The Republican journal., 1914-12-03

I many, while of special interest to news
| paper editors and publishers-and IN
some degree, perhaps, to their readers
is the question of journalistic ethics In
| volved.
Mr.. Surtalne, the millionaire medl-
cine manufacturer, has son who had
been educated at great expense and law
ishly supplied with money. He comes
home from an extended sojourn abroad
after many years absence and the father
hoping to interest him in the business,
conducts him over the factory. In the
office the son picks up local newspaper
and reads in it an attack on his father.
He nurses his wrath that night, and the
next day writes an abject apology which
he proposes to make the offending news
paper publish on the first page, and arm
ed with dog whip he goes to "Ihe
Clarion office. He invades the sane
tum, finds two of the editors IN ana
states his errand, but is confronted by
big man with a big club and retreats.
His next novels to buy the newspaper
which he is able to do, his father having
given him $500, 900 in good securities for
his personal use He returns to 1.-The
Clarion" office and announces his pro-
prietorship. Sterne, the editor, retlres;
Ellis, the associate editor, remains, as 90
others of the staff. Trouble begins
when the new proprietor, prompted by
the revelations of Ellis announces his de-
termination to publish an honest news
paper. The staff, with the exception OF
the business manager, who foresees the
loss of advertising, welcome this de-
cision. The new policy was to publish
not only the news, but the facts be-
hind the news. Here is an illustra-
ton. An engineer ran by his signals,
there was a rear end collision and
seven neopie were killed. A core
ner's inquest put the blame on the
engineer. The facts behind the news
were that the engineer had been kept on
duty for 48 hours with only five hours off,
and was asleep when he ran past the
block. Publication of these facts meant
loss of the railroad advertising. Honest
criticism of the plays presented at the
local tn eaters entailed loss of the thea
ter advertising. Soon 1.-The Clarion"
had the organized business interests of
the town against it, and was threatened
with libel suit, backed by perjured tes-
timony, that might prove death blow
to the paper. At one time the young
proprietor weakened, withheld disclos- !!
ure the paper was about to make and edi- |
torialIy announced change of policy;
but events so developed that he soon re-
turned to his self-imposed mission of
cleaning up the town. In this work he
had to contend with the opposition of
his father, with the pleadings of the
woman he loved, with the threats of the
business interests and the loss Of adver-
Using, and eventually to hold up to pub
lie scorn those near and dear to him; but
he won out at last.
The conditions as depicted in this story
exist in some degree in every newspaper
office. 1t is not always wise to print the
facts behind the news, or the news even, !!
and this aside from mere business rea- !,
sons. When neighaorhood quarrel gets
into the police court, of what benefit is i
it to proclaim the facts broadcast? There !!
are many such petty things that the |
clean, honest newspaper turns down, as i
rejecting not only on the individual but !