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Show VICIOUS JOURNALISM, Tho San Francisco Call, in commenting com-menting upon a case beforo tho courla of that city in which tho proprietor pro-prietor of o. journal is on trial for having libelled a lady, t,ikcs occasion to criticise the personally offcnaive publications that distinguish certain newspapers, and render , them vehicles through whicli evil-disposed, revengeful and mischief-making pcoplo can always find a chance to ventilato thoir scandal-loving or malicious mali-cious propensities. Such a journal is worse than a plague or a pestilence in a community. Nobody is safe from iW attacks, and an established character and reputation counts for nothing eo that tho motive exists to bhiz'jn before tho world any scar id al-O'; al-O'; rumors or vilo iiisiiuia'.ions that may be uf;t ulloat on imulficint evidence, or without any evidence at all. The Call takes the high, but wo . believe impregnable ground, that "a newspaper has nothing to do with privato reputation until tho welfare of tho public is threatened by persons of evil repute. When a man or a woman of notoriously bad character comes before the public in a capacity which renders probable a betrayal of public conQdence, it becomes the duly of a newspaper to utter the noto of warning. But what possible interest inter-est can a journalist, as such, have in the rumors affecting the reputation of a lady in privato life?" Society has its own unwritten laws to protect its mom bora from improper association, asso-ciation, and no newspaper id needed to nid io their enforcement. The very idea is degrading to journalifir, and should bo scouted by all true members of thu profession. A journalist en ii aged in collecting tho tilthy stories that tl? into circulation, concerning this or that private pri-vate pereon, is a pitiaulo object indeod, It" ho has this conception of his mission, tho sooner he is enlightened by a little wholesomo di'ciplino the better for all concerned. But o question if any man of average inti-lligoneo is honest in any jiich belief. Tna real purposo of this kind of newspaper is, to make money. To accomplish tbis object tboy would desolate homes and firesides, and carry suspicion and distru-t ijto a thousand families. Tu- curio-ity of tho public is su'-h that a scandalous rumor concerning . a lady of recognized position in society U worth almott any amount of money to the newspaper ba-o enough to give it circulation. But if we add to the thousand tongues of gossip tho million mil-lion tongues ' of type, no reputation reputa-tion ot man. or woman will be aered from assault. In a lega; point of view the truth of a rumor may serve as a justiiloiition for its publication; publica-tion; but when tho rumor concerns a v. man's reputation, a distinction should be made, rio public good can be served Ity giving publicity to ,h real cas s of fwtuale dishonor which occur in this is in Ail ottujr comoiunilieE. Tha real facts of such cases are so rarely known that any publication fills of doing justice; jus-tice; tho community is injured in its most vital sentiment, and all that some dmraTod nnd scurrilous creature wno controls a so-called newspaper may gather in a few extra dimis. These strictures are especially appropriate ap-propriate in this city, where is published pub-lished one of the most vile and scur rilous sensational journals that is to be found in the United States a paper that descends in dealing with personal character to the lowest depths of vulgar and disreputable slander that deals with private family fam-ily affairs as it they were matters of the street or of the court room that sneakingiy assumes to retail the vilest scandal about women from whose doors any of its writers would be ticL-i! rn thp straet should thev at tempt to enter them. There ought to be some eflectual correetivo or extinguisher ex-tinguisher for such a nuisance. It is not only annoying to the persons and parlies attacked, but the publication of such a journal is demoralizing in its effect upon young people, and it becomes a serious question ques-tion whether Its reponsiblo proprietors proprie-tors should not bo indicted under the law for the .suppression of obscene literature. For the sme reason the journal ia question might be excluded ex-cluded from the United States mails, as less objectional matter has been at various times. |