His father had acquired an interest in the Marion Star, a struggling Republican paper in the county seat. Warren Harding became the editor. He had held this office only two weeks when he went to Chicago to the Republican National Convention hoping to see James G. Blaine nominated for the Presidency. While he was in Chicago, his father sold the Star and so upon his return Warren Harding, a Republican, became a reporter on the Marion Mirror, the Democratic paper.
In those days, the admirers of James G. Blaine wore 225 high, gray felt hats. Warren Harding wore his when he went about Marion gathering news for the Democratic paper. Soon this annoyed the editor of the Mirror and young Harding was told he must stop wearing his “Blaine” hat. He refused, and so lost his job on the paper.
The night of election day, when Cleveland was elected President, Warren Harding and two old Caledonia friends decided to buy the Marion Star. That was the beginning of an ownership that has lasted ever since. There were plenty of hard days for the young editor but with prophetic insight he wrote and published in the Star:
“The Star is _not_ going to change hands but is both going to go and grow.”
Friends laugh and joke about the hard struggles of the Marion Star and the difficulties of the editor to make the paper go. They tell of times when Editor Harding didn’t have money enough to pay the help. Nevertheless, he made the paper both go and grow, and these hardships only endeared him the more to the citizens of Marion. In the end he overcame all difficulties and his fellow citizens felt proud of his success.
Warren Harding had a strong sense of fairness and justice. When he had been editor but a short time, he wrote out his newspaper creed. Today, any reporter, who enters the service of the Marion Star, has given to him the following rules, which the President of our Country believes should be followed:
| NEWSPAPER CREED Remember there are two sides to every question. Get them both. Be truthful. Get the facts. Mistakes are inevitable, but strive for accuracy. I would rather have one story exactly right than a hundred half wrong. Be decent, be fair, be generous. Boost––don’t knock. There’s good in everybody. Bring out the good in everybody and never needlessly hurt the feelings of anybody. In reporting a political gathering, give the facts, tell the story as it is, not as you would like to have it. Treat all parties alike. If there’s any politics to be played we will play it in our editorial columns. Treat all religious matters reverently. If it can possibly be avoided, never bring ignominy to an innocent man or child in telling of the misfortunes or misdeeds of a relative. Don’t wait to be asked, but do it without asking, and above all, be clean and never let a dirty word or suggestive story get into type. I want this paper so conducted that it can go into any home without destroying the innocence of any child. Warren Harding. |
NEWSPAPER CREED
Remember there are two sides to every question. Get them both.
Be truthful. Get the facts.
Mistakes are inevitable, but strive for accuracy. I would rather have one story exactly right than a hundred half wrong.
Be decent, be fair, be generous.
Boost––don’t knock.
There’s good in everybody. Bring out the good in everybody and never needlessly hurt the feelings of anybody.
In reporting a political gathering, give the facts, tell the story as it is, not as you would like to have it. Treat all parties alike.
If there’s any politics to be played we will play it in our editorial columns.
Treat all religious matters reverently.
If it can possibly be avoided, never bring ignominy to an innocent man or child in telling of the misfortunes or misdeeds of a relative.
Don’t wait to be asked, but do it without asking, and above all, be clean and never let a dirty word or suggestive story get into type.
I want this paper so conducted that it can go into any home without destroying the innocence of any child.
Warren Harding.