Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-08-18
FRIDAY, AUGUST l8, 1922
Write Your Own Editorials

Everyone who is at all familiar with the
newspaper business knows the tendency IN tllls
country toward fewer and better newspapers.
Publishing a newspaper is a vastly more ex-
pensive enterprise than it was IN the Old Gays, now
requiring large capital, costly plant, a Dig orr
ganization and payroll 1t is not surprising
therefore, that the well known law OF the survival
of the fttest has been operating rather saVagely
in the newspaper world, resulting III many jour-
nalistic casualties and growing list OF cities ana
towns now being served by a single newspaper.
The same tendency is observable in Canada
where in the past few years SO dailies have gone
out of business, leaving a large number OF enter
prsing cities to be served by a single newspaper.
Even such a metropolitan city as Montreal mas
only two English dalhes ana both are under the
same ownership
Where single newspaper can serve COM
munity much more advantageously than two, CIV
ing it's readers better news and feature service ana
enabling advertisers to cover given territory at
far less, expense the Toronto News points out
that a single newspaper in community involves
at times curious and difficult situation.
''It tends to eliminate two-sided discussion OF
public affairs and to discourage local active news
paper participation in municipal, state, or federal
politics. The opportunity remains, however to
give correspondents the fullest opportunity to set
forth their views upon public issues And letter
writing of this sort may be made to serve paftlc-
ularly useful purpose IN the one daily Clues III,
as result the voter learns to think for himself
and to discard traditional shibboleths, good, rath
er than evil, is likely to ensue.
The Telegram has always been SJfOng De-
lever in the public forum and tried to encourage
it's readers to express their views politics and
other public questions through this department
of the paper.
The public forum is really the public's editor
ial column through which readers have the oppor-
tunty to voice their opinion subjects Of inter-
est to the public. The next time you get it into
your head that The Telegram should either advo-
cate or condemn this, that, or the other, suppose
you sit down and write communication to the
public forum expressing your views on the mat
ter. IF you want to shape public opinion the OPP
portunity is there.
If you do not consider an issue Of enough I'M
portance to write communication about 1t, then
why expect The Telegram to discuss it editoriaLy?
And if the reason why you hesitate to express
your opinion in the forum is because you must
sign your communication, then why expect news
paper to accept responsibility for opinion which
you yourself dare not publicly advocate?
The Telegram is glad to print brief opinion OF
it's readers on any proper subject On request
only the initials of the writer will be printed,
though the name must always be disclosed to the
edi or as protection to the paper. The Telegram
expresses it's opinion through the editorial column
and the public has the same privilege on the same
page in the forum.
Every reader has therefore the same privi-
lege of editorial opinion possessed by the news
paper itself and every shade Of opinion it's chance
to influence the public. If more Telegram read
ers would make use of the public forum to express
their views on public issues, the discussion engen-
dered would be of great value in shaping public
opinion along wise and rational lines.-Superior
Telegram