The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1913-07-25
NEWSPAPERS ARE
MORE INDEPENDENT

NEWSPAPERS AXE
MORE INDEPENDENT
Grand Forks Herald: The
newspapers Of the state are de-
veloping a degree Of independ-
ence which would have seemed
impossible a few years ago. For
a long time newspapers, and
country newspapers, especially,
were in condition of practical
slavery to a number Of people,
among them being their adver-
tisers and the ready-print houses.
Emancipation is not yet COM
plete, but it is we'll under way.
The practice Of trading out
advertising is rapidly falling in~s
to disuse. The newspaper man
begins to realize that space in
his paper is commodity which
he has for sale, which is the only
thing aside from his circulation
that he has for sale, and that
that space. has a commercial val
ue to him which is as real as is
the value Of a yard Of cloth or a.
pound of nails. He finds that as
a business man it is for him to
dispose Of his space not for wash
ing machines which he does not
need, and corn shelters that he
cannot use, or for cats and dogs
of any kind or breed, but for
cash. He is getting the cash
and he is taking an intelligent
interest in what it costs him to
fill the space, so that he can place
-sseu!snq sWps eq9 U! :! no eo!Id g
like MANNER that would be adopt
ed by any other business man.
He is showing a disposition to
keep his cost down to the low.
est possible limit, and then to
base his charges oD that cost, add
ing reasonable profit for him
self, again following the course
that any other sane business man
pursues.
Again, there was time when
the country publisher supposed
that it was absolutely essential
for him to furnish his readers
a lot Of ready-print matter, no
matter what it's character, so
long as the matter filled the col
umns, and it was taken as q
matter of course that the concern
that supplied this matter should
load it up with advertisements,
the character of which, and the
price received for which did not
concern the publihsers at all.
Hence the man who was trying
to run a paper which paid some
attention to the development Of
it's own territory found himself
sending out ads Of foreign en-
terprises glowingly set forth,
fake announcements of all kinds,
and invitations to spend money
in score of enterprises which
were absolutely without value.
The man who tried to keep the
columns Of his paper clean found
1.-The m3tfAF supplied to him reek-
ling4With filth in the way of the
most objectionable. class Of medi-
cal advertising. . this was.tak-
en- as q matter 6f ssentAe]N and
publishers submitted toyit tabecause
it had not occurred t6:them that
any other course was. possible.
The character Of the ready-print-
matter was supposed to be as
far beyond their control as the
weather or the shape Of the
earth 8 orbit.
All this is being changed. The
country publisher of today is ar
irving at the understanding that
his columns-all Of them-are
his own, and that it is for him
to say what they shall contain
and to receive the revenues de-
rived from their use. The result
of all this is that we are getting
la better class Of papers, and
that the publishers are occupying
la different position in their res
Ipective communities than they
occupied years ago. Nothing elsei
Ihas contributed SO much to thi1
|result as has the work Of the
North Dakota Press association.
1 Long may it wavee.