The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-08-22
mot LEGITIMATE JOURNAL
ISM"


Under the above heading our con-
temporary, the Independent, poses as
a teacher, and gives The Citizen one
of it's lessons in what it construes tc
be Legitimate journalism" The
Citizen is always ready, yea, anxious
to learn, and we have paid close at
tention to every phase of the lesson
in question. We regret, however,
that our neighbor should start off its
lesson with a statement that the
facts will scarcely warrant, for where
there is a wrong statement at the
outset the old saying that is accept
ed as a trueism, "falsus in uno, falsus
in omnibus" or, to put it in good
English, (for this is the class in
Journalism, not the Latin class)
''false in one thing, false in every
thing" is apt to be accepted as ap-
plicable. The Objectionable para
graph is this:
Not an edition of our neigh
boris paper, the Citizen, goes
to press without an utterance of
some pitiful and pleading wall
about The Independent.
In order that our neighbor may
see the error of it's statement, we
submit our files for it's careful and
critical examination. But let that
part of the lesson go. We would
suggest, however, that there are
many words preferable to the word
mot" Such words, for instance, as
Seldom" scarcely" ETC.; and even
these words would really not be
truthful, but they would come near
er the truth.
Now 20 the lesson. Here it is,
fresh by dictation from "the mast
ers voice.:
In late issue one of it's
multiplicity of editors whines
about The Independent having
publicly stated that it has no
competitors in its field, claim
ing it is trying to do little
not? But the public nowhere
nize as newspaper as such when
published by office-holders,
politicians, manufacturers or
others who do not legitimately
belong to the journalistic pro-
fession. Such men occupy fields
of their own as office-seekers or
office-holders or manufacturers
or are engaged in some other
calling, and each is regarded in
the newspaper field as being as
much of a quack as is the duck
family's favorite physician.
1t will be noted that our neigh
Dor seems to have strabsmus of the
ears. First it hears The Citizen
"wail," then the wall to its hearing
becomes whine" and there is no
telling what it will sound like next.
Now, we propose to test the In
dependent by its own rules, and the
public shall be the umpire.
A journalist may engage in no
other occupation. Like the proven
bial shoemaker, he must stick to his
last. Now, then.
May man, (outside of a publish
er of The Citizen) be a journalist
and bank promoter and director at
the same time?
May man purchase a farm in
Cherry Ridge township, while he is
publishing a newspaper and come
within the rule as laid down by the
Independent?
May man own stock in shop
that manufactures shoes and still be
classed as journalist as well as a
manufacturer?
Could a man expect to be appoint
ed postmaster of Honesdale in case
a certain man was elected President
OF the nation, and still at the same
time be known as a journalist?
Would all of the above people
properly belong to the "quack" fam
ily' as the word "quack" is under
stood by the Independent? (By the
way, a careful examination of the
etymology of the word "quack" may
discover to our teacher neighbor
that 1t bears no more relation to the
duck family than it does to a shoe
mandatory
The Citizen believes in "Legiti-
mate Journalism" 1t believes that
II Its columns are opened to one
side OF controversy they should not
h. n
De closed to the opposite side.
IL does not believe that dragging
INTO Its columns the particulars of a
church trouble, and by so doing in
Jures the good name of one minis
Ter and impeaches the integrity of