Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-31
HOW LONDON
GETS ITS IDEAS
Facts and Opinions Are Not
Printed in Separate Columns
as They Are Here
By GILBERT VIVIAN SELDES


Special Correspondent Of the Evening LEDGER
LONDON, Aug. 10.
AMERICANS who were in England during
"A the last presidential campaign had
| occasional entertainment from the quota
tions which English papers made from our
dailies. / recall seeing the astonishing an.
nouncement that the ST. Louis Post-Dis-
patch, "a paper published in the heart OF
the hyphenated belt" was supporting Presi-
dent Wilson. l do not recall whether this
was taken to be an indication that the
President was pro-German or that the Ger
mans were pro-Presldent. But the obscure
fact that the St. Louis st-Dispatch is a
Pulitzer paper and naturally takes the same
line of policy as the New York World was
not known here. SO we Americans smiled
a bit and possibly wrote to the papers to
explain.
But the matter can pass beyond amuse-
ment and lead to MISUNDERSTANDING when
the essential information is lacking. That
is why it may be worth while to write
down fair account of the press of London.
as it is generally quoted in America. For
example, before we found out that the
Morning Standard (now dead and not to be
confused with the Evening Standard still
going strong) was by nature and tradition
anti-American it was most unpleasant to
read the nasty things 1t had to say about
us Before we realized that certain other
dailies or weeklies were comparatively paci-
fist We were unable to understand why
they spoke so kindly of US even while we
kept out of the war.
The first thing to note is that the city
of London has no newspapers 1t has jour
nails, or dailies, whatever you wish to call
them, but no newspapers as Americans un.
derstand newspapers. To the average
American, whether he knows or does not
know newspaper work, the first principle of
newspaper is to give news In London
the first principle of each newspaper pub
lished, with a possible exception, is SO to
distort news as to infiame public opinion
toward definite object. Clear, uncolored.
honest news does not appear in nine -tenths
of the London press unless that news Is
utterly unimportant
Three-Course-Dinner Controversy
Let me cite case winch is so old that
1t Is now beyond controversy Last win
ter a set of regulations was issued to all
restaurants forbidding them to serve any
dinner with more than three full courses.
soup was half course, meat one course,
and so on. The official responsible for this
scheme was member of the Coalition Cab
met. 1t was considered highly necessary
by section of the press at that time to
discredit that Cabinet in every possible
way. Therefore the three-course scheme
was to be discredited. And 1t was.
Now If that had happened in the United
States and restaurant keeper happened
TO own newspaper he might have COM
PEELED his editors to discredit the scheme.
Then reporter would have gone out to
various restaurateurs and asked their opin-
ion: He would have quoted those opposed
and scanted those In favor. But he would
nave reported; he would not dare to say
at the end of his article that I'VE feel that
THIS scheme must be abandoned" or at is
Tune that Mr. Blank, who proposed this
scheme should be fired with the rest of his
gang He would have left the expression
OF editorial opinion to the editorial writer
to put on the editorial page.
That separation Of news which is truth
or part OF the truth from opinion. which has
often nothing whatever to do with the truth.
is unknown to the London press.
I am told that the ancient tradition of
honest news has but recently gone out. and
1t has. of course. gone out at a time when
1t is most needed. To any man who knows
the press in democracy and knows its
power this first corruption of the honesty
or paper must seem more than danger.
Gus.