New Britain herald., 1926-02-13
MAKES BIG PLEA FOR REPORTERS
A. P. Official Would Have Jour-
 naliSm a Profession

Wheeling, W. Va, Fob. 13 Rl--A plea for recognition of tho profess sion of Journalism was made hy Ed ward McKernon, superintendent of the Eastern Division of the Associat- cd Press, speaking last night at the annual banquet of the West Virginia Publishers and Employing Printers association.
 The profession Of journalism and the business of selling newspapers, associated as they are, should not become confused, Mir. McKcrnon said, If journalism is to have the prestige that will permit 1t to full All It's supreme mission to society," "Circulation Is the concern of the counting room," he declared. "l.ct the business management worry about that, Typography, feature stories and comic strips arc It's sales men. Intelligent editing, enterprise and speed are of course, circulation builders, but circulation building Is not the primary responsibility of the journalist.
 That editor betrays his profession whose dominant passion IS to ma in the days new that which regard less of it's essential importance 10 the public. may appeal to the great est number of readers; 10 fashion headlines that will most readily catch the eyo of the newsstand pa- tron; or to be first on the street with sensational news
 "He is not a journalist, but a sort of glorihed newsboy.
 "Tho great and all important responsibility of the profession ol journalism is to draw tho daily pic ture with fidelity, whether the pie ture must be framed in SIX coluihhS or sixty columns ,.. Mir. McKcrnon said the Jourilalla' must reflect the world as IL IS at nress time and if the news was sen s,tional, 1t should be so preSen'eu that the reader would know IL Was sensational. If thero was no news tho news columns must DC cor respondingly dull.
 "T do not make my plea to th' reading public, which will rccognl|' the profession when the proleSS'o',' al recognizes itself" he continued "hut 10 those publishers who haN' fallen just short of their great op' nortunity; who have put all the ht1 horany in the business ollice; Wn' h,ye mt washed the windows Ill 'li' rews room since tho building Wal dedicated. I wish the man Tn sllii sleeves upstairs to have ms pi1o' Il the sun." .r od
 The sneaker sad he greatly ad m,red the advertising man put a"ne' flat 'I should like to live to see th dav when he appeared hat Tn nam ot the door of the editorial sanctun and say: My dear Editor: ho, much space do you think there WI be left for advertisement when vo have completed your daily exempll soation of the profession of journal ism?' " ,., [ Dove,opmcnt of the modern news naner was the proudest ach>eVelheN or the last 80 years, MT. Mcherno asserted. 4. |.
 ."rhree notable reforms are 70 It credit. the establishment Of the IT te,,ectual independence of the editor Ia, nage; the purifying of the adve' tising columns; and the frank reVe ation of circulation figures. A these have contributed to give tn American newspaper a commandiF position in public esteem. But LII nrestige has added to the respohs h,litv now confronted.
 "The millions have been made read, And they believe what the read. They cannot help it, And thev read they think, and as the mink they act. If they do not lcal o think straight. we are lost. Th' cannot think straight unless throne
 he expert direction of the prole
 ton of journalism they receive
 n;cture of things as they are, pr
 sented with a proper sense Of pr
 nortion that will clearly indlca
 what must be the starting point
 intelligent thinking"