Robert William Jones

“ A corrupt newspaper that serves a political machine or some special interest destroys its stock in trade, the faith of its readers. Thomas Jefferson said: "I would rather live in a country with newspapers and without a government, than in a country with a government, but without newspapers." ”

“ Nature makes facts more interesting than any reporter can imagine them . There is an interesting feature in every story, if you will but dig deep enough .
The most valuable asset of any paper is its reputation for telling the truth . The only way to have that reputation is to tell the truth . Untruth , due to carelessness or excessive imagination , injures the paper as much as though intentional. ”

“ The importance of the newspaper's service to humanity is self-evident. It is a service to the whole public, and a service rendered every day. Manifestly the ethics of such a profession are of great importance to us all.
Newspaper men themselves, some of the biggest and best of all time, have testified on the subject of newspaper ethics. When Alexander Hamilton founded The New York Evening Post, lie had some ideas on the subject. Hamilton was a man of reputation and renown, the friend of General Washington, and a journalist and lawyer of ability. ”

“ Newspaper Ethics
By ROBERT W. JONES
Assistant Professor in Journalism, University of Washington
The newspaper is the rudder of the ship of state. History could be rewritten to show that wherever and whenever great events occur the influence of newspapers can be perceived. We of America have better newspapers than any other nation. We buy more papers per capita than any other nation.
The newspaper is the average man's reading matter. It is his school, his teacher, his leader. For all of us it is our point of contact with the rest of the world . ”

“ Time heals all things but a woman's damaged reputation. Be careful and cautious and fair and decent in dealing with any man's reputation ; but be doubly so — and then some — when a woman's name is at stake. ”

“ No paper should print anything about anybody without allowing ample time for an answer.
This is not intended as a set of rules. Rules kill individuality, and nothing is so valuable on a newspaper as good, strong individuality. This is intended as an expression of what The News and The News-Tribune should be, leaving it to each to enter into the spirit of the work, shaping his mental attitude so as to help bring about the results desired.
The foregoing statement of policy Mr. Pipp prepared could well be adopted by any editor. ”

“ In all the courses in journalism in the American universities, stress is put on the ethics of the profession. This is right. The results can but be a still higher plane. Newspapers of tomorrow will be taken more seriously by the reader, and the newspaper man of tomorrow will feel more clearly the responsibilities of his work. ”

“ There is never any need of using big words to show off one's learning. The object of a story or an editorial is to inform or convince. But it is hard to do either if the reader has to study over a big word or an involved sentence . Stick to plain English all the time. A few readers may understand and appreciate a Latin or French quotation , or one from some other foreign language. But the big mass of our readers are the plain people, and such a quotation would be lost on the majority. ”

“ It is not necessary to tell the people that we are honest or bright or alert, or that a story appeared exclusively in our paper. If true, the public will find it out. An honest man does not have to advertise his honesty eternally. ”

“ The moment it becomes evident that a man , either by force of circumstances or because of his own character, does not fit into our organization, you do him a kindness and do justice to the paper by letting him know, so he can go to a calling in which he can succeed, and he will not be in the way of filling the place with a competent man.
Make the paper good all the way through, so there will be no disappointment on the part of a reporter if his story is not found on the first page, but so he will feel it must have merit to get into the paper at all . ”

“ If you wrongfully infer that a man has done something which he did not do, or has said something he did not say, you do him an injustice, -that's one. But you also do thous ands of readers an injustice, leaving them misinformed as to the character of the man dealt with . Correction should never be given grudgingly. Always make them cheerfully, fully, and in larger type than the error , if any difference .
If a reporter gets drunk, the people do not say there goes so -and - so , calling him by name. They say, there goes a News reporter. That reflects on the entire staff . ”

“ Even if a woman slips, be generous. It may be a crisis in her life . Printing the story may drive her to despair ; kindly treatment may leave her with hope. No story is worth ruining a woman's life -or a man's either. ”

“ Special consideration should be given the poor and lowly, who may be less able to present their claims than those more favored in life . A man of prominence and education knows how to get into the office and present his complaint. ”

“ As matters stand, it is beginning to be doubtful whether parliament and congress sit at Westminster and Washington or in the editor's rooms of leading journals, so thoroughly is everything debated before the authorized and responsible debaters get on their legs."
PAPERS MUST BE BELIEVED
The newspaper must be believed if it is to gain and hold readers; and it must have readers if its advertising columns are to be sold at good prices. Good business and good principles point the same way. A clean, straightforward newspaper attracts and holds readers. ”

“ No one has confidence in the work of a drunken Anyone on the editorial staff who gets drunk once or who wilfully prints a misstatement of any kind should not be retained on the staff a minute.
The American people want to know , to learn , to get information. To quote a writer, " Your opinion is worth no more than your information." Give vour information and let them draw their own conclusions . Comment should be more along the line of enlightening by well -marshalled facts, and by telling the readers what relation an act of today has to an act of yesterday. ”

“ Simple, plain language is strongest and best . A man of meager education can understand it , while the man of higher education , usually reading a paper in the evening after a day's work , .will read it with relish . ”