The New York herald., 1920-01-25
How Others See
Herald's Purchase
by Mr.. Munsey
NIunsey and the Herald.

NildielSn IN. CD NeWs-OpserNerj
The purchase of the NEW YoRK HERlLI
by Frank A. Munsey marks the end o.
another example of personal journalism
With the death or James Gordon Bennett
the HERALD passes for this first time in its
history beyond the control Of the family
that founded it, In its peculiar relations
to the family it is perhaps the most re-
markable of all the New York papers
Greeley and the Tribune were identical
while Greeley lived. At Greeley's death the
Tribune became the Tribune and nothing
else The Sun and Dana were synony-
nous. But when Dana died the Sun was
left an orphan. The newer school OF jour-
nalisnl in New York never became as per-
sonal as the older type. Even the young
Ter Bennett. living In Paris and practis-
ling the absent treatment on the HERALD
was not identified with it like his father
yet it still held the name and the family
and the HERALD traditions.
The HERALD was great newspaper
with the emphasis on the news rather
than on the Journalistic ideals of the pub
Usher. It may be even greater one un-
der the Munsey management, Tor MT
Munsey has been a successful pupnsner.
Nevertheless, the HERALD or the Bennet'
days ceases to exist. Even though the
Bennett influences may not nave peen
marked in their personality recently, still
the HERALD was Benefits paper and back
Of it was Bennett. a newspaper Of today
has grown to be too big an undertaking
anyway to be represented by one man
And few are in existence, big or little
that indicate an individual personality
The fact is that the newspaper IS nc
longer a personal institution but highly
systematized organization for gathering
and distributing the news. News has no
personality. and evidently on that account
personal journalism is outgrown.
Two Journalistic InnOvators.
(Cincinnati (Ohio) Times-Star.)
So the NEW York HERALD has passed
from the James Gordon Bennett estate
to Frank Munsey. One has to pinch ones
self to realize that the famous New York
newspaper, with its unique makeup, no
longer is to be associated with somebody
lor something bearing the name Of James
Gordon Bennett. 49,
1t was in 1885 that the elder James Cor
don Bennett issued the first number Of the
NEW YORK HERALD from basement office
on Wall street. Within few days
journalism realized that it had new
force to reckon with. Bennett was the
first newspaper proprietor to publish a
daily financial article. His reporters
were required to write vivid and snappy
Iarticles, in contradistinction to the Ia
bored efforts common in that day. When
the great New York fire occurred Mr..
Bennett added to the graphic accounts in
the HERALD a picture Of the burning Stock
Exchange and a map Of the devastated
Idistrct, distinct innovations in the news
paper field. And during the Civil War
the HERALD set the pace. SiXty-three cor
respondents followed the fortunes of the
belligerents for the information of HERALD
readers.
The younger Bennett was an innovator.
too 1t was he who fitted out. for news
purposes, such expeditions as Stanley s
search for Livingstone in Central Africa
and the Arctic voyage of the Jeanette.
But with the growth of press associations
and of syndicates the HERALD lost it's
unique position. Everybody did what the
Bennetts alone had done, and in some in
stances the things they had done had lost
their novelty or interest for the public.
They had helped to shape the methods OF
the day. but their day was past The old
order that was new had changed.