Arizona republican., 1913-10-11
PUBLIC MOULOS
 PRESS--F
Los Angeles City School Superintendent Declares in Address on "Clean Journalism' That People CriticiSe Themselves
Especial to The Republican,

Especial to The Republican, LOS ANGELES, Cal, october 9. 1 -J. II. Francis, superintendent of the i Los Angeles city schools, yesterday addressed a large audience of moth l CTS, members of the Parent Teacher association, on Clean Journalism. ! The address follows: There are four main institutions contributing to the education of the pt opIe-the home, the school. the press and the avocationaI world.
 or these, but one has for it's avcwed purpose the problem of edu- cation. In all others, education is 1 incidental, but nevertheless very ef- fective and powerful It is conceded lEy all that the press is one of the most powerful both in furnishing information and in shaping and di- lccting ideas
 It should be remembered. however. that the newspaper IS organized primarily as commercial prOposi- tion and the dividend to the stock holders is considered more important than the education of the public. only by clearly understanding this can we fully appreciate modren jour nalism.
 Because newspapers are business organizations primarily. they natur- ally attempt to reflect modern ideals lather than to create them.
 Every departure from the estab- lished thought and custom has been made at the expense of the ones who have led, and since business is not self sacrificing, newspapers prefer to increase rather than to diminish their circulation by the exploiting of anything that looks very fine in the paper.
 Criticism of the Public
 Much criticism is heard these days on the character of the news fur niahcd the public. This. however, is not a criticism of the newspaper SD much as it is a criticism of the pub lie From business standpoint. ii Iays u write the news that is most widely read and that will add the largest number to the subscription roll Thos who complain of the press today are asking newspaper owners and managers to do what they themselves are probably not | doing that is to make a sacrifice to . their immediate business interests for . a future good to civilization No doubt but that most of the newspaper managers and editors re cognize more than do their critics ! the artificial and superficial character of much of the material that they
 must put into their papers. but they , also more keenly appreciate than do their critics the elements of weakness . in society that demand the kind of , news furnished by them.
 The American public today is de r.,a nding the spectacular. the dram atIc and the sensational Such fare , seems to be a food demanded by their highly keyed nervous systems , and. however much we might wish that the newspapers would eliminate some of the things they publish. substituting for them other things of , greater and deeper significance to the future welfare of the race. few of
 us are in a position to criticize them
 for not doing so.
 Nearly All Read
 It fs the exceptional parent who re-
 fuses, or fails. to read the things in the newspapers that he criticizes the papers for publishing. Probably the press owes it to the world to do , some real constructive, educational work. even at a temporary loss to themselves; but since newspapers are not organized for that purpose it is hardly reasonable to expect them to Gc so.
 am thoroughly convinced that the extensive reading of the modern newspaper by boys and girls is not wholly profitable. I am not much concerned about grown people or ? what they read, for their lives are pretty we'll set, their judgments form l ed. their destiny sealed. It must be Ga1 the newspapers have in them a deal l of very valuable stuff for young peo- pie, well written by competent men 3 and women.
 Much of this information would { not be secured at all were it not for } the press, and if young people could 2 be taught to discriminate the news : papers could be made a source of in r formation and inspiration for our l boys and girls.
 Plenty of Good As I have indicated before. the ! difficulty lies largely in the charac- s ter of newspaper readers, rather than with the stuff the newspapers pub ? fish. There is enough of good in r every issue of every large newspaper
 in the land to make it worth while for discriminating people to read them.
 There is a modern tendency to crit
 icize the daily press for it's limita- tions. Tn my opinion much more good could be accomplished if the
 public commended and cOmplimented
 the good the newspapers print This
 would have a better influence on the editors and business mana gers
 If the public wishes significant -fy11C