Newark post., 1921-08-24
Truth Us Fact


New York Times gives his explana
ton for writing the book. His com
ments on newspapers are interesting
observations and tend to show the
trend of the times. Truth versus
Fact is his theme. In the practical
public's disgust for high flown
phrases, the terms of Truth anc
Facts have become confused. Today
Truth is demanded which in the final
analysis is Facts correctly interpret
ed. Here in Delaware Facts are Of
ten published. What is needed is
Truth-or the Interpretation of those
Facts. The author makes the follow
ing pertinent observations:
$50 great is the need of truth to a
democracy that a vast industry en-
ploying billions of capital has been
built Up to supply it. Never in the
history of the world was so much
money and so much energy spent to
obtain the truth as by the American
press today, and l believe, on the
whole so disinterestedly.
But the daily press is limited by
its own nature. 1t gives you every
twenty-four hours the complete his
tory of one day. 1t overwhelms you
with facts. Often you cannot find
the truth for the facts. You get a
daily closeup of the Government.
You do not see the Government. Your
eyes are fastened upon the political
beauties Of Washington. You see the
stars in the title roles of democracy,
all specially posed. You almost for
get the play in the bewildering sue
cession of films.
"Not only does the pressure of the
immediate overwhelm editors and
correspondents, but certain conven-
tion has grown up in the press which
leads it to present to its readers a
bare transcript of daily events rather
than study of and comment upon
what is behind those events. No mat
ter what happens you must not be
editorial in news columns" Editorial
izing is left for those who are far
away from the facts and who can
only guess at what they mean.
"This convention has grown up
from the desire of newspapers to
avoid old abuses of partisanship. In
their aOish to tell the truth, Uithout
color, they tell not the truth bat the
facts. The truth is not an uncolored
thing. 1t differs from the facts as the
vivid colored visual image of your
friend differs from his photograph.
The press gives as, then, not public
life as it is, bat the actinic values of
public life.
"And this newspaper convention
against editorializing, which is
spreading from the news columns to
the editorial pages, opens papers to
the press agent. 1t was discovered by
the Wilson Administration, with the
war to aid it, that what it chose to
say about itself was news and could
lind its way to front pages. Our
public men are only too well aware
that they can largely write the daily
story of themselves that goes to the
country. Each has his own press
agent.
sour magazine, not having a daily
iuty to perform, might give a little
'f the true color to the photographs
If the press. But the only color many
If them have on their palettes is the
,oleur de rose. The all-fction tend
ency spreading among them is no.
where more conspicuous than in their
sketches of public men. Some one
,old his editor, after the undertaking
period came to its unhappy end, that
you cannot permanently sell pessi-
nism to the American public You
Neither can you permanently
'ell optimism to the American public.
You cannot sell them any ism al
ways.
president Harding is starting out
modest and unspoiled. His strength
s that he has surrounded himself
With able advisers and listens to
hem. Without being great himself
lie may, and | hope he WILL, give us
'reat Administration. Recently he
las referred to himself, talking to
lis friends, as an ordinary man in
he Presidency. The object of
Mirror is to keep him and all his I
ssociates from bamboozling them
elves-as Wilson, who had no Mirror ,
uring the war, did so successfully {
hat he could not be 'debamboozled'- ,
18th us all standing by applauding i
no yrOUipp illY,ciopv F.,