The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-08
THE MODERN NEWSPAPER.

To begin with I want to thank DR..
Sheldon for his kindness and courtesy
in according me an opportunity to pre-
sent a newspaperman's view of the
Modern Newspaper
L have great appreciation of the
doctors splendid work as clergyman
and I hold him in the highest esteem
as a useful citizen and a good friend.
Though cannot agree with him in
his estimate of the Modern Newspa-
per- I gladly give him credit for a
desire to discuss the subject fairly,
frankly, and with utmost sincerity.
DR.. Sheldon's address, in spite of his
disclaimer in the introduction, appears
to me to be, after all, criticism, rath-
er than a good natured discussion
Much of the criticism is fair. Some of
it is unwarranted. Some of the evils
exaggerated. DR.. Sheldon falls a. prey,
in some degree, to the natural tenden-
cy to judge the whole press by a por-
ton of it. Nor does he sufficiently rec
ognize the fact that the evils which
he finds in the modern journal are the
evils of the time. The newspapers re-
fleet the good and the bad of the age
in which they are printed. This is not
a complete justification of their de-
fects, but in all fairness it should be
said in their interest. Like other es-
tablished institutions, they have prob
ably acquired some bad habits which
no sensible man would attempt to de-
fend. They tend to acquire bad habits
from various sources and perhaps get
the worst of them from their readers.
Much of the miSconception in re-
gard to newspapers; much of the criti-
cism of newspapers as a class arises
from a misconception of what the
newspaper is and what its real func-
ton is in the lives of our people. The
lack of proportion of which DR.. Shell
don speaks in his excellent address is
not confined to newspapers and news
paper editors. We are all much in
clined to regard the thing in
which we are especially interested as
of greater importance thar all things
else in the world. If I do not mistake
DR.. Sheldon, fear he would have the
modern daily converted into pulpit
the modern editor a preacher of right
eousness-the modern editorial col
umns, a sermon-and the news col
umns shorn. to great extent, of ev-
erything save reports of church doings
and the very serious happenings of the
day My friends of the medical pro-
fession are very sure that the one
thing that should be included in the
daily newspaper is a detailed report of
medical societies; a discussion of all
sanitary questions; and all news per-
tanning to their profession and their
special interests. The equal suffrage
SUPPORTERS WOULD nave US puDIISll d
column or two every day about the
progress of their cause. Life insurance
men cannot understand why We do not
print more about life insurance, while
other men-good citizens. too, who are
credit to the community, feel that
anything less than two pages devoted
to sports is a disgrace to our paper.
In other words, all newspaper criticism
is based, to a large extent, upon the
personal attitude of the critic. It
seems difficult sometimes for a man
outside the newspaper profession to
remember that a newspaper is made
for all the people; not for any one set
nor class nor clique. A newspaper is
Of no value unless it is read, just as a
sermon is of no value unless people
hear it, To reach an audience the
newspaper must contain what the peo-
pie want, or at least what they will
read, voluntarily and of their own ac-
cord.
Cause of Criticism.
I said much of the criticism of news
papers came from a misconception of
what a newspaper is. The newspa-
per it not preacher: it is not a
Jeremiah nor John the Baptist. The