St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1962-06-29
Newspapers And
Newspapers

What happens when great, enormously COM
denly goes into a state of suspended animation?
We have experienced it in Minneapolis, but
still we find it impossible to comprehend, much
less, put it in words.
1t is many weeks that the Minneapolis
Star and Tribune have been shut down. All studies
of the matter indicate that Mnneapolitans miss
their papers deeply. What is it that we miss about
them? The local news, get in other ways
through the radio, by personal and telephone con-
tacts from the new hastily organized Minneapolis
Herald, from specialized weekly publications. It is
not all the might otherwise get and it Is
not served up might wish, but people here
are not exactly in state of total isolation. The
national and world news, of course, comes to in
a great flow which, If it does not overwhelm us,
certainly does not leave us famished
What is missing is more complex than this
more complex than put into words. The
occasional documentares, in Bradley Morson's
verse; upon foibles the daily gustatory inteec-
tual and entertainment adventures Of viii Jones' the
usually witty and often courageous editorial pages
what rarity in todays journalsmD the excellent
ly planned letters pages giving full play to all shades
of opinion and demonstrating that the papers re-
spect the views of readers including those who dis
agree with them,-what happens to all these things
and how does their suspension affect and our
community? What the foibles Morrison is not
writing about? Are missing Will Jones review
equal to the memorable he wrote about La
Dolce Vita? And what irony, to have to try to
keep abreast of labor dispute without the help of
labor reporter Sam Romer!
There was time to be sure when Minneapolis
got along without this great collective personality,
when the dominated by the old Mime
apois Journal an intellectually monolithic uncom-
nIicatad dailv outDourinp of Dreiudices which has
scarcely been missed.
What has happened in the years since the DOM
nation of the Journal has been good for our COM
munity. We don't believe that it takes suspension
of the papers to call this to the attention of the
public. And we certainly do not have to give
blanket endorsement to everything about the papers
to make this point But community does OBJ
viously have the benefit Of greater maturity in
civic life in decision making processes in our
government because of the influence of a remark
ably mature newspaper organism.
The current shutdown has raised the possibility
that there will be competition in the newspaper
field here in the future The Minneapolis Herald has
announced that it intends to continue. And this too
may be all to the good. Competition thorough
y desirable, though the history Of the past
many years suggests that economically it is not
feasible A demonstration that competition is econ
omically supportable would probably be most well
come to most newspaper readers. However we know
cities where there are competing papers who do
render the public service the one ownership Star
and Tribune do.
The Herald's performance demonstrates how
complicated the problem of publishing newspaper
be- They have done a remarkable, almost unbe-
Hevable, job of putting together quickly an or
ganizaton that has been able to distribute 100000
goodsized newspapers daily. This involves dozens Of
man-sized problems, any Of which could be de-
feating: finance, business organization, composing
room facilities, press capacity and newsprint sup
plies circulation staff advertising staff, editorial
staff editorial features, services, to mention
a few. When Time magazine allowed its local cor
respondent to write in its pages recently some snide
comments on the Herald's efforts and accomplish
ments, it revealed more about the limited under
standing of it's correspondent than it did about the
accomplishments of the Herald.
The Herald, to be sure, has long hard road
ahead of it before develops the complex persona-
ty which good newspaper ought to have. That Is
the point which we have been trying to make
We hope the Star and Tribune will again be
with U.s. and soon.