New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-30
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN JOURNALISM

ENGLISH md AMERICAN JOCRNALISM
A London newspaper, in referring the other
day to the reckless correspondents ut AleXa J.
dria who sent home "A false report OF a pane III
u British regiment, COntrasied his sloyenly style
Of work with what would probably have
been the method Cf an American Journalist
under the same circumstances. Tho Ameri-
cen would have talked with the men who were
said to have run away, and would have man
aged to ret at the facts, wrapping them up, how
ever. in the rubbish of petty details and vulgar
interviews. Upon the whole the critic
thought the English way was the better lie
can hardly have paid much attention to the
characteristics of American newspaper CORE
sDondence during the last twenty years. Ii Is
highly improbable that any leading journal ID
the United states would either have made SUCH
blnndcr az that of The Daily telegraph. OF
have published the undgested iaIrago OF trivial
exueIlcnccs which our censOrOus contemporary
is so glad to have been spared. For 1t Is mat
ter of familiar history that the highest type OF
the modern war correspondent is OF strictly
American development.
The best example, if not the founder, OF
w. H. Russell. His letters from the Crimea to
The Times gave an enormous prestige 10 the
great London journal. and were the models
upon which all his competitors continued to
form their style for many years. They com
bined forcible description with dlscurslve ana
interesting comment, and they were essays,
arguments, exhOrtatOns, quite "a often as they
were narratives. No such newspaper work
lad ever been done in camp as tins accom-
nlished man turned of i'll his tent before Sebas-
tonol and committed to the military post-bag.
Rut when the next great war broke .out-the
rahellion in America-it was discovered that
now conditions OF warfare called for a new
method of war-cOncspOndence. DR.. Russell
came TO this country and failed. He failed still
more conspicuOusly III the war between France
and Germany. The change which disabled
him WAS the development OF the telegraph. Ia
our war for the first time that instrument en-
tered largely into the operations of every cam
paign. and the newspapers saw at once that 1t
must be not only main dependence OF the
military commanders but the. basis OF all mill
tarv reporting. There was little place in the
new order of things for the essay-lcttcr over
which the composer spent an easy day; and
ID
construct n clear and comprehensive account OF
n great battle crowded with important details
aud bare of veruage, to write 1t at headlong
surcd. and in the face of all difficulties 10 get
il Though. The last was not the least trying
part of the task in the performance OF 1t the
journalist sometimes faced dangers and bore
fatigues far greater than those of the field
when the telegraph was not available for him
he travelled day and night, writing as he rode !;
and il was no uncommon thing for his full mar
ratiye of victory to reach the public before
the Government heard from the generals. One
of the most celebrated fcats of brilliant nara
ton and rapid transmission III those days was
THE TRIBUNE's account of the battle OF Ante
tam. by a pen which has Since continued to
enrich our columns in many notable ways; and
all who used to watch the army news during our
war can recall numerous examples OF splendid
service by the corps OF. correspondents trained
in that exciting tIme
The new school, founded by the exigencies OF
the rebellion, distinguished itself again III the
struggle between France and Germany. 1t Is
hardly necessary to remind our readers OF the
achievements of TRIBUNE correspondents at
Gravelotte and Sedan, and the other critical
engagements of that great war or OF the sud
den celebrity of distinguished correspondents
like Archibald Forbes, nearly all the best of
whom were in the service OF The TRIBUNE at
that period. Neither can it be leedful to en-
large upon the work performed by many OF the
same men during the war between Russia and
Turkey. That was a contest which had no
great interest for Americans, but most pro-
found interest for. Englishmen, and ii is not
surprising that it should have called forth the
highest powers of the new order of correspond
ents to whom the name of the American
school, or the Geographic school, might he APP
propriatelv applied. 1t is remarkable that in
TIE Egyptian campaign English journalism has
fallen below it's past record but If the London
papers are not SO well served rs we should
| expect them to be, they are still served in the
new American way, and not by the old Russell
method
| Force, thorougllness and celebrity are the
| three characteristics almost equal in impOr-
| lance. (which distinguish the higher journalism