The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-28
Ne EWSPAPER ETHICS
VOICED BY PAUL
Educator Gives Personal Views
Oh Conduct Of Press in
General.
WHAT PEOPLE WANT
IN SHAPE OF NEWS
Public to Blame i'm Certain Re-
spects for Apathy in Pub
lie Affairs.

| Ihty hall held a falr-sizcd audience
sunday evening ior the regular meeting
ol The Civic forum. The Roy. Thurston
brown presided and after n brief cxpla-
nation Of the work and aims Of The
| forum and what had been included in
! PasI programmes, he introduced Prof
Joshua II. Paul, who was assigned the
| paper. Ethics OF Ncwspapcrs "
| Professor Paul said that OF HE ovyu
! IInoioI ne would scarcely have chosen
L, r G1uoJocl. an expert IN the work be-
n[S nTI,, tHe person to treat IL properly. But
| allot expressing regret that n ncwspaper r
man WIS not assigned to the talk he
! ISNplalned That he would cndeavor To nrn-
Senl SC ms own views of tho Important
MI: Paul went on 10 show that the
| llrst thlng of Importance in a ncwspapcr
VII, Mi TO print the news and then followed
anJ Id" ; q Shetgm ol "hat IS regarded as news
| @Ilu u IN thc course of his remarks he took
occasion 10 say that often times rc-
| Portcrs were not 10 blame if o wrong
| nl,Stcnce l,. was carried i'm the report, as
VopS readers, editors or others in an.
| tnurllr frequently wrote heads or edited
! thc copy that caused the change In tho
oFlSIhal report Often. too. the policy
| 2l lhG paper caused reports To bc changed, /,
! he said. ~
Forcible Illustration
Professor Paul illustrated the case OF
| lhe three newspapers that are being sued
pE inc government Tor libel I'm the criti-
! d.
! II was right 10 critlcisc the government
! II there was a reasonable suspicion that
! IL or l,s agents had been guilty, but he
could not sec why the facts had boan
suppressed by O. number OF pancrs and
was very aNlous TO know If the facts
were as stated about the alleged wrong
doing IN connection with the canal.
Continuing. he showed the difference
between the aspirsut Tor public office
whose acts and character were matters
OF Public concern and the purely private
tIitIEcn Gu whose ufe was OF no interest to
the nuhhc. thar it Was quite right to
publicly deal with the former but the
latter should not be brought into promi-
nenCe In the newspapers
In classifying news Mr.. Paul quoted
II friend of his In the newspaper business
who had told him that the people do not
want stories OF the running brooks. but
tnrflics or flowers but what was wanted
! Siandcr. divorce and gossip, and ii this
was so The newspapers were but answer
ing the clamor OF the public.
Mr.. Paul also cited the fact Of his
own investigations in the matter OF paw
Ing contracts locally In which he claimed
90 have found that out of a contracts i'm IS
the spcclficl tiouS had been dsTcgardcd and
when lie wrote of this fully in a local
paper the public or The other papers
did not respond which shows that the
fault. If any. lies with the public in en-
tiroiN disregardlug such a public qucs-
ton.
Associated Press Censured
Professor Paul went into tho subject
quite fully aud was atteptivcly listened
to. At the conclusion OF his paper Mr..
Brown said the meeting was open TO all
who wished to speak. dive minutes being
allowed 50 each person. Before ending.
he said tho Associated Press was guilty
of colorinS and doctoriuE news and cs-
pccially I'm strikes and labor agitations
ii was impossible for the papers 10 get
u truthful report from that association.
In the many talks that followed varis
.lu.f.. Loo. q.
q newspaper. several OF the speakers be
Ing Of q socialiStic turn OF mind aud adj
voca ting the socialist publications.
Or A. Scott Chapman dentist has
removed 10 rooms 124-5 Mercantile An
mex. over Walkcr;g Store