Feb. 27.
The trend from the purveying straight news to modern sensation lism which has been a feature of some of the "popular" newspapers in England, has given cause for so much complaint that Sir John Simon has communicated with the Newspaper Proprietors' Association and the Newspaper Society on the mat ter. In recent years there has been a growing tendency on the part of some, particularly among the London journals to send reporters and photographers for the purpose interviewing and "snapping" people, who, through' some exceptional~ ly tragic bereavement, have sud~ denly been projected into the full glare of a very trying publicity.
not the only occasion on which journalistic importunity has overstepped the bounds of good taste and public decency, but it happens at the moment that there has been such a number of incidents, that public opinion has become greatly exacerbated, with the result that the matter has received ventilation in the House of Commons. Early' this month, in the House the Home Secretary was asked whether he was informed of two cases brief reference to which will enable readers at this distance from England to understand the gravity of the complaint which is now being made, In one instance it was alleged that members of the Press had been brutally callous in announcing to a girl the death of her fiance, who had been gassed, while the other concerned the action of reporter and 9 photographer who intruded into a hospital and interviewed and photographed a man when-he was in fact in a dying condition, In both cases it was desired to obtain a sensational story and both of them are indicative of the Tengths to which reporters are be-Ing forced to go by some proprietors to obtain what is believed to be circulation catching sensation.
It ts fortunately true that most of the men who are sent out on such hateful errands loathe what they have to do, and there are many instances where they have run the risk of dismissal by purposely failing to carry out their instructions. There are, on the other hand, some who have done their work only too well and added greatly to the grief of those who have been bereaved. The demand was made in the House of Commons that, in view of the fact that its expressed opinion was being dis-Yegarded, more drastic action should be taken than had been up to the present. For the sakes of those who have been so badly treated by that particular section of the Press about which complaint is made, there must be considerable sympathy with such a demand, though In satisfying it grave dangers would have to be encountered. The freedom of the Press, which is no more and no less than the freedom of the Individual, was secured after a very bitter struggle with the government and Parliament. The en actment of any measures giving the authorities powers in any way resembling those of the censorship certain other countries would be repugnant to the average Briton, even though there would be a degree of truth that the Press was bringing such a restrictive action upon itself, Sir John Simon, in approaching the two bodies above named, has in fact invited them to mend their ways, and a resolution passed by the executive committee of the Newspaper society has been published disapproving. of these/ methods of news-fathering. Tt is! the ultimate to be hoped that a change will; know that the Congress has declared!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.