The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-07-08
NEWSPAPER ETHICS


Would that all who are or have
been in the habit of sneering at news
paper ethics-or, rather, at what they
are pleased to consider a lack of it
could have been in the congregation
at the Park Avenue NJ. E. Church in
New York on Sunday morning and |
listened to the masterful address de-
livered on this subject by DR.. James I
Methvin Lee, director of the depart
ment of journalism of New York Uni
versity. The point was made by the
speaker that ethics with newspapers,
as with men, is largely a personal
matter. Gentlemen are not exempt
from wrongdoing," said DR.. Lee, "but
they are always ready to make
amends when they discover that they
have done wrong" He declared that
there is one sermon that is preached
over and over every day by the news
papers of the country, and it is based
on the text, "The Wages of Sin is
L
not so eager to publish sensational
news as some people believe, he IL
Illustrated by recounting the story of a
Chicago city editor who, upon receiv-
ing details of the misdeeds of a prom
inent local clergyman, decided to
withhold the story and avoid creating
N1Nf iNNtf q oil "
mans promise to retire quietly to
farm and stay out of the pulpit. The
story, to his certain knowledge, has
never appeared in print from that day
to this, said DR.. Lee.
A great problem now facing the edi-
tors of the country is whether to pub
lish what the people want or what
they ought to have. There are dan
gers attending either course. The
editor who gives space to the salaci-
GUS and nauseating stories are so
eagerly drunk in by an amazingly
large number of persons will get a
large street circulation temporarily,
but we will find when too late, that
he has lost the patronage and friend
ship of right thinking, self-respect-
ing men and women. On the other
hand, the editor who is guided by
straight-laced Puritancial standards
in passing on what copy" should be
allowed access to the composing room
in running the risk of turning out
<Lll, embarrassing, prosy sheet that
few will take the trouble to read.
golden mean of which Horace sang.
The man who edits a newspaper
should be neither a prude nor a rake
A saint would make as big a fiZzle
of the business as a devil. He who
would succeed in fullest measure in
the task of making a newspaper that
will win and hold the favor of the
great masses of the people must be a
man of the strictest integrity, yet
broad enough to understand and sym
pathize with the many who suffer
from one or another of the many
forms of human frailty to which man
Is heir.
Those whose habit is to decry what
they term the sensationalism of the
press would do well to remember
that the great majority of the fourth
estate are imbued with a sincere de-
sire and purpose to do their work |
conscientiously and faithfully and |
they strive diligently to get at the
exact facts, that they may do no man
an injustice. The power of the press |
is great, but to their credit be it said, |
there is on part of most of the men
who make up the STATS of American
newspaper no disposition whatever to
abuse it. The ethics of the newspaper
craft will stand comparison with
those of any other in the land.