Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-01-07


Is people, malicious people whose earn
r est aim II to nvold publicity. Faddists
It ana cranks are externally after him,
g. and always In critical or appealing
a mood. Few people take the trouble
!, OF praising paper to It's editor They
pecome vocal only when irritated, a.
d strred with passion for reform.
. why Go YOU not vigorously push
TINS much needed reform? p" one Of
J them will demand.
both men forget that n newspaper.
10 exist az all and do what good II
c"i' must exist first Of all as "a business
concern. With the best Intentions i'm
me world II may reform or denounce
itself out Of existence People turn
away from paper that nags too per-
slstently II may make virtue hldeons
With It's praise
The Power OF the Press"
lie probably wonders what has be-
come OF that power Of the press
that we used to hear mentioned so Of
ten Ret the power is there. stronger
than ever but vastly different from /
the personal power exercised by such
men as Greeley and Dana and Godkin.
Ihat Is due 10 the spread Of educa-
toh' The editor bulks less large
among his fellows than he once did.
feople now follow the fiery editorial
column OF paper with n good many
reservations. They are ant to think
they Know as much as the editor
about the way the world should be
cohducted--and vast deal more.
me editor is now very much like his
music or dramatic critic lie no ,
longer expects his thunders TO alter
the political opinions Of his readers
over night in the good old way-not ,
u ne has n sense OF hum0r He is a d,
critic. commentator at the drama of
NE, That is ALA more important :
commentator than his dramatic critic Il
only as the drama of everyday affairs is
Is more serious than the drama of the
stalls and footlights And yet the
EDITORS power remains in greater
measure than before U
Ii lies now in his choice and his y
manner Of presenting the news. II =
Hes in the license that he allows to ?
ms reporters. II lies in the incalcula- =
Bile possibilities of suggestion. Tho
editor sways public opinion now by =
what he sends his reporters to learn.
and by what he allows them to say.
once he Numbered in terms of opin-
on now he wins or warns in terms Of -
facts 81
The Reporters Warrant
That means that the reporter, the 90
satherer of facts, has become the %
most potent force for good or evil in -
he wide world. Time was when the ~
lumblest of Gods creatures might 81,
'esent the interference Of a reporter
n his private affairs or his public H.,
lets. Harvard professors still follow r,e
nat procedure-and SO publish tho
distance by which they lag behind 70
he world they are supposed to inter-
ret The fact is that It is no longer
he reporter who knocks at your door:
is public opinion knocking there.
The late Mr.. Hartman learned that
. his amazement.. He began his pub ~ ~
& career with the outworn supersti- p'
ion that his business was his bush ~.
ess alone. The public speaking
trough the reporter. quickly taught ~.
i'm that what he did, no less than
hat Dick Smith or Ned Jones is do 70
II -. pe'''0 9uiiei"hee' cal
Ision' No man. whatever his inn No..
ortance. can damn the public any
niger. We instantly suspect any
Ieee Of business that is not subject \
puni'e seru'ihy' That is the war Ian
INT that the reporter holds in his don
and when he knocks at your door. sue
e is daylight. the policeman. He is "
better corrective than the law. cor,
That is the new power of the press thel
almost too vast to trust "a any in "
vidual. And the evilly inclined re- tho
lrter or editor has been quick to tart
axe the wrong use of il. Even the war
gh minded newspaper man will eau!
metimes do unwilling mischief with t"
ANY luckless devil who has ever hell
en- witness IN court knows how can
fficult 1t is to give a correct account con,
the simplest facts and occurrences.
rtainly the editor ana reporter are
ow how difficult IL IS Most of Ito ii
EN- are conscientious They have TO othe
for they more than all others do
cir work in the daylight How
installing most newspapers are, too NJ
" of their readers appreciate. The Eng
porter who wrote the story Of the day
eaking ice-bridge at Niagara knows y
cry dav somebody is putting his we
Al into the article or comment that But
Il read once and toss away forever, our
nat tremendous volume of genu- and
j literature you buy every evening ciety
III "a penny IN