JOURNALISM IN LONDON.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 741, 17 March 1877, Page 2

JOURNALISM IN LONDON.

The London correspondent of the 'Argus' writes:—" To pass from statesmen to journalists—which is it, an ascent or a descent ? ma /oi, I often doubt— the position of the ' Daily Telegraph ' has been very peculiar for months past. It has been obviously the Government organ, and lias received information which ought to have been made public through a Cabinet Minister if at all, or else thrown open to everyone. But since Lord Salisbury started on his erratic mission something much more than this has been going on. Lord Derby himself has, day after day, shown to Mr Edward Levy — the well-known Jew of that name — all the despatches which he received from Lord Salisbury, and the gist of this information has appeared the next morning in the 'Daily Telegraph' as from our special correspondent at Berlin— at Vienna— at Rome— and lately, and more particularly, at Pera. Not only is this well known to be the fact, but Mr Edwin Arnold, the editor, opeuly boasts of it. Sin ely this is something of a revolution ;

t. ' ■■ ■ i ' lass this is riding two horses with a~ vengeance — Lord Salisbury, dur ambassador, the l Daily Telegraph's special correspondent at Pera ! .l don't blame the newspaper, nor its proprietary, but I must say I think it rather below the dignity of a great statesman to be a party to such a dodge. If the information were printed simply as a communique it wouldn't so much matter. However, we live in strange times, and Conservative Ministers, who are in hourly fear of the slightest whisper of dissatisfaction, are not ashamed to ' nobble ' ari organ after the most approved methods pursued during the last days of the Gladstone Administration. Passing to the 'Times,' which has, of course been: terribly chagrined by being beaten day after day by the 'Telegraph, ' I regret to say that that leadihg \ journal is going from bad to wprse. Now that Mr Leonard Courtney *S' standing for Liskeard, the i , whole thing seems disorganised. He^was, so it was said, to have been the next editor, but he prefers a political . career, and looks forward to being one of her Majesty's Secretaries of State instead. This position he will very likely achieve, though he will break a good many noses with ■ his, • hard head on his way to it. It is -s^^qow reported that the editor of the 'Pall Mall Gazette' will have the offer of the 'Times' so soon as Mr John "Walters gets back: from, America. Some change? must. > of course be made, and probably the only objection to the best qualified man having' the post is that the transition from the late whirligig system io a determined and consistent rule might be rather startling in its effect on the public mind." ;