Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-20

I'VE waste altogether too much time on
the daily newspaper. Some Of YOU may he
devoting half an hour to reading the paper
each day. Cut 1t down TO fifteen minutes
and you will find that you are not losing
anything. When you have succeeded in
doing this, try reducing the time to ten
minutes, and you will find you are doing
still better. Then cut that down to five
minutes a day and pretty soon you will be
able to cut out reading the newspapers
altogether and you will get along Just as
well. The daily newspaper cannot give you
a true account OF current events. You can
get all you need to know in the weekly
periodicals and the monthly magazines. and
II you read two or three Of these you will
have all the information about what Is
going on about YOU that Is worth having.
Time spent in reading the newspapers Is
worse than thrown away Don't waste your
lime on newspapers"
This excoration Of the newspaper and
much more OF the same tenor is what
greeted my ears one day few years ago
when. in order not to disturb the lecture
In progress, 1 slipped unnouced into
class room at the University Of Nebraska.
had gone there to renew acquaintance
with an old friend Of college days. At the
close OF the lecture l pressed forward to
delight at meeting again after many years
said:
Had you known 1 was TO be here I
would have supposed your diatrlbe at the
newspapers was specially prepared for my
benefit and that you were determined on
putting all newspaper men out Of business
Aby depriving us Of readers"
Z Well, l didn't really mean that" was
the answer. Perhaps l did use rather
strong language, but, as I recollect It.
that part of my lecture was written
originally under great provocation, just
after some q the San Francisco papers had
been going after me viciously.'
From his article in the Atlantic on "The
Suppression of Important News" Prof.
Ross shows that while he has not himself
followed his own injunction Ito cut out
reading newspapers altogether" he has
however, retained his prejudice against the
newspaper, and Is as prone to exaggerate
Its faults and deny it any virtues as he
was just after the San Francisco papers
Aad been griling him numerically.
But taking up his bill of complaint, what
sort OF case does he really make out
when the evidence and arguments he
adduces are slfted and shorn of the in
vectiye and denunciatory adjectives inter
jected merely for full measure? The in.
dictment is that the newspaper fails to give
the news and, of course, If It fails in this
which is its principal mission and raisoI
d'etre, it is worse than useless and tim,
devoted to newspaper reading is tim,
wasted. l would be the last to assert tina
the newspaper as 1t exists today is fault
less or that important news is not some
times suppressed although more Otter
through mistake or negligence thar
through design. But the idea which Prof
Ross would instnl, that the newspaper o
today is a greater offender in this respec
than the newspaper of days gone by, 4
almost self-contradictory. The facilitie
and resources for gathering news are 81
much greater nowadays than formerl!
that the amount of information of publ
interest given newspaper publicity is man!
times multiplied The searchlight pene
trates to every nook and corner and tn
opportunity for those directly intereste,
to suppress news by intercepting it at it
source on its way to the public ha
been almost completely destroyed. TIL
hurry and speed with which the news
put out each day in successive edition
under stress Of the fiercest competition
and the strongest competition betwee
newspapers is in getting the news firs
and scoring beats" or scoops" on on
paper OF news almost certain to be sprea
forth by rival paper, one of the rar
occurrences rather than the commonplac
which Prof Ross would have us believe
Now what is the important news" whic
we are told is being suppressed? Pro-
Ross cites "A few examples which he be
lleves are fagrant and reasons on tn
theory of false in one, false in ALL
venture to assert, however, that It woul
be impossible 70 find two experience
newspaper men who would agree on whs
constitutes important news" Most news
paper men would doubtless agree that Gel
tain classes Of news items are of unusuG
Importance. but II would not take long
develop unreconcilable differences of opir
ion as to specific news items The Gus
tomary rule Of the newspaper office is
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