Views and Interviews on Journalism (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT, EDITOR OF THE "NEW YORK EVENING POST." In reply to an inquiry from a Western editor for his views about journalism. William Oullen Bryant, the Nestor of the American press, under date of March 10, 3 1870, wrote: When I am asked my opinion of the aim of a public gl journal, I suppose that a newspaper is meant. The origi- 3 nal purpose of such a journal was to give such of the, news of the day as is of public interest, and that, I take it, is still the main purpose. It should be given, of course, with careful attention as to its accuracy, and an e.- equal careful avoidance of indecent details, and attacks s on private character, and intrusions into private life. Ex- ex aggerations, for the sake of attracting attention, are a kind of petty lying, and degrade the character of the journal 1 in which they appear. The same conscientiousness should S' govern all the comments made on the events of the day and public measures. They should be fair and just, and g look to the public good. The success of a party?for: all newspapers will naturally support one party or another t-- ?should be rigidly subordinated to the good of the com- v? munity, and when the party to which the journal belongs makes a wrong step it should be boldly rebuked. In its selections for the entertainment of its readers, the journalist should be on his guard against publishing what is false in taste or exceptionable in morals; but whether he will follow this caution in regard to taste will of course depend upon his own intellectual culture. At a Harvard Club dinner in New York, Mr. Bryant was called upon to respond to a toast to "The Press." The following is an extract from his remarks: Let us go back to the time when there w...