Editor to JFK: "Young man..."

Any true journalist has to love the story in the Wall Street Journal editorial (WSJ 2007-06-06 pA18) of a former editor Vermont Royster visiting the White House in the early 1960s and being thanked by President Kennedy for "your support of our free trade agenda," and Royster's retort: "Young man, the Wall Street Journal was supporting free trade before you were born."

 The prefatory "Young man" is just right.

It says: You may be accustomed to people bowing and scraping and exchanging flatteries, but that's not what I'm about.

It establishes exactly the right relationship between the journalist and the president of the United States.

Unfortunately although much contemporary journalism is carping in content, tendentious in argument, unfair, and over-devoted to the bad news, it is at the same time increasingly servile in tone.

All those superfluous repeated 'Mr.'s of New York Times prose, for example. And its need to cite almost anyone however unqualified or ignorant they may be for facts or data, and putting unreturned phone calls in the story. Or the cutsey stuff about what the interviewee was wearing or eating. Who cares?

Using titles, even the humble mister title is, in our book, a betrayal of the ideals of the American revolution. That shouldn't be surprising coming our of New York City. It was suspiciously cozy with the Lords and Ladies of the "Mother Country" under redcoat occupation. Patriots suffered in places like Valley Forge PA to fight on, while New Yorkers had their finger to the wind.

Rest assured you'll never be assailed by monarchical titling or deference in these pages.

Editor

TOLLROADSnews 2007-06-06