Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-11-14
ARE NEWSPAPERS UNRELIABLE

ARE NEWSPAPERS UNREL1BLE2
10 turn. Every SO. often some self |
righteous individual with an ingrow
ing disposition rears backs on his |
hlnG legs and emits doleful howl |
anent the unrelability of the press"
writes the editor of the San Francisco
Bulletin. And what he further says
is so applicable TO the newspaper sit
uation here as we'll as elsewhere that
VIC print it in full.
Inadvertent publication of any
news story not strictly conforming
To the facts invariably is the signal
for a sweeping condemnation often
by those who know better. In vir;u-
ally every big city of the country men
and women of more or less standing
in the community are prone to assume
a SNUG air of wisdom and to assert
with conviction: you can't believe
word you read in the newspapers"
II has come to be quite the common
thing with these volunteer critics not
only TO disparage the press in SO far
as concerns authenticity Of its news.
but likewise to impugn the motives
of newspaper arrangements. the
most charitable thing they find to say
concerning the character of news
paper writer's in general is: "Oh, well;
YOU can't blame the reporters so much,
they have 10 write what they're told
by the men in charge"
If statements of this sort came from
ignorant people and reflected only the
attitude of the uniformed it would
be folly 10 take cognizanoe of them.
Unfortunately this is not the case.
Bankers. lawyers, brokers; merch-
Ants, railroad officials. politicians. So
octy women. ministers of the gospel,
steamship officials and others who
pride themselves on their probity and
personal integrity. too frequently do
not hesitate 10 lie incontinently to
the newspapers.
4 rumor reaches newspaper office
TO the effect that bank merger is
to be consummated. a reporter is sent
10 ascertain the facts. Does the bank
president admit the truth of the rumor
but ask that. for business reasons,
the matter he not made public for a
few days? He does not. He tells the
reporter there is no truth in the rumor
A few DAYS later the deal goes through
and-the newspaper knows the bank
president lied.
4 public official grants an interview
in which he makes certain statements
The next day. political or other pres
rure is brought to bear. Does he come
out in the open and admit his mis-
t.lke or his change of heart" lie doe
no.. He promptly repudiates the in
terview of the day before and-th
reporter knows he lied.
a society NATIONS daughter be
comes engaged 10 a prominent mar
but the family is not ready TO max
the announcement. Does the societ
natron tell the truth and ask that III
matter be kept quiet foo few days
She does not. She pretends .surpris
and denies there is any foundation 70
the rumor. The following week III
announcement is plade and-the sc
ciety editor knows the woman ha
prevaricated.
So it goes on down the line. Peopl
who would not think of deceivin
business associates, people who woul
scorn 10 resort 10 untruth or subtei
fuge in ordinary affairs, men ar
women whose word literally is as goo
as their bond in financial matters
these are the people for the mo
part, who have no computations
conscience about deliberately lyir
10 a newspaper representative.
The remarkable feature of the stu
ton is that the very persons who
carelessly handle the truth wilt
talking TO a newspaper represent
tive are the first TO raise howl ov
the unreliability and inaccuracy
the press.
Every newspaper reporter in t
country knows his Job is not wor
two cents if he is detected intentio
ally misrepresenting facts or m
quoting what has been told 10 hi
His job is to tell the truth of WI
be sees and hears and in ninety-p i