Judge — July 28, 1883 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine page satirizes "Judging Mania"—apparently a widespread obsession with newspapers and media outlets serving as arbiters of public opinion. The cartoon depicts various newspaper offices (Sun Office, New York Herald, Commercial Advertiser, Harpers Weekly, Mail and Express, Louisville Courier Journal) personified as competing judges or authority figures, each holding symbols of power (gavels, scales, weapons). The satire suggests that in the late 19th century, newspapers had become so influential in shaping public judgment that they functioned like judges themselves. The varied caricatured figures likely represent different newspaper editors or proprietors competing for authority and credibility. The German text "Staats Zeitung" indicates even immigrant/foreign-language press participated in this phenomenon. The overall message: newspapers wielded excessive judicial-like power over American public opinion.