The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-07-08
SUPERVISING THE NEws

SURPRISING THE NEWS.
The newspaper has duties functions RESPONSE
biles realized by including certain pro-
A new term has come into use-pubic service
this is included such enterprises railroads
companies electric light water and all
other industries giving public service
Their quasi public character TO be rec
ognized to extent that they now regulated
in the public interest to an extent that would have
revolution the old days being an officous
and unwarranted interference with the rights OF pr
waite property.
be this classification Of public service en-
terprises there is to hold
it included above all others exertng
as IL does an influence IN the gro"'n, upllt'
being the people that is far and away more
vital the matter Of transportation OF hgnt
water communication. etc.
Tie old time Ideal of the newspaper was that 1t
should be all that is embraced in the phrase Iroune
o. the people"
latter conception was that it specially an
oatad halo crowned censor, scavenger and detec
casting the ddio beam into every nook and cor
uer OF the private businesses Of people. and
rasterns its grist Of gossip in box car type all over
rhs up-to-date idea is that the freedom"
wi respect to the freedom Of the press doesn't mean
license" any more than 1t does with the private cru
a and that the POSSESSION Of little type press ana
fef sheets Of paper doesn't metanorphose man INTO
pe sorarg above the law outside the ordinary
strctiCas placed other people
DIR, city in point the right or duty OF the paper
to publish certain news.
To begr--the paper has neither right, nor a duty
to anything that is not of general import and
affect the public, In those cases III which
private rights o. person are affected; -.
A quarrel between neghbors does not become mat
rvblca ton until the matter has peen callea 70
10 aerton Of the authorities until 1t
has grown to proportions affecting the rights and priv
uegea Of other people than the parties concefneo
ITp to that time matter is merely one OF gossip
and the paper has neither right nor a duty 70 iNAe
A noted case was that in which found
dead in hotel circumstances that indicated sui
eide AS matter suicide, an enterprls
ing reporter discovered together with these adolrona
The man had embezsled Non his company
Of
If discovered he would have been sent to the pen
and the company
He had $4,000 life insurance
The embezzement about $4,000.
He assigned life insurance to the company ask
ing that the Itself and give the balance
to his wife.
He sacrificed life to give his wife and children
something he could not have given them had ne lived
In the latter case they would have starved while ne
served term in prison.
The company accepted the money. paid the wife
ing was private matter between the man, the
panY and the man and his God
The company did not wish to prosecute
1t willing to forgive
The law, had 1t been able, would have stepped In.
a felony
This IS statute law.
There is moral law which from
the Cross: Father forgive them
1t ts much better law, and a higher law
In addition and something that prosecutors forget
about their laws company had as much
right TO Forogo" punishment the Judge would
had under the law to have placed the n proba-
tion by "Euspending" sentence.
With respect to the paper, publishing the story
would merely have Tetailed pieoe gossip
have followed the children all through the nvesther
father embezzer. He committed suicide.
The paper took the position that-the fact OF the
suicide not having been made matter or po-
lice record publication OF news in
the would not DO the thousandth part
good compared with the injury that 1t would
the unfortunate widow and chdrenlt not proper
ly matter for publication.
The paper right
To have published those few little miserable lines
scoop" would have made supreme saori-
flee all In vain.
Tho suspicion OF suicide brought before the
public authorities, nnd for the to ad
vantage Of the exclusive proof that It obtained by
private channels, would have made 1t merely
DIAL monger-the any private person would have
been who had peeked through key hole.
It may be held by that the position of the pa
per far-fetched that the death of q member
q community IL matter Of general news. and that
death by violence matter OK obligatory
IL newspaper to give its readera but
Even newspaper must be allowed to observe few
decencies without making itself liable to the charge
of suppressing the
There where stories should be suppressed
because they are not news