large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_02_belloc_64kb_0
large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_02_belloc_64kb
English
7264
If this be true of news and of its vitiation through the Press, it is still truer of opinions and suggested ideas. IF THIS BE TRUE OF NEWS AND OF ITS VITIATION THROUGH THE PRESS IT IS STILL TRUER OF OPINIONS AND SUGGESTED IDEAS
o the bad than to the good witness, and we are right. But the Press cannot of its nature give a great number of separate testimonies. These would take too long to collect, and would be too expensive to collect. Still less is it able to deliver the weight of each. It, therefore, presents us, even at its best when the testimony is not tainted, no more than one crude affirmation. This one relation is, as I have said, further propagated unanimously and with extreme rapidity. Instead of an organic impression formed at leisure in the comparison of many human sources, the reader obtains a mechanical one. At the same moment myriads of other men receive this same impression. Their adherence to it corroborates his own. Even therefore when the disseminator of the news, that is, the owner of the newspaper, has no special motive for lying, the message is conveyed in a vitiated and inhuman form. Where he has a motive for lying (as he usually has) his lie can outdo any merely spoken or written truth. ITUATION INCLINE US RATHER TO THE BAD THAN TO THE GOOD WITNESS AND WE ARE RIGHT BUT THE PRESS CANNOT OF ITS NATURE GIVE A GREAT NUMBER OF SEPARATE TESTIMONIES THESE WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO COLLECT AND WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE TO COLLECT STILL LESS IT IS ABLE TO DELIVER THE WEIGHT OF EACH IT THEREFORE PRESENTS US EVEN AT ITS BEST WHEN THE TESTIMONY IS NOT TAINTED NO MORE THAN ONE CRUDE AFFIRMATION THIS ONE RELATION IS AS I HAVE SAID FURTHER PROPAGATED UNANIMOUSLY AND WITH EXTREME RAPIDITY INSTEAD OF AN ORGANIC IMPRESSION FORMED AT LEISURE IN THE COMPARISON OF MANY HUMAN SOURCES THE READER OBTAINS A MECHANICAL ONE AT THE SAME MOMENT MYRIADS OF OTHER MEN RECEIVE THIS SAME IMPRESSION THEIR ADHERENCE TO IT CORROBORATES HIS OWN EVEN THEREFORE WHEN THE DISSEMINATOR OF THE NEWS THAT IS THE OWNER OF THE NEWSPAPER HAS NO SPECIAL MOTIVE FOR LYING THE MESSAGES CONVEYED IN A VITIATED AND INHUMAN FORM WHERE HE HAS A MOTIVE FOR LYING AS HE USUALLY HAS HIS LIE CAN OUTDO ANY MERELY SPOKEN OR WRITTEN TRUTH
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