Citation

Lloyd AH. Am. J. Sociol. 1921; 27(2): 197-210.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1921, University of Chicago Press)

DOI

10.1086/213304

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The newspaper conscience. Like life generally, the newspaper has been abnormal and hardly suggestive of conscience and control. Yet it may belied appearances. Its obvious faults, too, may be potential with virtue. Like the late medieval church, as necessary as outwardly offensive, it has at least set offense and opportunity intimately vis-a-vis and so its awakening and reform are assured. Such an attack as Sinclair's is not to be taken whole, but it may not be denied or neglected. Six counts against the press. The real case of the people against the press. The real case of the people against the press has at least six counts-commercialism, a general salesmanship mentality not confined to the advertising, a merely stand pat and falsely motivated conservatism, a boasted but biased, often pruriently selective publicity control by the crowd mind with accompanying "automatism" and occult "communication," and finally a ready but really nondemocratic contempt for positive individuality and leadership. While of course only half-truths, these charges are too generally warranted to be overlooked. Indications of an improvement in the press. The newspaper will show conscience, as it wakens generally to its faults, and its ideal expression. Conscience is simply intelligence about self and the life in which one finds oneself with an accompanying sense of obligation to realize the recognized desirable possibilities, and the newspaper, today more or less of a prodigal, is bound thus to come to itself. There are already certain signs of its awakening and a vigorous newspaper conscience may be counted on to become general instead of exceptional.