The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-08-03
should govern the press in dealing

| SeUST1ily ISSiIOeO SiS INC Cuiei
function CT the press and the only
valid excuse on the score Of bust
ness efficiency for its existence.
That is the news collecting and dis
tributing activities Of the newspa-
| per. There have been various ans
wers formulated to the question.
What is legitimate news? But none
are entirely satisfying. The one
that sounds best and cones near
est to being the correct answer is
the slogan Of the New York
Times: ''All the news that is fit
to print"
What is. news? and, What is fit
to print? are two separate and
distinct problems that two Solo
mons might solve, but il they were
switched on their Jobs they would
probably differ in the answers they
would give. What one man con-
siders news, and the most interest
ing news at that, another has no
hesitation in classifying as mere
rubbish. What one regards as a
human interest story with just a
sufficient spice Of raciness to add
relish to the repast, another de-
nounces as sa1acious vulgarity. One
section of the public demands a
great deal of political news, an
other wants the sporting page
spread all over the sheet. And the
women whose tastes and rights
must be taken into consideration,
are strong for society news, with
long strings of names Of those
present, verbal snapshots of the
gowns they wore and itemized lists
Of the things to eat. News is G,
problem that has never been solv-
ed and the papers that print
twenty to fifty page editions are
no nearer satisfying the public
than the smallest folio.
In making up newspaper the
I purpose should be TO give the story
Of the happenings of the COM
munity, the state and the world
as accurately and as fully as pos.
sible, correctly and entertainingly
written, good English and an at
tractive style being appreciated BY
every day newspaper readers az
well as by professional high-brows
When it comes to deciding what
class of. news should be given
prominence and what relegated to
comparative obscurity it is a. mat
ter Of the9iafflividnal 3 afl Judgment Of
tthe man who controls the make
up Of the paper. He who gnesses
nearest what the people who read
Ehis paper want, or can make his
readers. believe that the way he
handles the. news is the best, is
the most successful newspaper
man.
There iscrore in knowing what
to leave oft OF a newspaper than
in what to put il. A newspaper
trat is honest and values It's repu-
tation never knowingly prints an
untruth-and no newspaper prints
ell the true news stories that come
to It's desk. Truth is often moro
cruel and does more needless in
Jury when told out Of place than
The blacklist SANDER. Hence it is
an accepted rule Of the press that
in dealing with matters that fall
under the head Of news items,
Judgment and charity must be ex--.
crcised in reaching decision
whether to prin. or omit. When
no principle is at stake, when no
good can be accomplished by MAX
ing public certain facts it ls we'll
to be silent. But when a principle
is involved or where the interests
of the whole public can best be
served by publishing the facts, the
newspaper should be as fearless
IN giving publicity to the truth and
in handling the news IS it would
be in discussing a political or NOR
al issue in the editorial page. All
there is to it is the exercise Of dis
erection, a wise and charitable
Judgment and reasonable amount
Of courage in standing fast to
ones convictions-and the newspa-
per will do it's duty to the public
as the purveyor OF news.
To my mind the motto that the
Watchman and Southron has car
ricd at it's head since the old True
Southron was established here in
Sumter more than fifty years ago
tn ce,.1o tho Dublic in q time of