Arizona republican., 1922-01-31
Ria and Small Newspapers


We fear that we did not make ourselves quite
clear to the Chandler Arizonan in article on
Newspaper opinion" We will concede that were
not as explicit as we should have been in the
following:
Much Of the opinion expressed by small news
papers is of no consequence, since it avals nothing
and is of interest whatever unless it is conveyed
cule but does not inspire conviction"
We should have inserted the word many" before
small in the foregoing. speaking at not
the Chandler Arizonan or many other newspapers in
Arizona and elsewhere which exercising a good
influence upon the community, but those newspapers
which impose their opinions every conceivable
subject under the sun, appointing themselves
guardians of our thoughts and conduct. 1t was that
kind OF opinion" we had in mind when said that
of the opinion expressed by small newspapers
was wasted.
The Arzonan credits The Republican with some
thing which it had thought of laying claim in
the article-that it a 'big newspaper" On the
contrary it is still small newspaper and is glad Of
it, and proud of the personal touch it has with its
readers something which. we said, If the Arizonan
recalls the big newspapers have lost 1t is prouder
of the fact that it is newspaper and is giving
service in its field, the Arizonan is in its
field, than it could be as a mouder Of public
opinion
to the country Of the small newspapers, the dailies
and the weekles. The country could with much less
loss spare all the big newspapers in America than
all the small newspapers.
Reverting again to the subject of so called
paper opinion. we might have added that much Of
the opinion of the big newspapers availed nothing"
So frequently their opinions unheeded in munich
pal elections in the cities where they printed that
it appears that they handicaps rather than helps.
That has been especially true in Chicago and New
York, the habitat of the big newspapers.
We are sure that the aggregate influence Of the
small newspapers is greater than the influence
the big newspapers in the country There was time
when editorial opinion was influential; when every
body in the country Bowles and Bennett and
Greeley and Dana and Halstead and George Jones
and Medil and later, until recently. Watterson.
Now not in ten thousand knows who the
present editors Of any Of the great newspapers Of the
country. They only oracles and oraces can
flourish only in a superstitious age
Fifty years ago people without information
on which to form opinions Therefore they accepted
the opinions of the great editors, whose
familiar to them and whom they trusted. Now, being
informed themselves through the columns, they
judge for themselves.
great many years ago carpenter bought
Dsston saw because he thought Henry Disston made
it, or tleast supervised the making OF it,
cherished it the more that account Dsston
then person with whom he felt in touch. Now the
Dsston saw is turned out perhaps as good as ever,
by great impersonal machine The tool is there
fore not cherished as it was formerly
Again to newspaper opinion, and since all
opinion must be based information. If editor
believes he has information which has not come to
the general public by the various and various
shades by which it is presented to him, if there
certain points Of it which he believes ought to be
given stress that the public may not think to give
it, he is warranted in stating his opinion whether he
is the editor of big paper small one.
We believe that is about all the excuse there is
for editorial opinion.