The Bee’s first editorial, printed a century ago, remains a guiding light even today

Today The Fresno Bee turns 100 years old. Over the last century it has kept lit the flame of an opinion page, believing that its editorial board could be a useful voice and offer perspective to the issues of the day. In honor of the occasion, we reprint here The Fresno Bee’s first editorial, published on Oct. 17, 1922.

— Tad Weber, opinion editor

Today The Fresno Bee is born.

It comes into the world to serve the city whose name it bears and the San Joaquin with all the news and editorial comment thereon.

That mission is fraught with responsibilities which are fully appreciated, and surrounded by difficulties which long months and heavy expenditures have been used to overcome.

The primary purpose of The Bee is to print the news; to tell it fairly, simply and impartially; unfairly to hurt none, no matter how lowly; to favor none, no matter how powerful.

Opinion

The Bee can perform that service because it serves no master.

It is the handmaiden of neither Capital nor Labor.

Politically, it is neither Republican, Democrat nor Socialist, holding that the man and the issue are superior to the label they bear.

An American paper first and last, it carries, however, no prejudice against or favoritism for any particular race.

As a newspaper, The Bee goes to no church, not even to Sunday School.

It is neither Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Mohammedan, Episcopalian, Jewish, Buddhist nor Holy Roller.

It is simply and solely a newspaper interested in the lay affairs of the world, leaving religion between man, his church and his God.

Editorially The Bee has opinions, born of sincerity and formed from long experience.

These it intends to express, for a newspaper without convictions is like an automobile without an engine.

But this expression, strong and definite as it may be, will not deny the right of disagreement to which the columns of The Bee are ever open.

The Bee comes to Fresno as no mentor to enlighten a benighted community; no self-appointed ruler to tell the San Joaquin what it should do.

Instead, it comes to Fresno because this community and the San Joaquin have builded well, in which labor it intends to join as a willing worker, content to leave to time what part it shall play.

As the days go by, The Fresno Bee in the discharge of its duty may incur some dislike and accumulate some opposition, as will any newspaper worth the reading.

But whatever else may be said in the future, truth will compel two admissions.

The Fresno Bee prints all the news.

Editorially it prints what it thinks, and that thinking is its own.