The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-10-19
READING NEWSPAPERS


The January number of the At
lantic Monthly contains two articles
on newspapers-the first by Moorfeld
Storey, who simply froths because all
newspapers are not edited his way,
and who therefore is typical Of most
unintelligent criticism, and the second
by Frederick L. Allen, who has an
appreciation Of real newspaper prob
lens, of the essential standards com
monty grouped as "ethics," and of
the progress that is being made
Just one of his comments we shall
reprint here, not because itNseems to
absolve newspapers of anything, and
not to give the impression that all of
Aliens article is of the same sort, but
because it emphasizes an almost uni
versal fault of newspaper readers and
makes a sensible suggestion.
Says Allen:
Meanwhile, it would be a good
thing if all of US who read the news
papers-and that means pretty near
ly verybody-knew enough about
newspaper organization and methods
to be better judges of the credIbility
of the news. 1 should like to see lee
lures on How to Read the News
papers given in colleges and schools
and elsewhere. 1t is an essential for
the citizen of this day to be able to
read the morning paper with a dis
eliminating eye-to be able to dis
tinguish The Associated Press dis
patch from the special correspond
/ ent's forecast of conditions, and the
fact story from the rumor story = = =
as it IS for lawyer to learn to assess
the value of evidence"
The truth of the implication of that
paragraph implication of that
! paragraph-the implication that read
ers of newspapers get inaccurate i'm
/ pressions more often through their
I own carelessness than through fault
/ of the printed matter-can be tested
/ by anybody who wills. Even the man
= of good intelligence and education
? rarely reads a news story carefully
/ enough to know five minutes later
whether the things related were given
as facts, with the backing of the
newspapers reputation, or as reports
credited definitely to named sources,
or as rumors. Yet nearly every story
contains this evidence, put there for
the specific purpose of informing the
reader accurately.
Not every newspaper and news
association are equally careful, but
the better they are the more careful,
and some are almost unbelievably
painstaking. The average business
or professional man who thinks of all
news stories as hastily assembled and
superficial reports if put to the test
would find himself ridiculously un-
able to meet the requirements of The
Associated Press in giving the I'M
vanished facts about a minor news
happening.
The Register could probably give
more really pointed criticisms of
newspapers in general than the
average outside critic could, lust as
I the prominent shoe manufacturer
could point out more imperfections in
shoes. But the thought here is mere
ly to indorse the suggestion of the
Atlantic Monthly writer that news
stories be read carefully, that readers
take note whether things are given as
facts or as somebody's statement, and
in particular whether stories original
ing outside the readers home city are
credited to a news agency that is
known to be accurate. Training in
newspaper reading IN the schools
would be an excellent Innovation
Des Moines, Iowa, Register.
Topeka, Oct. 17.-Hard luck sits