New Britain herald., 1925-10-17
PRESS TRUTHFUL,
 ALDEN DECLARES
Simply Mirrors Life as It Is,
 Brooklyn Man Says

country does not order the printing of lies." according to John Alden, editorial writer on the Brooklyn Eagle, who addressed the brother hood of the South Congregational church last evening. It was the first meeting of the brotherhood for the season.
 MT. Alden, who has been Q news paperman for 43 years, is of the old school type of newspaperman who feels that the profession of journal ism is weakened by too much stand ardization. He said: "The newspa' pers, however, are not any more standardized than the schools, churches or common people," He added that the schools of today have become 50 standardized that pupils do not have to do any thinking and the teachers have no work to do.
 In opening his address Mir. Alden said he wanted tc. contradict gen. eral impression that newspapers vol untarily and deliberately print what is not true. Ut Is impressed on many minds that some stories are concocted deliberately for amuse- ment," he said. '"The yellowest news- paper in the country does not order the printing of lies. The difference between yellow newspaper and Q conservative paper Is that one exer' cises a little more, care than the other. It must be remembered that g. newspaper is made up within a few hours and that all the efforts of the editor are to keep out untrue statements.' 8 Speaking of the standardization Of newspapers, he said they have i'm proved through this condition in nc far as they have a wider range or information but he felt they had lost their individuality. Standardization Is the curse o' newspapers today" he continued '"The plans of the Creator do not Ill in with standardization at all. Hf didn't make man either spiritually or intellectually with interchangea ble parts. The efforts of surgeons psycho and orthodoSies '' correct the inadvertencies Of th' Creator have been unsuccessful"
 When Mir. Alden, at 22 years o age and just out of college, applied to the managing editor of NeP York newspaper for a position n was given the following answer: Il you save a pull anywhere whereb YOU can become an apprentice to stone mason, carpenter or a br'cl layer, use 1t. You'll make nor money. live better life and hay more comfort" He said he had live to realize the truth of this advice He told many amusing stories c olden days on Park Row. "When was Park Row" and of the now on solete hard drinking, poker playint fiction writing newspaperman.
 Referring to the development ( cooperation between the churche and the newspapers he said: "Th church and clergymen are closer the newspapers today than they eve were before. The papers are glVin more attention 10 church matter an more attention to spiritual matter than they did few years ago. "Tbc readers are interested l church news and that interest growing. The spiritual life American men and women is ret thing if it is not covered up.'
 Newspapers and Crime
 MT. Alden offered to ansper que lions and was kept busy for qulte while in this connection. Do yc think the American newspaper -heelping juvenile delinquency in l method of handling crime news he was asked. He said he didi know, but If this was true Il Mother Goose story of "Tom' u Pipcr's Son" was not a good sto for children to read. Tn the MT place it makes hero out of thi and it is not good for children read about stealing" he said Al it is about a pig, and pigs are T the best things to write about fu thermore, the punishment dld Il fit the crime. The pig, the innoce suffqrpr, was killed and eaten a Tom was just beaten.
 "Crime is not unduly eXplolt' not any more so than the pubic mands. Publicity helps preVt crime. A lot of divorces are aVo' ed by publicity
 Mir. Alden tried to clear up sol misconceptions of newspapers a news values which were included three questions asked him. C man seemed to feel that neWsrap made hero out of Gerald Cht man A minister had read & st' which did not meet the ideallsm the pulpit and he l., charged IN Britain papers with publishing ia which were "revolting." A busin man thought there was jealousy
 tween newspapermen.
 MT. Alden said he did not kno" Hany newspapers which had mad hero out of Chapman, but that
 story was handled in accorda with the news value and reader tercst. Referring 10 the feeling Jealousy among newspapermeh told how beginners in the newspa field often would fail to make g if if were not for the assistance | arc given by men on opposl papers. Ncwspapermen he said
 always willing to work together
 help one another"
 Picturing Human Lite'
 Commenting on the so-called
 volting" facts he said, What' pictures human life has got to
 ture the bad as we'll as the g
 If YOU exaggerate the light you hot do justice to the shadows; II
 exaggerate the shadows you oo
 do justice to the light. It IS
 function of newspaper to tell $, not what ought to be.
 "Even in the Bible you ma
 -I.z aoscrinfinns of some