JEJUNE JOURNALISM.

NZ Truth, Issue 243, 19 February 1910, Page 5

JEJUNE JOURNALISM.

THE TROUBLED "TIMES" IN A TANGLE-

Doctoring a Decrepit Decline.

NX'S "EATANSWILL GAZETTE "—ITS ECCENTRIC CAREER.

The "Voting Competition" Cadge— A Played Out American Dodge.

A Few Called-for Caustic Comments and Significant Facts for Newspaper

Readers who are ftot Noodles.

An English traveller of observation and intelligence who visited New Zealand about twelve months ago is credited with having declared that "New Zealand had too many daily papers and not enough newspapers. ' The seeming paradox conveyed a telling truth. There is no doubt' that New Zealand is over-supplied wita daily papers, particularly m Wellington.. There is the "Evening Post., financially a solid proposition. .Politically, it Is a rail-sitter, and, m a political sense, neither fish, fowl, nor good red herring. It is a crusty Conservative old "rag" one day ; the next it flies the red flag of Socialism. But it never wavers from its stead y course of being non-partisan m religious matters. Its reports are never colored. It is intensely respectable, and an emphatic round Anglo-Saxon damn is signified thus — — - m its ultra-respect-able columns. (Once, by the way, it received a shock. It was caught m . the meshes of. the Puritanic net when one of its job printers was convicted of having printed a picture post-card that the moral maudlinism crowd denounced as indecent, which resulted m a Police Court prosecution and a conviction.) The "Dominion" is still m swaddling clothes. This paper was set m motion two years ago and threatened a journalistic revolution m New Zealand. The revolution hasn't happened, but the "Dominion" still issues. It daily complains of a Government boycott m the withholding from its columns of Government advertisements. (The •'Dominion" appears to have solid ground for complaint here, because it is ready to prove its assertion that its circulation m the city and the country exceeds that of its contemporary, the Pierce C. Freeth edited and managed morning mishap the "New Zealand Times.") There is the weekly "Free Lance," which has never harmed anybody. It is stolid and slow.' iv seeks to please everybody, and is conducted on the principle of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." It mentions as many names as it conveniently can, hoping that each person named will buy a paper. Thus a small circulation is weekly maintained* and as Government advertisements bring, grist to the mill, it is content with its little lot. "Truth" is not included m the foregoing list, partly because it prefers' its own company, but principally because it cannot be classed as a Wellington- journal. It is printed m Wellington, but it ' circulates over the Whole of New Zealand— and is the only New Zealand newspaper that has a general and broad influence. "Truth" ~ is buffeted and storm-tossed, but, despite the furious opposition ' of vested interests, it maintains its premier position. It has far. and away the largest circulation of any newspaper in -the Dominion. However, it- is not with the purpose cf blowing its own bugle that "Truth" this jweek talks of newspapers. It doesn't complain when it is hit hard. Such Is the price paid for success.

The vicissitudes of ' newspaper fortune have never been more marked than m the case of the unfortunate "New Zealand Times " Its whole history is one of adversity and misadventure. It is to-day what it ever has been— a journalistic joke. It is a splendid specimen of " J ump Jim Crow" journalism and its editor is of the - carpet-bag variety, so satirically immortalised by James Russell Lowell. Freeth of the "Times," and "Tit" .Douglas, of the Auckland "Herald" are the "Jefferson Bricks'/ of New Zealand journalism. .Just now the "Times," Wellington's stage Thunderer, has a pronounced political policy. It slavishly supports Sir Joseph Ward m everything he says and does. It is a firm and staunch ally of the Cabinet (excepting perhaps the Hons. Jas. Carroll and Jas. MiMar, who are not shareholders). "Truth" always has been a supporter of a Liberal Government, not because Cabinet Ministers have any say m its control, but because a wise Liberal policy is oxactly what New Zealand requires. It has not supported and is not supporting the present Government m return for Government advertisements. In that respect the editing manager of the "New Zealand Times" cannot belp himself. Let us not, however, anticipate things or ourselves. The one definite thing just now about the "New Zealand Times" is its Government policy. The one indefinite uncertain thing is its circulation, which, we understand now, is somewhere m the vicinity of a paltry 10,000, exclusive of unsold and free copies. Never has the paper been a paying proposition. Never has it had any pretentions to rank as a first-class newspaper. lt_ is to-day, what it has ever been, a mediocre mis-managed paper, eternally whining and vainly endeavoring to ape such sterling fighting journals as the Sydney "Telegraph" and the Melbourne "Age." (The "Age," by the way, has a daily circulation of 110,000, and the "Times"— lo,ooo.) And how has this poor, pitiful little circulation of 10,000 been obtained ? By the "Times" placing itself on the level of a racecourse guesser. In its despairing efiorts to raise its circulation at any price, the "Times" has resorted to such adventitious methods as "guessing competitions;" which on' English decisions are illegal. It sought from a Supreme Court judge a declaratory judgment on its money-making, circulation raising racket, but it was made apparent that no judgment could be given unless it was from an appeal against ,a. conviction for a breach of the Lotteries. Act. The "Times" dropped this idea like a hot brick.

