Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/336

 322 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

How much would the progressive forces in national, state, and municipal life have accomplished without such aid? If there is a healthy change in the tone of public and press comment on need- less strikes, on refusals to arbitrate, on Bourbonism in employers, on improper practices in elections, on what was not many years ago regarded as "legitimate graft" — if public opinion has "marched" and public standards have been elevated — cannot the daily press justly claim much of the credit of this progress?

Such questions not only answer themselves, but the actions of all thoughtful and progressive men, to repeat, answer them con- clusively.

Yet, even in their most philosophical moods, intelligent men deplore the evils of the modern "great" newspapers. The ques- tion is really this : Being so potent, so educational, so stimulating, so civilizing, as they are, is it impossible for the newspapers to rid themselves of the vices which prevent them from wielding even greater power for good, intellectually and morally?

It has been said that only generous endowment could "emanci- pate" a great newspaper and enable it to be true to its highest ideals — to be honest in all things, to tell the truth boldly, to eschew sensationalism and vulgarity. And wealthy philan- thropists have been urged to establish an "exemplary," a model newspaper, just as model libraries, model tenements, model orchestras are established by endowment. Cannot, then, the ordi- nary commercial newspaper rise to and maintain itself on the highest plane.

Let us see what ails the average "big" commercial newspaper. I say "big," for no one who is familiar with the American daily press will deny that we have a number of local or small news- papers that are as excellent as human institutions can be. That is, there are newspapers that publish only news fit to print; that never deliberately falsify or misrepresent; that have convictions and the courage to apply them to the events, issues, and person- alities of the day; that employ competent and self-respecting reporters and corresf)ondents and, consequently, are well written from first page to last, and that are read by educated persons with pleasure and profit.