Why Sectarian Papers do not Pay

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 50, 6 October 1885, Page 3

Why Sectarian Papers do not Pay

The 'Christian Record' thus pertinently comments on a letter from a correspondent sageesting that a daily paper should be started and run upon religious lines : — " He specially desires, it would seem.

> journal in which religious questions xifeouU be discussed, from which we infer that tho present dailies hare rejected -tome of our correspondent's contributions. We also enwy him his ignorance of newspaper business, of huioan natnre. Pious people are not looked upora as good customer* by newspaper proprietors. A religious daily could not give prominence to sporting matters, and consequently it would not be read by horse ; racers, walking men, boxing men, consultationists, betting men, or publicans. Would our correspondent be sui prised to learn that for erery penny roeeired from the Christian public for advertising etc.,- the daily papers get at least a pound from the classes we hare aamed above? Need we woadcr, thea that newspaper caterers girfr prominence to the topics that interest those Supporters, and shut ont «>f their aoluams what they do not care for P We

do not blame the Newspaper people who have a chronic dislike to religious cus-

tomers — and for this reason : they usually endeavor to get a. pound's worth of work done for ten shillings, on the plea that the object is a good one. We grant there are Christian individuals and committees who make conscience of p lying full price for religious work as well as for all other. But they are in the minority : the tendency is to. get God's work done by outsiders for half-price. Of course, we should rery much like to see a daily paper which did not fill so many of its columns with announcements of tips, odds, pedigrees, sporting calendars, past performances, and latest betting — all of which are worse than Greek to us; but something will have to hnppen, as Mr Boots would say before Christians will put their hands in their pockets to sapport a newspaper in which place is given to religious intelligence, to the exclusion of what we may term this ' lighter literature."