River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-12-11
POPULAR TALKS ON LAW
sy Walter K. Towers, A. g., J. D., OF the
Michigan Bar.
THE newspapers PRIVILEGE


be free, enlightened and accurate.
The voters must govern the country
by their decision at the ballot box,
and to do so intelligently they must
have accurate information to guide
them. The place of the public
prints in our system Q government
is recognized by the law, which ex-
tends TO publications t. privilege
of commenting on publls questions
and public personages.
Among the firmly established
rights Of man to which the law lends
it's protection is the right which
every man has to enjoy good rep
utation. So it is that the law guards
closely a PERSONS reputation and
frowns upon anything that is likely
to bring a person into disrepute be,
fore his fellow men and SO inJure
that reputation. An untruthful
statement published in writing, or
printing, or pictures, concerning a
person which, without justification,
INJURIES his reputation is a libel for
which the person whose reputation
is injured may secure redress in law.
In reference to publications in
newspapers a Kentucky judge said:
THE public good as we'll as the
usefulness of the press imperative
" demand that no publication in
iurous to a citize should ever be
made unless the publisher knows
bevond a reasonable doubt that the
statements or charges which it pub
fishes are in fact true. Ii is mat
ter of public importance that all
statements printed and published
in the press of the day should be
entitled to full faith and credence
and no paper should publish any
matter calculated to injure the feel
ings, business or standing Of any
citizen unless the same be true.
Every newspaper and mag azine
strives to attain accuracy, and If it
tells the truth it is, generally speak
ing, absolutely protected. In few
states, as Delaware, Florida, Louis
lana, Maine, Massachusetts and Ne
braska, statutes have been passed
by the state Legislature which do
not allow the publications of state
ments which will iniure PERSONS
reputation, even though they be
true, unless it be for proper mo-
tives. In these few states one may
not publish the damaging truth
about another if he do SO malicious
ly; but in most of the states the
truth may be safely published, no
matter what the motives.
Liberty of the press and freedom
Of speech mean simply that the
newspaper editor has a right to pub
llsa what he will without censor
ship; they do not relieve from re-
sponsibility should the publication
be wrongful in the viewpoint of the
law. AS was said in Nebraska
case, "wh lie the liberty of speech
is q sacred right, dear to the hearts
of the entire Anglo-Saxon civiliza-
ton, yet the lawmakers and the
trainers of constitutions have all
realized that liberty in the exercise
of any natural right, when unre-
strained by law, leads to licentious-
ness, and have therefore wisely pro-
vided that anyone exercising the
liberty of speech or press shall be
held responsible for any abuse of
the privilege. :
While a person is carefully pro-
tected against injury to his reputa-
tion in the private walks of life and
in his private business the news
paper has much wider duty and q
much wider privilege in comment
ing upon persons and events pub
lie in their nature. In cases in
which the interests of the public as
a whole are involved the newspaper
has duty as we'll as a right to dis
cuss these things so that its read
ers-mem5ers of the public-may
be informed and protected. State
ments of fact should be accurate
but comment and criticism of pub
lie matters, SO long as they are the
sane and reasonable and the hon
est opinion of the editor or his pub
LEGATION, are justified. Of course,
the newspaper is only protected in
its criticisms and comments if they
are made in good faith and with
proper motives. The Michigan court
has said: Newspapers may discuss
what relates to the life, habits, com
fort, happiness and welfare of the
people and in so doing may state
facts, draw differences therefrom
and express views upon the facts
Their deductions, even if false, are
not actionable unless they cause