The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1917-08-10

Washingtop never told atlis'' but there
are : who,e lot of people that believe
that statement 10 itself colossal pre-
varication.
We might 60 into discussion Of the
real definition Of lie, but really In .
general sense everybody will agree with
us that lie is something said or done
to deceive-for . bad purpsse or with
wicked motives. OF course there are
many shades Of lies, but after Ill the
motive Of the deceit is the measure Of
meanness.
But all men are liars, more or less,
strictly speaking. We all deceive, either
purposely or unintentionally. Either
wlckedly or accidentally, either for good
purpose or from bad motives.
Newspapers are the product Of human
brains. Because editors are human they
are like all other people as to truth tel
ling. Aud by the same reasoning all
other people are like editors in this re-
gard.
Hence when you hear some one say.
'that all newspapers are liars" then you
know that he is simply sizing up him
self.
A long lifetime of diligent reading of
the public press has Convinced this
writer that newspapers as rule are
more reliable than the average person.
There Is one great reason for this, if no
better motive can be alleged. II the
editor deliberately attempts to lie and
deceive his readers, his lie is put in
black and white, is known to large num-
bers Of people, and becomes matter of
permanent record. Most lies of common
people are forgotten or unknown, or at
least have but temporary influence and
generally have but little effect.
Now, if a man tries to fool all the peo-
pie all the time, he will soon discover
that it cannot be done. IT continued by
a newspaper man, certain result will
happen to his bread and butter. An un.
reliable newspaper gets the same reputp-
ton and the same treatment as the indl-
vidual who establishes reputation for
untruth.
There are such men and there are
such newspapers. But even among men
there are but few. Honesty is the best
policy. is truth that has strong in
fueAce in all business circles-and even
the newspaper business.
In the hurry and worry of collecting
news, the editor has to take what infor-
nation he can get from all sorts of
sources and often has no time to verify
his news, but it is his business to pub
lish the news at the earliest possible
moment. He does it with his best op.
portunities and judgement. Sometimes
he is mistaken.
Take war news for an example. A
battle is fought. No correspondents are
allowed at the front. News is censored
because Of giving information to the
enemy. The real results Of the battle
are not we'll known to even the soldiers
that fight. The editor tells the story as
he hears it.
But in time the truth will come out.
The maps and time will tell the right
story. What then would be the object
of the newspaper man in deliberately
falsifying or making up story without
basis. 1t would only prove that he was
not publishing a newspaper-and when
the publisher ceases to perform that
principal function of his business-he
might as we'll quit.
No one knows better than the news
paper man that the people cannot be
fooled for all time. Newspaper men like
all other people may be ''liars" by
nature, but as rule, by the very nature
Of the business, they at least have to be
far more careful when they do lie than
do most people; hence they will not do
quite go much Of it.
What we have said applies mostly to
the news section Of the press. what an
editor says on the editorial page is his
individual falkland one has the same
right to ojudge Of ths editorial talk as to
reliability, as he does when he hears his
next neighbor telling story-or Of him
self. But few editors would tell the fish
story in their editorial columns that they
tried to make their friends believe tho
night before ct the neighborhood party.
All this doesn't argue that newspapers
are truthful. It only means that the
man at least has to be more
circumspect with the truth than has