Page:The Newspaper World.djvu/101

 90 The Newspaper World, which they sincerely believe to be highly inimical to the welfare of the country, any morQ than divines are found preaching doctrine which they are convinced is heretical. Instances have, indeed, been matter of public comment within the last five years, in which editors have resigned appointments rather than advocate political projects with which they did not agree. No editor, however, will probably ever succeed in gathering around him a band of journalists who hold precisely his own opinions on political and social ques- tions. But it does not follow that he may not advan- tageously employ the pens of all of them. For example, a buff editor may have a member of his staff who is con- scientiously attached to the blue cause, but who is at the same time an authority, let us say, on agriculture. Now his editor will not desire him to employ his pen in advo- cating buff policy, but will ask him to devote himself to agricultural topics, and with the happiest results. Editors are not so foolish as to put round men into square holes, and practical journalists know that leader-writers and others are not usually called upon to advocate views with which they are in strong disagreement » or the editor may perchance find either that the article is of little value, or, what is more likely, that it does not express the views he desires to see advocated in the colimins of his newspaper. " Honesty is the best policy '' in journalistic ethics, as well as in everyday life, and no newspaper could hope to exercise a beneficial influence if its staff were notoriously insincere in what was advocated.