The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-01
PUBLISHERS TALK
OF THE NEWSPAPER
Charles III. Grasty Before
National Conference
SEITZ PAPER READ
Publisher of Baltimore Sun Not at
All Alarmed at Cry About In
fluence of Advertiser on
Editorial Columns
SEITZ PAPER READ

+. Post, editor of the Public, Chicago,
were the principal speakers at the
national newspaper conference tonight.
Discussing sensationalism and the news
papers, Mr. Grasty declared that al
though sensationalism Is the real weak
ness OF the press, a large portion of the
news which is highly sensational is fit
to print in the highest sense. 1t is in
apathy and dry rot" rather than in
sensationalism that the dangers to the
republic Turk, he said:
Mr.. Post talked of a newspaper as a
business proposition.
Il do not believe that commercial
journalism can make good except COM
mercially,' he said and the more sue
cessful newspapers are commercially the
less useful are most of them likely to
be with reference to any kind of social
advance except the money-making kind"
At the closing session tomorrow night
the speakers will be Edward G. Lowrie
of the New York Evening Post and Rich
ard Henry Little of the Chicago Tribune.
Grasty Makes Address
Charles II. Grasty, publisher of the
baltimore Sun, addressed the national
newspaper conference today as follows.
THE influence of the advertiser on
the editorial conduct of the daily news
paper and the inherent danger of capt.
talistic ownership having caused some
alarm with respect to the Independence
of journalism, we are meeting at Madison
for examination, introspection and in
struction.
There are two main questions:
q. Are newspaper and magazine writer's
free to tell the truth? If not. why not?
And what can we do about it?
% II the newspaper is to play its
due part in social advance can it be
run simply as a business proposition?
Il ran a newspaper with a capitalistic
ownership for 16 years The capital was
never permitted to interfere with the
business of the paper-which Is to serve
its employer, the public Whenever
could get hold of writer's who had truth
10 tell. my printing presses were theirs
for that purpose.
I'VE had all sorts of collisions with tho
advertisers individually and collectively.
] testify that at bottom. the advertiser.
like other people, wants a straight paper
that accepts dictation from nobody.
MY paper made a good business sue
cess.
Il lay down this principle: To fuflI
its highest functions, a newspaper must
be run simply as business proposition
"Of course, | stipulate that the def
nition of business proposition must he
furnished by person of intelligence
Endowed Paper Impossible
IAN endowed paper would be impos-
sble. Diletantteism is ephemeral. Every
thing that endures Is checked and bal
aneed and held III equilibrium by the other
forces In the system in which it moves.
"A newspaper sustained by wealth to
serve wealth would be like other typical
scions of the rich--a dude. a mollycoddle,
a burden upon industry No man Is rich
enough to own a paper as his chattel.
Sreh a paper would be a plaything "A
business proposition would disregard the
narrow view of the captalistic owner
and adopt the broad view of its non
capitalistic employer--the public.
Journalism may not yet be firmly bot
toned on the science of public service
but science it will be in time, with
rules of conduct so clear and well-marked
that no newspaper editor will think cf
violating them. The pioneer period of in
dependent journalism is nearing its end.
What a few editors like Halliday and
Richards of Indianapolis; Nelson of Kan
sas City, Stone and Lawson of Chicago,
Samuel Bowles of the Springfield Repub-
lican and others did quarter of a cen
fury ago, in fine spirit of herolsm. all
will do, as matter of course, when
the science of journalism. toward which
we are working more and more each year,
is thoroughly established.
The Greatest Problem
"rhe power of capital and of the adj
vertising interest may be a little incon-
venient at times-it may even amount to
a menace. But the greatest single trouble
| have had Is to meet the public de-
ipta
going the full length of sensationalsm
We need a change I'm our forms that
will subject government to control by
public opinion. Which is another way
of saying that we should have rule
by the people. The English newspaper
is not tempted to everyday crime and
scandal because there government is I'M
der direct control of the voters. There is
a fight for blood in parliament all the
time and before the country some of the
time and the ministry is liable to over
throw any minute. BY reason of these
conditions there is available for the press
q supply of news that is highly sensa-
tional, but fit to print In the very best
sense. In America we wind up govern
ment like a clock every four years, and
there is no stopping It until it runs down.
IF the present progressive movement
should result In some change along the
English lines 1t would check yellow
Journalism and our newspaper while
gaining in real human interest, would
gain also in dignity and influence"
Seitz's Paper Read
paper prepared by Don c. Seitz of
the New York World was read at the
National Newspaper conference today. Mr..
Seitz was not present. His paper In part
was as follows:
1.-THE first question l am asked is: How
is news service affected by the constantly
increasing cost of the newspaper plant?'
Newspaper plants are expensive only
relatively. When measured by efficiency.
while costly in the initiative. are extreme
ly economical from a standpoint of pro-
tuction. Otherwise, how would II be pos
sible to produce the marvellous one-cent
newspapers of today, such as dominate
the field in New York and Chicago? The
cheap newspaper is only cheap because
its mechanical coordination is economical
If the great plants of the metropolitan
dailes look expensive from the stand
point of dollars and cents, they are war
ranted by the results attendant. The
Trainer of the question should remember
that the news service was on the ground
ahead of the printer and his device. 1t
Is the expansion of the news service that
has made the expensive plant possible and
profitable
There is no cheap and easy way left
OF course. TO start a great daily, but this
is only because the field is so thoroughly
well guarded by its present possessors. 1t
is the cost of the news service and not
the cost of the plant that makes starting
a newspaper difficult. Three-fifths of
The cost Of operating modern daily are