Milford chronicle., 1952-02-15
Have 70" Ever Stopped To
Think Abont Your Local
Newspapers Problem?

There isn't a thing in the paper
touay' you say as you lay your
hometown newspaper on the floor
you wonder why there is moth
ing in it about your friends son
who day before yesterday was
made vice president of q bank in
a neighboring town, or about the
party the people up the street gave
last night. In fact, you tell your
sell that you can think of a half
dozen local stories the people down
at the newspaper Office passed up.
How right you are. They surely
missed a number of coed stories.
But the fault was not altogether
theirs. You as a member of the
community have a responsibility tn
your newspaper.
1t can serve local needs only in
proportion to the cooperation If
gets from the members of the
community. National, information
al and most of the state news
comes in through local established
channels. Local news is a differ
ent matter. Part of the RESPONSE
bility for it is yours.
Never get the idea that the
editor of your newspaper is inter
ested only in certain people in
your town. On the contrary, he is
interested in everyone who SUBJ
scribes to his paper. Both the
wealthiest woman in town, who
lives in the largest house in the
swank residential district, and the
poorest man, who lives in the
smallest house on a side street
subscribe for the paper and nav
the same price for it. In the ewes
of the editor both subscribers are
important.
Getting back to those stories
the newspaper missed-iust how
did you expect the folks at the
office to know about your friends
son? The father was justifiably
proud of his son. but did he or any
Of his friends think to tell a re.
porter so that even acquaintance
could share the new vice-presi
dents pleasure in his good for
tune? No, they fed the grapevine
and probably criticized the news
paper, too.
Now about that party of you
neighbOr's. How do you know tha
the society editor didn't call th
lady? "Please, don't put our part,
in the paper" perhaps she begge,
when she was asked about it. ''W
didn't ask three couples we're in
debted to, and-well, you under
stand" You, too, realize the i'm
portance of self-preservation SO
cially speaking as we'll as other
wise.
Maybe you think to yourself
Il don't like the editor and hi!
policies" What if you don't al
ways agree with him? Have yoy
ever thought how little you really
agree with your best friends? Yet
you don't ignore or criticize them
constantly just because you fail to
see eye to eye with them, do you?
Give the editor a break.
In most cases the newspaper
editor is far more conscientious in
promoting the interests of his
home town than he is given credit
for being. If he weren't public
spirited he wouldn't be in the
newspaper business.
Hes running the paper for the
money he can make" you say. OF
course he wants to make money
Who doesn't? But he chose the
newspaper business because he
likes it. And any man or woman
who can make money in the news
paper business can make money
in some other line of work in
which he would not have to dea,
with so many different personal.
tiles, many of them sensitive folks
Yet the editor of a newspaper
chose this particular means OF
making living, for in his way
he wants to help the town in
which he lives.
II don't like the way he goes
about helping the town." you con-