by lays itself open to criticism and it is changing its policy ac cordingly . “ The dictum ," says G . B . Dibblee, " of a leading London manager about news is, that he will not print anything
that interests less than a third of his readers and such a policy is beginning to cover the whole field and to narrow news down
steadily only to those things which are next door to the daily pre-occupation of themajority of readers.” 54
Errors have come through over-zeal to secure “ beats " and " scoops,” but newspapers to-day show a growing respect for each other 's rights and are learning that they thereby gain in a growing reputation for authoritativeness.55 The many volumes coming from the press that treat of news
paper reporting, advertising, and the more technical phases of journalism are in themselves some indication of how far the press
can be considered authoritative, and of a desire on the part of those connected with newspaper work to remove just causes of criticism .
An obvious limitation of the press lies in the headline. The desire to attract attention gives it a prominence out of all pro portion to its real value as news. The headline often does not fit the article for which it serves as a caption , or it misplaces the
emphasis, or it may be satirical and thus express " the headline's personal relation to the article.” The historian can not trust to
the authoritativeness of the headline but must know the details of the article itself. That this, too, is understood by the writers for the press is evident from the explicit directions given in all technical works on journalism for the composition and arrange ment of headlines .
Other limitations are found in trade journals, in the religious 54 The Newspaper , p . 72 .
55 It seems improbable that a reputable journal would to -day boast of a feat described by G . B . Dibblee : “ Sir William Russell was sent on a special mission for the Times to Dublin to report the trial of O 'Connell in 1844 . He came back in a specially chartered steamboat well ahead of any one else
and as he was entering the Times office among a group of shirt-sleeved men, whom he took to be compositors of his own paper, one cameup , touched
his hat and said , 'Weare glad to hear, sir, they have found O 'Connell guilty, at last.' 'Oh yes !' replied Russell innocently , 'all guilty but on different
counts.
This individual turned out to be an emissary of the Morning
Herald , who stole Russell's secret from him in the very jaws of the rival office.” — The Newspaper ,
