University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-09-21

Ii is said tEat the journalists nave
tried everything except sticking to
the truth"
Why not try that?
NO. impossible. Advertisement
department would storm the Office
and the office would storm the edi-
tor"
| 1t would be as Tom Hood said:
| They went and told the sexton and
The sexton tolled the bell''-the knell
of the too reckless editor.
| But even if it is too expensive to
| tell the whole truth, would it be
-isking too much to tell only the
| truth so far as one goes?
Advertising is the support of jour-
nalism. The power that can infu-
ence a majority of advertisers for or
against a journal, has that journal
practically hypnOtized, whatever it
| claims for itself in the way of inde-
pendence. Independence means the
ability to do what, under all the cir
cumstances, you prefer to do. Well
| ii you prefer to do what the adver-
tising control says you must do, you
still have your independence, but it
is. perhaps, a brand of independence
that you would be willing to ex-
change at some lOss-not too much
less.
So long as you have a couple of
newspapers in the morning and a
couple more in the evening, or even
one a day or one a week, you can
scarcely realize what it is to be ice
bound near the Arctic regions, and
have no news from the outside world
at all.
During that memorable, lurid WIN
ter at Nome, Alaska, such isolation
from the outside world was more
keenly felt than the weather. No
newspaper for weary months. Eng
lishmen and Americans were still
laying wages on the result of the
yacht race, which was just starting
when the last ship had left Victoria
for NOme-the October before. The
English always backed Sir Thomas
Lipton's boat.
THE Brass Button" as We called
one of the best fellows in town,
heard of Victoria newspaper on the
way to Nome that had been brought
over the Yukon ice by a man on a
bicycle with wheels wrapped with
gunny sacks. Twenty miles down
the coast at Port Safety he had stop
ped to recuperate after his twenty
five hundred miles ride. an almost
incredible feat of daring and endur-
ance in midwinter
AS soon as Button heard of that
lone newspaper, he started out with
his dOg-sled. and within two hours
had reached Port Safety. found the
man and purchased the newspaper
for 81
AS soon as possible he was back
at Nome, and had notices posted all
over town telling of the precious find
and stating that he had hired the
auditorium, where that evening all
who would contribute a dollar in
dist, coin or paper, might hear him
read the latest news (only about
four months old from the earth,
with appropriate comments by him
self.
Needless to say. the auditorium
was crowded, and a glorious time
was enjoyed. Among other mooted !
questions, the yacht race was decid-
ed. and all bets promptly paid by the
Englishmen.
OF the great power of the press
there is no question. Carlyle said |
of the power of newspapers. "They |
preach to the people daily, weekly; |
admonishing kings themselves, ad-
vising peace or war with an author |
ity which only the first reformers, |
and long-past class of potentates
were possessed of, inflicting moral
censure, imparting moral encourage
ment. consolation. edification.'
This power misused. has some
times the effect of striking a mosqui-
to on the head of a baby with a |
poker. Oh, yes. you XII, the mos
cutoff you hit him-blt there is
10 doubt about the other result. !
Furthermore, if you continuously /
use cannon to drive back a few .
pickets. you may be short of ammu-
milton when you meet the enemy in .
force
Some editors appear to think that /
they are all right as long as they /
fellow their instinct in selecting
news. accepting manuscript or choos- |
ing their line of editorial battle. But |
instincts also are capable of educa-
ton and miseducation, and the in !