THE JOURNALIST'S CREED

By WALTER WILLIAMS

I believe in the profession of journalism.

I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust.

I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.

I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true.

I believe that suppression of the news for any consideration other than the welfare of society is indefensible.

I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman; that bribery by one's own pocketbook is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another's instruction or another's dividends.

I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of the readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and clearness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.

I believe that the journalism which succeeds best—and best deserves success—fears God and honors man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power; constructive, tolerant, but never careless; self controlled, patient; always respectful of its readers, but always unafraid; is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wages and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic, while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for today's world.

NOTES

PRONOUNS

Never use I in referring to yourself except in a signed article.

Avoid the use of he or she and his or her. The use of either phrase is seldom required for clearness' sake. When a noun is used which may refer indifferently to both sexes, the accepted practice is to use the masculine pronoun. For example, say: Let the teacher do his duty and he need not fear criticism, not Let the teacher do his or her duty and he or she need not fear criticism.

Similarly after indefinite singulars like each, every, somebody, anybody, use the masculine singular pronoun. Thus, Everyone should do his duty and he should do it every day. Here one is not only to avoid the use of he or she and his or her, but also particularly and constantly to be on guard against they and their. Sentences like Nobody knows what they can do till they try; Everyone is urged to come and bring their pocketbooks with them, are frequently heard and often get into print.

Do not use the same for a third personal or a demonstrative pronoun. The farmer brought a load of wheat to town and sold it (not the same) at the mill.

Do not make such a pronoun, except in the phrase such as. He has fruits of all sorts and his prices for such are unreasonable, is the sort of use to be avoided.

Distinguish between its, possessive pronoun, and it's, contraction of it is.

Use either or neither only of two, any one or none of more than two, as: In one group are Russia, Germany and Austria, in another France and England. Any one of the first group acting with either of the second could determine the question. (As conjunctions, either and neither may introduce the first of a series of particulars consisting of three or more. It is correct to say Neither this nor that nor the other thing; but when used as pronouns, either and neither should be rigidly confined to use with reference to two only.)

Prefer always no one and nobody to not any one or not anybody, as It is no one's (or nobody's) business, not, It is not any one's (or not anybody's) business.

Do not use apiece for each of persons. Say: The men each took an apple or took an apple each, not The men took an apple apiece. But they might have bought the apples at so much apiece.

Be careful not to say these sort of things, these kind of men, for this sort of things or this kind of men.

In questions direct or indirect be careful to use whom when the objective case is required. Do not say, Who did you see there? or, I do not know who he meant.

The relative who should be used only of persons (or of beasts or things personified). Do not say: The dog whom you saw or He drove the horse who made the best record. The relative which should be used only of beasts and inanimate objects. Do not say: The women and children which were numerous then came trooping in.

The relative that may be used regardless of gender and the antecedent.

That should be used after a compound antecedent mentioning both persons and animals or things, as, The soldiers, the ambulances and the pack mules that were recaptured, were sent to the rear.

Be careful of the case of who if a parenthetical sentence intervenes between it and its verb. He said that Gen. Harrison, whom, everybody well knew, had long been interested in the case, would make the closing argument. Such faulty objective is often heard in daily speech and not infrequently gets into the papers. Of course who should be used. But whom should be used when the infinitive follows: He said that Gen. Harrison, whom everybody admitted to be profoundly versed in the law, would discuss the point.

It is proper to omit the relative pronoun on occasion when it is the object of the following verb, as He was among the men (whom) I saw.

CONJUNCTIONS

Never use like as a conjunction. John may look like James or act like James or speak like James, but he never looks, acts or speaks like James looks, acts or speaks; he never looks like he wanted to do something, nor conducts himself like he thought he owned the earth, or like he was crazy. Like (as in the first example) may be followed by an objective case of a substantive, with which the construction is completed: You are like me in this; You, like me, believe this; He conducted himself like a crazy man. When a clause is demanded, as if should be used: He looks as if he wanted something; he acts as if he were crazy.

Do not use if for whether in introducing indirect questions: I doubt whether (not if) this is true; I asked whether (not if) he would go.

Do not use as for that. Not I do not know as this is so, but I do not know that this is so.

Do not use without for unless. We cannot go unless (not without) he comes.

Do not use but what for but that or that. I do not doubt that (or but that) he will come, not but what he will come; They did not know but that (not but what) they might accept it.

