Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-07-28
English And American
Newspapers Compared.
BY AN AMERICAN.

rress Is enterprise. The American pa
pers give the news in bad type, upon
poor paper, and often in the worst
possible form; but they give it, and
give it by telegraph, and they give it
at the earliest possible moment The
English journals, on the contrary, are
lamentably deficient in news. Take
away the kilograms of Mr.. Reuter- and
the parliamentary reports, and the
news furnished by London paper may
be summed up in compile Of sentences.
The London journals are also deficient
in individuality. They are perfectly
satisfied to reprint such local news as
they publish from other papers. The
Times would not quote from the NeUs,
but it constantly quotes from the Er-
press. which is merely an evening edi-
tion Of the News and all the morning
journals consider the Pail Mall Gazette
fair game, and crib its contents with
out an apology. Any one who reads
all the London journals day after day
will soon learn that barring the edito.
rails, nine-tenths Of their literary con-
tents are precisely the same. and con-
sist chiefly of parliamentary, market
and financial reports, Reuters tele-
grams and sporting news. Now, as
regards Reuters kilograms, the Ameri-
car Press would be afraid to depend
for its Information upon an outside as
sociation, which might be honorable or
dishonorable which might furnish or
withhold such information as il pleas
ed VIII ch might or might not seek to
influence the stock market through the
most influential journals, and which, in
all that II does. is as independent of
IL. The telegrams for the American
Press come from the agents of an as
sociation composed Of the Newspapers
themselves but no first-class American
journal will trust implicitly even to
this source of information. IL has its
own special correspondents. who are
instructed TO telegraph as freely as if
the Associated Press did not exist
and thus a constant check is kept upon
the journalistic combination. III Mr..
Reuters integrity were not equal To
his ability, he could at any moment
revolutionize the stock markets in
England, and for two lays completely
delude the British public; and the
London Press would unconsciously as
sist such a fraud, instead of preventing
it. In America swindle of this
character would be impossible, because
the Press carefully guards its own in
terests as we'll Us those of the public,
and refuses to be hoaxed even by
forged Presidential proclamation, al
| though it be written upon telegraphic
paper and has every other mark of au-
thenticity.
AT public dinner not very long
ago, DR.. Russell, the famous CORE
spondent Of the Times tomplained of
! telegraphic reports on the ground that
they were merely skeleton narratives,
utterly incomprehensible until the mail
accounts came to hand to give them
flesh and blood. The smile is power
| full, and, so far as concerns the Engli sh
Press, it is true. But DR.. Russell has
only to turn to the American papers to
find reports as particular and as i'm
aginative as his own telegraphed in
full to the leading journals. For in
stance, the progress Of the Prince of
Wales in Canada and the United
States was reported by telegraph to
the New York journals, and these re-
ports crossed the ocean and were re-
printed in the London journals weeks
in advance Of the letters of the special
correspondent who were sent out
from England at considerable ex-
pense to describe the Transatlantic re-
ception of his royal highness. This
was before the oceanic cable was laid
but the ignominious defeat of the En-
glish journalists might have been
avoided by prompt employment Of
the telegraphic facilities then in ex-
istence. Later still, the British public
were entirely deprived of special news
from America in regard to the late
civil war, although that war concerned
them almost as nearly as If Great
Britain had been one of the combat
ants. Since the Atlantic cable has
been in operation We have seen the
| opening of the Paris Exhibition fully
chronicled in the New York papers the
| following morning, while the London
journals were content to wait two days
for complete reports. We have seen
full accounts of the coronation of the
Emperor of Austria as King of Hun
gary at Pesth, and of the canonization
OF numerous saints by the Pope at
Rome, published in the New York
papers three days in advance of the
London journals. We have seen full
descriptions of the eruption Of Mount
Vesuvius printed in New York week
before the London editors heard that
the volcano was once more vomiting
fame and smoke We have seen the
futile Garibaldian invasion Of the Papal
territories reported day by day through
| the cable to the New York Press,
while all the London journals, except
the Telegraph and NeUs, were without
| correspondents at the chief points Of
interest, and the correspondents OF
these papers wrote by mail instead OF
sending their news by lightning. Hun
dreds Of other instances might be
cited did not these suffice. The truth
is, that in America the Press has
created the inland telegraph lines. and
the American Press now makes the
| Atlantic cable remancrative while in
England the Press never employs the
wires when it can make use of the
mail, and contributes an insignificant
trine towards the support OF the sub
Atlantic miracle. Upon these points
statistics are, own, most trustworthy
and decisive. TIasleys Nagdzine.