader can be tricked into reading
even paragraphs of constitutional ar
guments, Mr. Cannon ought to be
willing to sacrifice his dignity 20 the
extent OF making the page bright
and attractive in whicn the pill OF
information is concealed.
EDITORIAL comment we must admit
is mostly pertness and persihage
The following of such periodicals as
the Saturday Evening Post and Col
lier's is remarkable, and their flip
pant superficialities are about the
heaviest brain food the average read
er cares for. II costs more to be-
come a newspaper proprietor than ii
does TO become a congressman, and
the returns are dlsproportionate
The newspaper man knows. that in
stead OF educating his public. by
giving 1t constitutional debates,
when IL wants funny stories about
Joe Cannon, he will be driving them
away to some competitor; so he, II
he is serious and conscientious. will
sandwich a fact about the govern
meLt between two jokes about the
speaker, and let nature take It's
course. After all, he can only as
sist human nature, he can't make it
over.
But there is one respect in which
the press generally is subject 20
criticism; and a layman Is scarcely
capable of crlticisiDg il; that is the
desire 10 make ever yitem OF news
as entertaining as such a feature"
as "Jo-Uncle's'' matrimonial bureau
naturally is. There are several
causes. In the first place. every re-
porter and correspondent possesses
a creditable ambition 10 get his
story in and get II in as prominently
as possible. Consequently. he ''plays
up the part that most appeals to
the Misunderstanding. humorous
or pathetic. II II is a sermon, his
trained ear catches the incougruous
and the unorthodox; " II is a poll
tical speech. he finds the new and
alarming This sense OF news values
is essential; but II he happens to be
dishonest, he may take isolated SEN
tences and incidents and strip them
of their context. to the great harm
OF the speaker. The news writer Is
OF necessity advanced to the news
desk with the same faculties ever
Ialert for the same features; and
truth rfaches the ultimate consumer