New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-10

the hand print all the news Il IS another
TO say leave il out. it will serve no good pur-
pose it will only bring panic to thousands OF
mothers" Suppression OF news on large
scale is seen to-day in the absolute suppress
sion OF war news. No one questions Tor
moment that war news which puts state in
jeopardy should be printed. But no such
credit for good motives is given the editor
when ne censors and eliminates matter which
would only bring on dissension and bitterness
in the community family. Moreover, the past
ten wears has seen the radical broadening OF
the vision OF formerly violent partisan press,
so that to-day it is no unusual thing for
newspaper to set aside space for each OF the
various political parties.
1t has been charged that advertising columns
are untruthful, but the doctrine OF caveat emp
tor was a healthy young rascal when Journalism
made its bow two centuries ago. and so far as
can be seen with the naked eye IT is very
much in good form in business circles to-day.
1t was recognition of the professional status OF
journalism that caused reformers TO level their
guns at the advertising columns while disre-
gardng the plain counter-lies heard in every
store Thirty years ago, long before the pres
ent awakening of business to its professional
obligations, an editor OF a large farm publica-
ton unceremoniously kicked Mr.. Caveat Emp
tor into the street. Good Housekeeping, The
New York Tribune and others have taken the
lead in guaranteeing their selling talk and loud
" and persistcntly announce Your money
back and no questions asked If dissatisfied
This is a marked tendency, and ii will not be
long until newspapers as selling forces Will
be held to the same rules Of conduct that are
applied to the ordinary salesman. The prac-
tice is spreading.
An old student OF mine, S. H. Lewis, who
reported on The New York World IN this
city after graduation, editor and owner
of the Lynden (Wsah) Tribune, announced
last week blanket guarantee OF all advertis-
inc in his paper. But it must be kept in mind
that long before the microscope was turned
on business methods publishers were exclud-
ing unclean and untruthful selling talk from
their columns. Two hundred Kansas editors
according to statistics gathered by the Univer-
sity of Kansas last month, threw out OF their
papers in 1914 one hundred and twenty thou
sand dollars worth of undesirable advertising
And what merchant in the United States will
put his truthfulness TO the test OF eliminating
the superlative, as national magazine has
done for its advertising columns!
BAD FEATURES OF YELLOW JOUR
NALISM SLOWLY DISAPPEARING
As to yellow journalism, its bad features are
slowly disappearing. The good and the bad
have been so inextricably mixed that the lay
man has condemned all newspapers which
used sensational methods and make up as per
nicious. But without going into the subject OF
yellow and sensational journalism, which can
not be properly handled in the space allotted
me- it may be said that the tendency in this
field is toward more worthy editorial pur-
pose in its peculiar held.
Considering the subject more specifically, 1t
is evident in both rural and metropolitan jour
nalism that there has come about during the
last decade distinct change in the editors at
titude toward his calling, toward his competi-
tor and toward his community. With this
change has come the awakening Of a profess
sional consciousness, and in it lies the hope OF
the journalism of the future.
Rural journalism in the United States, nclud-
ing as it does 10000 weekes and 1000 dailies
in towns with populations ranging from 500 to
10000, has always made poor showing in the