The Northern Guardian. — 1893-09-13 (Hartlepool, Cleveland, England)

SUCCESS EXTRAORDINARY.  NEWSPAPERS are supposed to keep abreast of the times, chronicle events as they occur, and to supply generally the best information obtainable for the benefit of their readers. They have other duties to perform. They should point out and remedy, if possible, any injustice, grievance, or wrong perpetrated or attempted. These are the lines upon which the Guardian and other respectable go-ahead newspapers who cater for the public are conducted. It is owing to the diligent, hard work of our staff that the Northern Guardian has so speedily sprung into favour among the people of the Hartlepools, Stockton, and surrounding districts. A newspaper, to become "popular, must be abreast of the times, cater for the taste of its readers, and make for itself a name for securing early information of local and general matters of ' interest Without egotism we think we can lay claim to have earned a name for ourselves for being first with matters of local interest, sporting information, football news, and, in fact, all class of information which is desired by the general class of readers. We must take this opportunity of thanking the reading public for the valuable support they have ever given to our paper. Our Saturday night's "Football Edition" has supplied a long-felt want. The number which we print and sell is proof of this assertion. As the season progresses and the days become shorter, matches will be played earlier in the afternoon', and we will then be able to pub lish the "Football Edit' on " much earlier than is the case at present. Never before has such good football information been published by any local paper, and it is entirely owing to the support given us by our readers in purchasing the Guardian in such large numbers, and the consequent increased revenue from advertisements tradesmen and others will advertise in the paper which has the best circulation—that we felt justified in going to the great expense of receiving telegrams of matches played throughout the British Isles. While we publish all hatters of local interest we do not look upon it as our duty to frighten or scare our readers, or to publish mere rumour. We verify matter before publishing it broadcast, and if it will not stand the scrutiny of careful investigation we east it into the w.p.b. Not so our contemporary. We need go no further back than last night for proof of this assertion. They heard that a sailor suffering from cholera had been landed at West Hartlepool, and although they were assured that was not the case, and that the man was only suffering from diarrhcea, they must rush into print with it and thus unnecessarily alarm the public. There is no greater friend to cholera than alarm, and for this reason it behoves both the public and the press to be very careful bow they deal with it. We were assured yesterday that there was no case of cholera, so we said nothing about the "reported case." But so badly beaten has our contemporary been of late with local news that they thought to steal a march on us by publishing a paragraph which contained absolutely no news. We may expect ere long a paragraph in that paper reading something after the following style : "We heard that a terrible murder had been perpetrated in West Hartlepool last night, but on inquiry we learn that there was no ground for the story." That is one way of conducting a newspaper. We prefer our own mode, and so apparently do the reading public, judging by the success which has attended our efforts. We have already thanked our readers for their support, and we will conclude by thanking the advertisers who are coming tc; us in such large numbers. Yesterday we were, much to our regret, forced to hold over several items of local interest owing to the great demand on our advertising space—nearly one-half of yesterday's Guardian was composed of advertisements.