THE BUSINESS END OF THE AMERICAN NEWSPAPER.[1]

[Footnote 1: A recent address before the Outlook Club,
of Montclair, N.J.]

By A.H. SIEGFRIED.


The controlling motive and direct purpose of the average newspaper are
financial profit. One is now and then founded, and conducted even at a
loss, to serve party, social, religious or other ends, but where the
primary intent is unselfish there remains hope for monetary gain.

The first newspapers never dreamed of teaching or influencing men, but
were made to collect news and entertainment and deal in them as in any
other commodity. But because this was the work of intelligence upon
intelligence, and because of conditions inherent in this kind of
business, it soon took higher form and service, and came into
responsibilities of which, in its origin, it had taken no thought.
Wingate's "Views and Interviews on Journalism" gives the opinions of
the leading editors and publishers of fifteen years ago upon this
point of newspaper motive and work. The first notable utterance was by
Mr. Whitelaw Reid, who said the idea and object of the modern daily
newspaper are to collect and give news, with the promptest and best
elucidation and discussion thereof, that is, the selling of these in
the open market; primarily a "merchant of news." Substantially and
distinctly the same ideas were given by William Cullen Bryant, Henry
Watterson, Samuel Bowles, Charles A. Dana, Henry J. Raymond, Horace
White, David G. Croly, Murat Halstead, Frederick Hudson, George