The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-06-27
DIR. FEW PRAISES AND
WARNS QUILL DRIVERS
Admits the Magnificent Service of the Press but Calls for
Absolutely Fair News Reports and Honest
Editorial Utterances

buse Of this function OF the news
paper Information hastily gathered
. and served so as To give It popular
favor may and often does create a
wrong or quite inadequate impress,
sion. This characterization of knowl-
edge has its dangers. large num-
her q citizens make UP their opinions
upon important questions from infor-
nation got out of newspapers. And
upon these opinions they must act In
| time even OF local and national crises.
II the information ts false or leads
! to erroneous opinions the eonse-
auences may be perilous. Here news
| papers have grave responsibilities
which they do not seem often fully
To realize. Our American public
smattering of knowledge. and If the
| lifelong education OF American ciu-
zens is to be, as II In now, largely
| limited To the diluted information
supplied by newspapers. then this is
not a sufficient foundation on which
to build solid and enduring civiliza
ton. We Americans are unquestion-
ably the best misinformed people in
! the world. The method OF public
schools, high and low. must be made
more concentrated and thorough GO
| ing, and newspapers must become
more painstaking and trustworthy, IL
/ popular education is to be the basis
I for a great civilization on American
soil.
/ The newspaper makes of current
/ history an open book known and read
| OF all men. While sensational recitals
OF crimes tend 10 make crime conta-
gicus still, one effect OF wide pub
I licity is to detect and prevent wrong
doing. And from this fierce light that
beats upon the conduct and character
Of high and low there In no escape.
For though the eveildoer should take
I thief wings Of the morning and dwell
| in the utfermost parts of the earth,
/ 10 the news-gatherer Ia there. Nor liz
the newspaper content with more pub
licity. but by constant vigilance Of
comment II defends right and discour-
ages wrong Just In proportion az Its
standard OF intelligence and public
morality In high and enlightened.
/ Editorial on Decline.
The editorial In a comparatively late
development OF the newspaper. 1t rose
20 great importance. but is perhs ps
to day on the decline In explanation
Of this decline two causes occur 10
my mind. One is the too close con-
nection between tha editorial and the
counting rooms, | do not mean the
outright buying up OF papers, for that
evil, l believe. has been grossly ex-
aggerated, but It's true that good
many newspa pers are run too largely
\ i'm the interest of their own business
/ This breaks Down the moral fihre OF
the paper stills the voice OF author
ity I'm II and weakens its influence
I venture 10 name aa Il second
cause for the decline nj editorial i'm
| ffuence great and growing evil in
American papers, mean the ohses-
! sion az sxed ideas. not In the interest
OF business. 10 ne snr~, but In the
cause OF some ether kind OF partisan
ship. 1t May be the bias OF u paTsie~
uiar theory or school OF poiiftcs IL
may be b isaninK toward ths eonser-
vative section OF pubic opinion. Of.
i nowAday. II II more apt 20 be a stem
tnraan pleading for the radicals: bat
In any casa II means the marshaillng
| Of the n~ws columns and all DEPART
tneuts Of the paper IN accordance
/ with pree0ncstvrd opinions rather
than In the tnf~rSst of the truth. This
coiorfa1 of sws 10 conform 60 the
/ papers poIies. unconscious though
| II may sometime. be, liz common. In
my Judgment IL IL the highest form
~ t3urnA llmtir immorafaxy ana tn the
~ur~At way 10 the iass on this respect
OF intelligent readers. The mAss Of
| people stiii believe newspapers hut
thsrs IN evidence to show that they
are waking IN to the realization Of
the rAFtika nAhtp Aah bitterness 81
! nsHman new In th@ editorial utter
anes and xwn@xAl sendues ~ sven
great ne~spapsrH. But after editorial