The Forrest City times., 1914-02-20

The following address on Publicity" was delivered by MT. Fred Heiskell, managing editor of the Arkansas Ga zette, at the weekly convocation, Uni versity of Arkansas. Fayetteville, Feb ruary IS:
 Nowadays business men in all lines recognize the necessity for publicity. The average man conducts his business honestly and such a man has little to withhold from the public. Being a news paper man l believe in publicity and l would believe in it just as thoroughly if l were railroad man or a merchant or teacher or d minister. Because there are popular misconceptions concerning the newspaper business. l welcome the opportunity to come before you and tell Of some phases of the newspaper work because l may be able to correct false impression in the minds of some of the young ladies and gentlemen present who will leave the university soon to take their places as working mempers of the citizenship of Arkansas. I want them to go out into the world with good an impression of the newspaper business and of newspapers as the truth about the business will give them.
 Because the daily newspaper performs each morning before thousands of eyes 1t is always subject for criticism, tome of which is just and much of which is unjust. l know however that A Just investigation of the place of the newspaper in our daily life will reveal an astonishing amount of good done for the general public without money or with cut hope of reward other than the con sciousneSs of work well done. To un- derstand how big and how good the American newspaper is you should com pare 1t with the newspapers of other countries, It stands alone. The Eng nSh newspapers have some of the Xirility Of the American newspapers but the average foreign newspaper runs more to editorial essays than to news. The American wants the news and wants it when it is fresh and wants 1t accurately told so he may be able to form his own opinion on current topics. He appre- ciates and enjoys clear and clean edi tor1al discussion of current topics but he reserves the right to take issue with the editor and sometimes he takes issue most Voluminously and then takes of fense because the newspapers will not crowd out minor items such as the preSi- dents message. an eruption of NesuVius or Titanic disaster in order to get in his effusion.
 That the American newspaper is built upon proper general lines Is shown by the fact that the few newspapers in other parts of the world that are notable are built along American lines. II may surprise some Of you to know that one of the most notable of these newspapers Is published in South America La Prensa of Buenos Aires is more than newspaper. It is an institution. It pro Nides lawyers and doctors for the poor It does manifold charities. It wields a wonderful influence and it is able to do mll these things because it is first of Ill newspaper, It buys more cable news than any newspaper in the United Btates and 1t is relied on by its readers 10 Keep them in touch with the doings of the world. The Cologne Gazette and The Times of Paris are other foreign newspapers that are great because they sre newspapers and not a congIomera- ton of more or less dreary essays.
 Publicity as Q Safeguard.
 If do not attempt to say that all the stun published by the average American newspaper should be published but I do say it is published because the aver age citizen wants it and l can gay fur ther that the newspaper is benefitting ehe public in publishing some ot the stuff for which 1t is most severely criti- cised. And here we get back to pub Hcity and to the value of it. When l say that the newspaper Is really the last and the strongest hulwark of liberty am not merely plugging for the news paper business or rounding out sen tence' l am stating fact easy of dem onstration. There have been times in the life of our nation when ambitious and not too conscientious men have been so nearly in control that they might have changed the form of our govern ment but for fear of publicity However. move such as this is impossible when single nights work on the part of all the newspapers in the country will turn millions of eyes the following morning etruction
 How have the political rings been broken in America? And how have some Of the most notorious crooks in public life been thrown from office and i'm prtsoned9 By the newspapers The newspapers tell the people and the people rise in their might and punish the guilty If newspapers were pur- chaseable MT Murphy and Tammanv would reign supreme in New York City today The newspapers beat Tammany I14tVyN that-notahly the New York World The newSpaperS We're able to present a triple attack. first, through the news second through the editorial column and last but by no means least. through the striking cartoons which caught the eye or the most casual newspaper reader and drew his attention to the necessity
 The newspapers whipped Ross Tweed Into prison, The newspapers cleaned Philadelphia and the newspapers have ihattered the shackles that bound many tues and many states tn America
 The Case of Aarper's Weekly.
 The public appreciates the work of the 'eWspapers in this line and sticks to the newsrapar so long as it Is doing io"d hnt TO l"ne"r \ notable eNamulo is Iarper'S Weekly. Harpcr's Weekly Nas foremost in the fight against Ross Tweed and for years was an aggressive Nirlle, publication that was always fouu1 ID the forefront Of the fight for good
 Q ceeencrated into somewhat comnlaceut and slueFtsh periodical and allied u- self with interests not looked uuon nv the general public as hatUers for the Iuhlic good ana then the slump came to llarpers Recently the marazine went cut Of the control of the lIarpers an5 it 'laN come acoin' because of the i.lfo,, ct. - it's manaGement II is worth noting t7at newsuaper is not able to run ra- CT long on the momentum that a st-our. flanaEement gives it The death of a single man often Dredicts a uewspapcr feom position of leadership in the com i1nnltN it serves to second rate or even lower position Because ot this news laper propertV must pay bigger her tent on it's investment than the average business raNs in order to be considered safe or inviting to investors The New York Times. once great newspaper de generated into a morhund publication and was then reViVified by strong man agtmcnt until now it is considered nv many as the best newspaper in the 1vni- ted States which means the world Many other newspapers have gone from hiCh to low and from low to high with in n decade because of changes in man eEement l know of no newsnapar in the United States today that is strong enough to survive a weak manarement more than a few years