Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-12-25
THE INTERVIEWER.
The Difficulties Which Often Lie in His
Path.


1t requires a great deal of training
and thought to become a good inter
viewer. Say, for instance, that the
daughter of certain gentleman has
eloped, and the matter is being hushed
up. None but the families of the re-
spectiye parties know of the matter,
and they are DESTROYS of keeping it
quiet. In a case of that kind the eXpe-
rienced reporter knows he has diff
cult lob on hand. The parents of the
young lady or the parents of the gentle
man in the case are the only ones who
can give any information. and they are
determined not to. Yet the reporter
sent out to find out all about the matter
must get the information somehow. In
a case of that kind which occurred re-
Gently a reporter got wind Of what had
happened in words somewhat like
these: Zone of Mr.. IS daughters
has eloped. I don't know when or
with whom, or anything further" The
reporter started for Mr.. IS house,
and thought all the way how he could
extract the information he wanted. 1t
was not job he liked, but it was some
thing his duty to the paper called on
him to perform. By the time he ar
rived at the house of the gentleman in
question he had his plans laid. ''Mr.
-" he said, Il have called to get
you to correct for me the report of your
daughters elopement. I don't wish to
do you any injustice, and it seems to
me that this statement which [ have cot
must be wrong in some particulars.
s'Why, where did you get your state
ment? There are only four people in
the city who know of the matter" Il
am not able to disclose the source of
my information, but here it is, read it,
and correct it. " Thereupon Interpreter
very grayely opened his notebook and
read off what purported to be a de-
scription of the elopement, giving the
names of all parties and times and
dates, the place where the young
couple were last seen, and the name of
the minister who married them, togeth-
er with a description of the movements
of the parents since the elopement. 1t
was a ''bluff'' of the straightest kind,
but the father could not afford to take
the chances Of it being printed. He
had to tell the truth and he did. When
the reporter wrote the story he took
care to treat it with all the kindness
and delicacy he could.
In spite of the fun and excitement
there is in interviewing flying all
over the city for man who is nobody
knows where, the specializing on the
chances of making the man talk when
he has been caught-there is great
deal of unpleasantness in some inter-
views. It's very hard to go into a
family where a father lies dead and
interview the son for an obituary; it's
harder still, if there is no son, to face
the widow and have to ask her cold,
business-like questions. Yet it has to
be done, not because the newspaper
wants the obituary-unless it concerns
afamous man-but because the relatives
desire to see it printed. Reporters are
not the hardened, calloused mortals
some people think they are. They are
as susceptible to distress as other men,
though they must face it, being pushed
on by their business. Sometimes the
circumstances are too much for them,
and they beat a hasty retreat.
People in considering reporters are
apt to forget one important fact-that
he is an impersonation of his papers
circulation. Wherever he goes upon
q business errand he represents all who
read his paper-say one hundred thou
sand persons, for the readers of a good
paper are more than twice the number
of the subscribers. The reporter is a
committee OF one sent by all of those
people, as it were, to inquire into
certain matters for them. This is a
consideration which places a self-re-
speeding reporter on a level with the
most exalted man he meets. If he is
not gentleman, he ought to be, in
spite Of his numerous temptations, for
there is no nobler profession on earth
than his if he only complies with its
obigations,-Cor. Br0obJy7o Eagle.