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THE AIM OF THE DETROIT NEWS

Formation of a newspaper's ideals comes through a process of years. The
best traditions of the past, blending with hopes of the future, should
be the writer's guide for the day. Nov. 1, 1916, the editor-in-chief of
The Detroit News, in a letter to the managing editor, wrote his
interpretation of the principles under which the staff should work, in
striving toward those journalistic ideals to which this paper feels
itself dedicated. His summary of the best practices of the profession
follows:

The Detroit News should be:

Vigorous, but not vicious.

Interesting, but not sensational.

Fearless, but fair.

Accurate as far as human effort can obtain accuracy.

Striving ever to gain and impart information.

As bright as possible, but never sacrificing solid information for
brilliancy.

Looking for the uplifting rather than the depraved things of life.

We should work to have the word RELIABLE stamped on every page of the
paper.

The place to commence this is with the staff members: First, getting men
and women of character to do the writing and editing; and then training
them in our way of thinking and handling news and other reading matter.

If you make an error you have two duties to perform--one to the person
misrepresented and one to your reading public. Never leave the reader of
The News misinformed on any subject. If you wrongfully write that a man
has done something that he did not do, or has said something that he did
not say, you do him an injustice--that's one. But you also do thousands
of readers an injustice, leaving them misinformed as to the character of
the man dealt with. Corrections should never be made grudgingly. Always
make them cheerfully, fully, and in larger type than the error, if there
is any difference.

The American people want to know, to learn, to get information. To quote
a writer: "Your opinion is worth no more than your information." Give
them your information and let them draw their own conclusions. Comment
should enlighten by well marshaled facts, and by telling the readers
what relation an act of today has to an act of yesterday. Let them come
to their own conclusions as far as possible.

No issue is worth advocating that is not strong enough to withstand all
the facts that the opposition to it can throw against it. Our readers
should be well informed on both sides of every issue.

Ki