The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-16
THE AGE-HERA1D, MONDAY, MAY 1e, 1910

capped by a disabling ignorance OF the
subject he ackles. disqualifying
prejudice against the institution he at
lacks. When Prof Edward Ross pub
ished, in the Atlantic Monthly, an ar
ticle undertaking the American newspa-
Ders, the Courier-Journal Venttred to
point out certain inaccuracies as to facts
and defects of logic. and a few errors in
conclusions which marked the article as
the output of mind unfamiliar with the
affairs of the work-a-day world and the
conduct of newspapers
Prof. Ross charges boil down to the
allegation that the press leaves undone
pretty nearly everything it ought to do,
and does nearly everything it ought not
to do. Additional sins consist partly in
doing those which 1t ought to leave UNI
done and doing the bidding OF those who
never leave the people undone. The
crimes charged are monstrous. III the
accused were guilty nothing but the ex-
treme penalty would vindicate the law
or protect society. from future harm.
AS Mr.. Rosewater insists, rivalry and
the unwillingness of newspapers to be
beaten, develops most of the news that is
worth printing and good deal that isn't.
II one journal suppresses ''story' 1t
pops up upon the front page of a COM
petitor. But editors disagree as to news
values, and outside of editorial rooms
tHeTe are COUNTLESS PERSONS VINO nave
different opinions as to what is news, and
divergent views as to what policy the
press should pursue. Many of them may
honestly and innoeently believe that
whenever given newspaper does not
meet with their critical approval a COM
bination of corruption and ignorance lies
behind its imagined failure to discharge
Its full duty. Prof Ross assaults upon
the press as an institution have no value
criticism. 1t neither points the pathway
upward nor lays a monster low. III its
spirit was engendered by a lsrilling of
the educator by certain newspapers, it
may be put down as "a piece OF logic
which will hardly pass in the world, that
because one man has sore nose all the
town should put plaster on theirs. But
giving the alligator the benefit of the
doubt, here's another illustration of the
fact that nearly every one who knows
nothing about journalism believes that
he knows infinitely more about how to
conduct newspaper than any one who
has devoted his life to the work.
BY all means let there be established
the endowed newspaper, recommended by
Prof. Ross, which will not "dramatize
crime, or doctor news, or publish gossip
yet which will fearessly print such
news as that which the professor re-
6iCtS Tie T1llduelp1la DuDelS sup
pressed, and which will let no combina-
ton of advertisers for the restraint of
scullery scandal prevent it from publish
ing the story of the unfaithfulness of a
merchants wife or the indiscretion of
his daughter. Such a newspaper, edited
by doctors of divinity, sociology and news
would be hailed by humor-loving press
as contemporary rather than feared by
corrupt publications as competitor
ntti xr-fth
Let each reporter and editor be some
one who has aired his views upon the
viciousness and vapidity of newspapers
published by newspaper men.
BY George Thompson, editor st. Paul
Pioneer Press and ST. Paul Dispatch
| do not believe in an endowed news
paper. do not believe that such paper
would be as responsive to the interests
Of the community in which it lived as one
identified with those interests through
sharing in the general welfare and de-
pendent upon popular support for its ex-
istence.
1t might, at times, feel more indie
pendent in its attitude toward certain
questions, but I doubt whether its indie
pendence of and separation from the for
tunes OF the community would beget in
1t more confidence than If it were de-
pendent upon the favor of the people
among whom it lived for its support
1t would be much more difficult, think
to preserve an endowed newspaper from
suspicion of subserviency or faint than
to maintain the standing of an endowed
educational institution free from the sus-
picion of influences proceeding from the
source of it's endowment; and educate
| onal institutions have not always been
able to escape entirely the suspicion OF
amenablity to influences supposed to
emanate from the sources of their sup
| port.
| A newspaper must deal with so many
things and such variety of interests
that it would be difficult to provide an
endowment fund from such sources as
would satisfy the public of their abso-
lutte fairness and disinterestedness.
Take, for example, the sources of en-
dowment referred to in your inquiry
Mr.. Carnegie or Mr.. Rockefeller. With
out wishing to suggest any special rea-
sons for the existence of suspicion as II,
the disinterested character of such an
endowment or to question whether such
suspicion would be justified or not, 1
think 1t will be conceded that a. news
paper endowed by either of these men
would have difficulty in commanding the
confidence of the masses of the people
enjoyed today by large number of news
papers conducted merely as commercial
enterprises.
l would be apprehensive that endow-
ment in such cases, no matter what steps
might be taken to assert the freedom of
the editorial management in the discus
sion of public questions, would be re-
garded by the general public rather in
the nature of subsidy than anything
else. GEORGE THOMPSON, Editor.
BY william Nelson, Editor the Salt
Lake Tribune
With regard to the endowment of a
national non-partisan and non-sectarian
newspaper, I would say that very like
ly some OF the great philanthropists might
consider that they were doing the pub
lie q service by such endowment The
people, however. would take but little
interest in such a newspaper, as having
small or no relation to their daily lives
and concerns.
And the more such a paper was made
ideal from the most elevated phian-
thropic standpoint, the less the people
would care for it,
The endowment of the newspaper will
probably include its free circulation
among those who were engaged In altur-
istic enterprises; II so it would have more
or less of circulation, but it's influence
would necessarily be very small among
the people at large.
WILLIAM NELSON, Editor Tribune
BY Milton B. Ochs, publisher Nashville
American.
I do not believe that Carnegie Or the
managers of the Rockefeller foundation
are seriously considering the endowment
of a national non-partisan and nom