Illinois newspaper directory. History of the Illinois press association

Illinois Newspaper Directory and HistoryThe speaker declared that when local conditions warrant the change, there aremany advantages that accrue to the daily. Among these he mentioned increased readerinterest, due to the fact that news can be served by the daih while fresh, more localadvertising which he credited to the fact that a merchant may follow up his plansimmediately by advertising in the daily, and more consideration from national advertisers.Especially noteworthy is the fact that Mr. Trigg is making a success of a dailywith daily competition within eight miles of his town.E. A. Chappell of the Iowa City Press-Citizen presented the question, "What IsNews and What Is Advertising?" He launched his discussion with the premise thatnews is facts about people and advertising printed salesmanship. In a most interestingnarrative style he cited illustrations of how advertising in the guise of news finds itsway into the news columns and in the course of his discussion broke down the definitionswith which he started. He thus demonstrated the difficulty of making definitions, andexpressed the opinion that after all the problem was an individual one. The rule thatseemed to find most general acceptance was that a charge should be made for anythingfrom which the person or organization desiring the publicity expected to profit.One of the livest discussions of the entire meeting followed the address of CharlesM. Eichenauer of the Quincy Herald-Whig on "Editorial Policy." He presented hissubject by the case method. Sheets on which were printed ten specific problems ofeditorial policy were distributed and discussion invited. The response was gratifying.The three questions quoted will illustrate: Should a newspaper create or should it reflectpublic opinion? What considerations, if any, warrant a newspaper in a policy of neutralityon local issues or in local elections? Should a newspaper give as much space andequal display to news events tending to oppose as it does to those tending to supportthe viewpoint held by the newspaper?The speaker was open-minded on a number of the questions that he propounded,but on the question of editorializing in the news columns, he was very positive thatsuch a practice was unjustified and unethical. Statements of opinion he felt were allowednowhere but in the editorial column, in the policy cartoon and in the signed storiesof a special writer when he is plainly giving views. News columns he maintained shouldbe kept strictly for news.The organization and purposes of "Egypt's Associated Dailies" were explained byOldham Paisley of the Marion Republican. This organization was made up of thirteendailies in the southern part of the state, whose proximitv to St. Louis gives them apeculiar merchandising problem. Their purpose was to sell national advertisers and theagencies representing them on the idea that a complete coverage of the territory knownas "Egypt" could not be had through media other than the local newspapers.C. W. Orcutt of the Bloomington Pantagraph proved himself peculiarly fitted todiscuss the subject "The Newspaper and Its Relation to the Community," as the Pantagraph,of which he is managing editor, was a leader in sponsoring community projects.Mr. Orcutt named and briefly discussed some twenty-two such enterprises. He expressedthe belief that projects in which the newspaper takes a position of leadership and makescloser the relationship existing between the paper and its readers are an expression of thenew era of individualism in journalism in which each paper takes from the communitvwhich it serves the peculiar characteristics which distinguish it from every other paper.Friday morning the editors enjoyed a tour to the Field Museum. N F. Purcell ofthe Wenona Index started off the afternoon program with "How to Make the PressAssociation More Helpful." He recommended that meetings should be conducted alongdepartmental lines and that the organization should inspire members to stand by theircost sheets.297