The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1913-01-16
Editorial Depart
ments of NEWSPAPERS"

1.-THE business of producing a
newspaper, like most Of the other
occupations Of humanity, is COM
mercial in its nature. In this it
does not differ from the business
Of making horse shoes, selling
groceries, running q bank, prac-
ticing law or directing the affairs
OF q college.
I'm saying that these occupa-
! tions are all commercial in their
nature assume no cynical at
titude toward them, and cast no
reflections on those who are en-
| gagged in them. l simply recog-
nize the fact that this is world
in which men must be fed, and
housed, and clothed, an in which
the necessities and conveniences
and luxuries of life are not Sc
cured without effort, and in which
the selection and pursuit Of an
occupation is governed, not ex-
clusively, but quite largely, by
the prospect of financial returns.
believe that this is a simple
statement Of fact, and that the
man who says he is working sole
i ly for the welfare Of humanity,
and has no thought of financial
compensation, is, in nine cases
out of ten, either deceiving him.
self or seeking to deceive others.
I believe, further, that there is
nothing debasing or degrading
about this condition, but that on
the contrary it is natural and
beneficial, for, while there are
misflts in all occupations, the
need and the desire for financial
returns provides an index of the
fitness of an individual for a Civ
en- occupation, and is apt to cause
him ultimately to select that in
which he can perform his most
effective work.
"The newspaper business, ls,
therefore, commercial, and each
of its numerous branches is COM
mercial, properly, naturally and
honorably so. for, like all hon
orable occupations, it consists in
the vending Of commodities, in
the exchange Of service for other
things which we desire. / ann q.
ware that there are theorists who
maintain that this state of things
is all wrong, and that for some
reason not we'll defined the news
paper business should be placed
in a class by itself, distinct from
all others; that the newspaper
man should be a public servant
serving without pay, disgraced if
he accepts compensation for the
service he performs. When the
doctor and the lawyer forget their
fees, the merchant his profit, and
the laborer his days wage, there
may be some consistency in the
demand that the newspaper man
shall labor solely for the love o.
it and the prospect of wearing a
crown and twanging harp at
some time in the distant future.
1.-THE service which the news
paper man sells is one of two
general kinds, that which he sells
to his advertisers, and that which
he sells to his subscribers. The
former does not come within the
scope of this paper. I am to dis
lcuss some phases of the latter
under the head of "The Editorial
Department" I wish to disavow
all thought of instructing the
} members of this body in how to
edit newspaper. l have no such
presumptuous intention. My pur
| !pose is simply to present for your
!, consideration a summary Of a
few of the principles which appear
to me to be important in the
management Of this branch of
, newspaper work.
''In the large newspaper Office
the work is necessarily divided
and sub-divided, and we
find there many departments,
each with its manager and sep
arate corps Of workers. In the
small newspaper enterprise these
various functions are often per-
formed by one person, who is at
the same time editor, business
manager, reporter, society editor
and Superintendent Of circula-
ton. In whatever way an Office
Imay be organized, these functions
are separate, and the duties of
each department call for sep
arate and individual. treatment.
Under the head of this paper I
wish to consider, not merely that
department of the paper which
lis commonly termed editorial"
lper which is performed for the
benefit Of Subscribers, as distin-
tguished from that which 10 per-
formed for the advertisers. This
includes, Of course, the collec-
ton and presentation Of news of
| all kinds, and the comments which
lmay be made thereon.
NO reader has any business to
approach his readers with an
1 apology for being on earth. The
changes have been rung on the
lcry pity the poor editor" until