(Incidentally, the Crown, represented by an Hebraic person named Myers, once proceeded against "Truth" for publish! * betting advertisements, : but the "Times," • which published exactly the same advertisements, was allowed to profit at the expense of "Truth.") .The ••"Times" has never becoifie a paving concern, and its troubles * were doubled when the "Dominion" was launched. As there was a danger of the poor, defenceless old "Times" falling into the hands of the Philistines, the Government and "the Trade" came to the rescue and tried to infuse new .life into it. The "Times" from this staie blossomed out as a rabid Government organ and the mouthpiece of "the Trade.!' But with all its. political pull, its fat Government advertising contracts, Bung's beer advertisements, "cut" space rates for advertisements, and the services of a Plod din?;, if not brilliant staff, fie "Times" was unable to straggle above the rank of a fifth-rate provincial journal. It has been claimed for the "Tj mes 1 ' (because so many Cabinet Ministers are shareholders hi it) that it Js the fir§t Government organ m New Zealand, but the political party that trusts to a "N.Z. Times" to see It through will feel like the little boy who swallowed the mereu "y. As a newspaper, the "Times" is storigy, brainless and ungrammatiral. Its" leading columns reek of that commercial journalism that has sprung intoe Jfis«*nce of recent years. The "Times" cannot stand on its merits as a daily newspaper, biit. it must descend to the levri of Kn«H"fc &"*"ed comic papers, whose 'efifftwe is M reatewsd the moment th<»y c-a.** running some snide competiiion Having tried the illegal method of eueasin* comnrtitions to bolster up, its

columns of "wrltten-on-the premises" contributions on the Contagious Diseases problem ; having ' unsuccessfully become the pump of the Beer Party, this organ of a Liberal Government, spoon-fed on | Government advertisements^ as a last reI sort adopted its "Great Noting Competition," which is being boomed for all it is worth, and- which, so far as the "N.Z. Times" is concerned, will eventually prove a failure. For the faked-up circulation is not, nor could it be, lasting. The conditions under which this competition is being conducted do not seem to be clearly understood. This much, however, must be made clear. The " 'Times' Voting Competition" is not an original idea, it is as old as the hills. Newspaper proprietors, who, m despair of ever getting a circulation .on a -paper's merits, have resorted to the voting dodge will admit that while it temporarily means success, the interest m the paper dies when the competition ceases.. The prospect for the "Times" is, . therefore, not very cheerful. But those, who are m the running for a prize ought to have some guarantee, over and above that furnished by the manager of the "New Zealand Times," that air is fair, square, and above hoard. Why is there not a public committee of scrutineers to examine each ballot paper? . Is there any valid reason why this competition, which has but a month to run, should not be conducted openly' and the ballot carefully scrutinised by a public committee ? We have been informed that no "Times" employee can participate m this competition. Is it to be also inferred that m addition to no "New Zealand Times" employee being eligible for the contest, he cannot vote for his pet candidate ? The, possibility of any crookedBess entering into the competition is a reason why every precaution should be taken and. thus give an easily-fooled public some sort of a guarantee that it isn't up against a swindle. The public has not been taken into confidence as far as counting the ballot is concerned, and it would be interesting to learn why it- has not, and if there is any- particular reason why it should not be. If a thing is genuine, the fact that every precaution is prove its genuineness assures the public that, it has nothing to fear. Has the "Times" anything to fear? On its own assertion it has not. Why, therefore, is there so much secrecy about this ballot? What strikes "Truth" as being a very pertinent inquiry is contained m the following letter to "Truth" ,:— Wellington, . Feb. 1, 1810. (The Editor.) Sir,— With reference to the competition now being conducted by your morning contemporary, there is a question which should be answered forthwith, by those managing the contest— "What guarantee have the public that all papers overproduced, returned, unsold are made void for voting purposes ?" It would seem, to one not m the know, that the coupons of papers which are unsold, he it, either from overproduction or returned from newsagents, are at the mercy of whoever may wish to preserve them, and that, m every probability, coupons are abstracted by persons who have not paid 'm a legitimate manner for copies. I would suggest that' a substantial guarantee be made, and. one to the satisfaction of all concerned,' m answer' to the above, question. Without this, the fairness of the contest is open to very grave suspicion. — Yours, etc., GEORGE WARD. The "N.Z. Times" management is free, of course, to run whatever competitions or contests it pleases, but' as. it is such a public affair,' and as v the public are so easily gulled, these pertinent (or it may be the "Times" will call them impertinent) queries from "Truth" are justified. If the contest can m any way bnild up the circulation of this freak morning print, well and good. It is not a legitimate method of raising a circulation, and it is an admission of nonsuccess on the paper's part, and such an admission must be used against it. That a self-styled Government organ (but m reality a paper supporting a strong Government that can derive no additional strength from the "Times" support) should seek to capture the people's ; pence by questionable methods is assuredly a sign that the "Times" is m troubled waters. The "Times" to-day is the laughing-stock of New Zealand journalism. The Eatanswill Gazette of New Zealand is a journalistic fceaJc. That sufficiently" sums up the "N.Z. Times" with its competitions, illegal and otherwise, its CD. discus-, sions, and its latest imitation of puerilg. journalism of the "Answers" type. Altogether the lesson afforded by the his- ! Tory of the- senior morning paper, with its internal corruption, its internecine strife, its change of policies, its shifts and tricks to keep Afloat, its Government subsidies, and^ last, but by no means least, its incoming and outgoing managers and editors, is something unique m the annals of journalism. It never was a paper that commanded respect. It can never be. a paper that will command respect. It is a paper without a mission, excepting the suppression of the news a public should know. As a dividendyielder it has been a delusion, a fraud, and a snare. It may class itself, or be classed, a Government organ, but after all it is one of the barnacles on the ship of State, and its support of any Government is worthless. We forget how many editors the "Times", has had m its existence. Each failed to increase its circulation. The present task will probably end n/i the same way. .