Do not use while for although, as, while it is probable. While refers to time.

VERBS

The verb should agree with its subject in person and number. It ought not to be necessary to give this obvious rule, but hardly a day passes without violation of it in almost every paper. Its violation is especially common in the inverted sentence, introduced with there. There is likely to be some changes; There is, at the present writing, some hopes of peace; There seems to be, in view of all the conditions, many objections to this plan, are examples of the faulty usage.

The to should not be separated from the infinitive by word or phrase. The modifier should precede the to or follow the verb. Do not say to promptly act, but to act promptly or promptly to act. Such use as in the example just given is bad enough, but it is not so offensive as the intrusion of time adverbs and negatives as, for example, He decided to now go, or He expected to not only go but to stay, or He preferred to not stay.

Do not end a sentence with the to of an omitted infinitive; as: He could not speak but tried to; but He refused to go but he ought to go, or He ought to go but he refuses.

Subordinate infinitives and participles take their time from the verb in the principal clause. They should therefore be the simple so-called present forms. Do not say: I intended to have gone, or I intended having gone, but I intended to go, I intended going; not He had expected to have been present, but He had expected to be present; not He would have liked to have seen you; but He would have liked to see you; not I was desirous to have gone, but I was desirous to go.

With the verbs appear (in the sense of seem to be) and feel, look, smell and sound (used intransitively) use an adjective and not an adverb, i. e., The rose smells sweet; Miss Coghlan as Lady Teazle looked charming; She appeared happy. But appear in the same sense of behave is followed by an adverb, as He appears well; and the other verbs used transitively of course take an adverb, as He looked sharply at the man.

When one wishes to imply doubt or denial in a condition of present or indefinite time, the imperfect subjunctive should be used, as If the book were here, I should show you—but the book is not here; If it were true, you would long ago have heard it—but it is not true. But if one is referring to past time, the imperfect indicative must be used, as, If he was here yesterday, I did not know it.

Be careful to distinguish between lay and lie, raise and rise, set and sit. The first of each pair is transitive, and always requires an object; the second is intransitive and never takes an object. (The only exception is sit used of a rider, as, He sits his horse well.) One lays or sets a thing down and raises it up. One lies or sits down and rises from one's place. Land lies this way or that. (But we speak of the lay of the land.)

Especially pains must be taken to keep straight the past tenses and past participles of lay and lie. Of lay past tense and participle are alike laid. He laid or he has laid the case before the authorities. The past tense of lie is lay (the same as the present tense of the transitive verb), the past participle is lain. These forms are seldom if ever used for parts of lay; but for them laid is very often used, as, He laid or he has laid down to take a nap, where the correct usage is He lay or he has lain down, etc.

Prices rise, wages rise, bread rises, bread is set to rise; men raise prices or wages; He rose and raised his hand. Clothing of every sort sits well or ill, it does not set. The corresponding noun, however, is set; He admired the set of the garment. You set a hen, but the hen sits and is a sitting hen. The heavenly bodies set, but that is another word, which means to sink or to settle.

Inanimate objects are not injured but damaged.

Use wish to mean simple desire, as, I wish to see him. Use want to mean acute need, as, I want food.

Only moving objects collide. Two automobiles may collide, but an automobile does not collide with a fence.

Things of a general class are compared with each other to bring out points of similarity or dissimilarity. One thing is compared to another of a different class. He compared Detroit with Cleveland. He compared Detroit to a busy hive of bees.

Things occur or happen by chance and take place by design. An accident happens or occurs; a pre-arranged act takes place.

Except in legal papers use proved instead of proven.

Transpire does not mean to take place but to leak out, as, They tried to keep their deliberations secret, but it transpired that * * *

Enthuse is not a good word. Say become enthusiastic.

Medicine, laws and oaths are administered; blows and punishment are dealt.

Allege is used only in referring to formal charges and not as a synonym for say or assert.

The past tense and past participle of dive are dived. Don't use dove.

The past tense and past participle of forecast are forecast. Don't use forecasted.

The past tense and past participle of hang are hung, except in reference to an execution; then write, He was hanged.

The past tense and past participle of plead are pleaded and not plead or pled. Don't write, He plead guilty, but He pleaded guilty.

The past tense of swim is swam, and the past participle is swum.