The
Patriot is fakey; clumsy at it, too. Any man arrested with more than
five dollars in his pocket is a millionaire clubman. If Bridget
O'Flaherty jumps off Brooklyn Bridge, she becomes a prominent society
woman with picture (hers or somebody else's) in The Patriot. And the
cheapest little chorus-girl tart, who blackmails a broker's clerk with a
breach of promise, gets herself called a 'distinguished actress' and him
a 'well-known financier.' Why steal the Police Gazette's rouge and
lip-stick?"
"Because it's what the readers want."
"All right. But at least give it to 'em well done. And cut out the
printing of wild rumors as news. That doesn't get a paper anything in
the long run. None of your readers have any faith in The Patriot."
"Does any paper have the confidence of its public?" returned Marrineal.
Touched upon a sensitive spot, Edmonds cursed briefly. "If it hasn't,
it's because the public has a dam'-fool fad for pretending it doesn't
believe what it reads. Of course it believes it! Otherwise, how would
it know who's president, or that the market sagged yesterday? This
'I-never-believe-what-I-read-in-the-papers' guff makes me sick to the
tips of my toes."
"Only the man who knows newspapers from the inside can disbelieve them
scientifically," put in Banneker with a smile.
Pages:
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462