Independent Publisher

Abstract

By 1940 Seldes realized that he needed to be independent if he was going to critique the daily press and galvanize the public to protest the corruption of the daily news. He launched his subscription newsletter In Fact, one of the first of its kind, and drew heavily on public records to expose the transfer of public assets to private ownership, misleading advertising and the anti-labour behaviour of corporations. Seldes also sought to promote the newsletter through sensational exposes, which would guarantee republication in other newspapers and by soliciting public endorsements from high-profile writers and journalists who had influence with his target audience. Seldes also entered into several conflicts with editors, public broadcasters and publishers as he criticized them for lying or suppressing the news, which created further controversy. He attacked conservatives and liberals alike, and even as he drew praise for attacking the commercial press, he was criticized for his intemperate and moralizing tone and ridiculed for claiming to write only factually.