TRIAL BY NEWSPAPERS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 221, 16 August 1928, Page 11

TRIAL BY NEWSPAPERS

A JOURNALISTS’ APPEAL. Co-operation of the press in efforts being made to prevent trial by newspaper was advocated at Columbia recently by Stuart Perry, editor of Adrian, Midi., at tho University of Missouri Journalism Week (says the Christian Science Monitor). Control of this, one of the worst practices of newsp.apcrdom, in his opinion, would protect the press by mitigating other wrongs more obvious to the public and more likely to provoke legislative action, namely, printing of unwholesome details of crime and scandals and having a crime-producing effect through sensational publicity in criminal cases which arouses sympathy or admiration for criminals. Air Perry stated that much of tin's anti-social dews is produced in metropolitan centres. and, having tho stamp of approval of New York or Chicago journalists, papers of other cities feel they use it, especially since it is likely to be published by tho competing paper. He declared that 1 if the suggestibility and incitement of crime news is not a fact beyond reasonable question, then advertising and publicity is all a delusion. Sensational treatment of crime news, publishing unwholesome scandal, and unlimited handling of pending criminal cases arc not likely to abate either automatically or through valuntary efforts of newspapers, according to Mr Perry, for the offensive practices are held profitable from a financial standpoint. Ho pointed out that many papers often apologised for printing salacious stories, defending their actions on the grounds of meeting competition. Declaring the situation clearly calls for reform, Air Perry stated that trial by newspaper is most susceptible of definite regulation through workable methods and he added that in helping to abolish this evil tho press would perform a great public duty.