Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-15
Evening Yesterday l4OCO
Newspaper a Generous Giver.


That q great many persons hav
erroneous ideas regarding daily news
papers and their obligations TO the public
slways has been true, and probabl.
always will be. The following from The
Corn Exchange, a home publication of th'
Corn Exchange National Bank of Phila
delphia, is so timely and to the point that
We reproduce it with real pleasure and The
hope that it may impress upon ouI
readers what the province of a newspaper
actually is. The article referred particu
larry TO Philadelphia newspapers but II
j. applicable to the newspapers of every
city:
There is never n single copy OF the
average daily paper printed on any day
Of the year which does not contain from
one 10 twenty items, either so-called news
or editorial, that is gratuity handed out
for the common welfare and from which
the paper directly and indirectly received
not penny of profit.
The people of a city never expect a
shipyard to do anything but build ships.
A locomotive plant has done its duty
when it constructs railway engines. A
hat factory, flour mill, clothing factory,
bank, store, trolley road and telephone
is not reckoned upon to give its time,
service or capital for boosting any enter
prise excepting its own. But newspaper
has dozens of requests every day to print
or 10 urge, TO commend or damn, to beg
or promote. something out of which the
owner of the paper can derive no financial
benefit. He is expected to employ hls
capital in that way for the common wei
fare.
a newspaper has but two possible
sources of income. One is from the sale
Of the paper and the other from the
sale of advertising space. Whatever IN
paper does not attract readers to buy
is not profitable thing for the owner
financially. Whatever in paper takes up
space where an advertisement might be
pyinted is q direct and immediate loss.
Very little of what is called civic boosting
ever brings to newspaper a single reader.
Certainly no begging proposition does.
''Armenians always require relief, so
1t seems. and the papers are expected TO
print columns of appeals. But no per-
son would ever think Of buying news
paper Just TO read an article asking him
70 contribute money to some one o,ooo
miles away.
"An account of prize fight, baseball
game. Snurder. election. elopement in high
social circles, horse race. q battle or
hot debate in Congress, would sell
papers. Readers would buy to see that
sort of thing. Yet the papers give daily
many columns Of space on white paper
that costs them dearly to the boosting or
begging or promoting propositions.
The journal whichfor century and
q quarter has been regarded in all parts |
OF the world as the greatest newspaper |
published is the London Times. But so
far as booming anything in London goes,
the Times might as well be printed in
Toxic. IL devotes but little Of its resources
and capital TO that sort of thing.
IL may be contended that it isa news
papers legitimate business TO urge and
beg and boost. But it is no more the
OF a newspaper than OF maga-
zine, and magazines thrive by publishing
only such articles as their editors believe
the public wishes 10 read. The magazine
tries and does secure circulation by inter
asting iis readers and SO gets advertise
nents. 1t publishes no Belgian, no Polish,
Dor Armenian appeals, never urges better
street paving and cleaning; does not
,oax people to contribute for the support
# hospitals and colleges, makes no
for saving babies, swatting
he fly or any of those public things which
iaily newspapers are constantly asked to
,elp. Every newspaper publisher knows
hat there is neither circulation nor
gain in such policy, yet they all
10 IL.
There is another feature of journalism
rhich is rarely thought of by those not I
q the business OF printing papers. Many
'apers refuse TO accept certain classes of s
advertisements which. if printed, would
ield tens of thousands of dollars In
ovenue. The public says, perhaps, a
aper has no right to publish questionable {
DIS. But do other, businesses scrutinize /
5 closely? Does any job printer refuse I
print nice stationery for so-cailed | {
I. /