The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-04-23

istic thought finely conceived and
judicious statement of sound news
paper practice.
The schools and departments of
journalism, too. are making their
contribution towards the better
journalism of the future.
''Do not students In schools OF
journalism give themselves too much
concern over questions OF ethics in
the newspaper world2" asks one
editor. with regrettable trace of
impatiencc.
Is 1t possible to feel too much
concern about the kind OF world to
which ono expects to give his lite?
II students were spending their time
thoorizing about an ideal world, the
editors satire might be justified. But
they are not. They are studying
conditions as they actually exist.
For example, in the ethics course
with which | am most familiar.
called editorial problems and poll
cies, n laboratory or case method
has been worked out which puts the
student up against the actual ques-
tions that some editor had to answer
a day or two before.
IL Is not a class devoted TO pleas
ant discourse. for the requisite num-
Der OF semester hours, on the evils
of yellow journalism, the objections
to editorializing the news, the dis
honesty OF news suppression, the
social obligation to handle crime
stories in constructive way, and
other similar subjects. Such dis
cHssion is undoubtedly interesting. II
may even be said to approach the
old-fashioned class room lecture as
"A delightful form of respiration"
| IL ia Hn11ht ftt1 that uttg1,
izing would bear fruit In the con-
duet Of the student five years later
when confronted by real news
paper problem. The chief task be-
fore the instructor Is to create an at
, mosphere OF reality in the classroom.
This is not difficult. for one reason,
because in this department. of Jour
: nallsm n daily newspaper Is being
published as a laboratory for prac-
Z teal work. And however great may
, he the quantative differences be-
! tween the problems in such field
= and In the field OF great metro
> politan newspaper, qualitatively tho
l questions that arise day by day are
, the same.
. A story OF n case OF expulsion for
Q dishonesty is crime story of the
campus and II Is almost as serious
: a matter to the Inhabitants OF the
: campus as the story of a defalca-
q tion In great bank Is TO the inhab-
A itants OF a city.
All the aspects of the problem
, OF suppression are presented to the
, college editor.
!. Temptations to color the news arc
: AS urgent as they ever become In a
larger newspaper office.
Opportunities for sensatlonalism
present themselves every morning
at the campus editors desk.
a And so on through the list OF typ
ical ethical questions,
: All this being true, the problem
Of the instructor Is merely to bridg,
: the gap between his classroom and
. the office of the paper.
Perhaps to make my point clear
:, should give an example. / take on
q that happened Just the other day.
'. member of the faculty was run dowI
y by an automobile and injured. Whci
. the reporter called the instructor
y wife for some of the facts, she mad
y y the request that the name of tn
" student driving the car should not b
printed. She said they were anxiou
!. that the student should not be un
@ duly embarrassed by the accident
= What simple situation for traine,
newspaper man. But in this cas-
the cub reporter and the inexperi
enced news editor thought the nam
didn't matter and left 1t out. Onl,
afterwards in the classroom wer
they made to realize how seriousl
they had violated first principle o
good Journalism, thereby defraudIn
the public, giving short measure q
the news. making the paper ridicu
lous.
Five years from now there Is
ChnnnA that fhnga etn1anta will ra
member that incident when con
tronted with an improper reques
for suppression.
The editor who finds little diff
Guilty In disposIng OF requests 70
suppression can probably recall tina
when he encountered his first de
mand of this sort, either as reporto
or as an executive, he dN not reaC
with the ease and assurance he fee
now. II Is not an easy thing to weig
with judicial mind the considera
tions that bear on whether or M
TO print doubtful story; its valu
as news, its effect on public opln
ion, its value as warning, its in
jury to the reputation of woman
It's influence on the future OF chill,
Its relation to proceedings in cour
Experience - sometimes expensh
experience-teaches a journalist
WeIBn tnem. would he not haN
profited by thinking these thing
over and talking with editors abot
'hem and formulating ideas abol
them before he met his first case ?
As to clinical material" hot froi
the newspaper griddle. editors an
managing editors are most helpful
In response to requests for detaile
statements OF actual Ceases"
stream of such material pours In,
the classroom. AS In most clasl
rooms in schools of journalism Il
instructor is an experienced new
paper man. The discussion tht
takes place is Therefore not esser
TALLY different from the discussio
that took place the day before ,
the week before in the editors o
flee when the lease" first came VI
Surely these methods afford n prat
tical slant on editorial problems.
as Any professional training has |
three aspects, knowledge. skill, stal
in dards. in the law school, knowledl
as bulks large. skill relatively less, al
ar standards merely incidental, wit
10. no specific ethics course. In II
err school OF medicine, knowledge ar
ok skill are OF more nearly equal pr,
ot portions, with standards acquired II
cidpntaIly N damn ri mania M Hou