Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-12-20
JOURNALISM


division into Good Writers and Bad
Writers would sufficiently serve my
purpose il such a division were not mis-
leading. Many writer's Of ability, Of
greatness even, are not good newspaper
writer's because they are SO saturated
with the subject matter OF their special
ties-about which they write well, at
kngtf--that they cannot adapt them
selves to the necessarily condensed
methods Of newspaper writing Many
men write we'll for thinkers, but in
way that either does not interest the
general reader or is unintelligible to
him
Newspaper writing to be eminently
successful must be primarily popular
and secondarily powerful That is the
best writing whichstands most thoroughly
the double test Of popular approval and
Of critical analysis. And | have placed
popularity above power-wherc, of
course, it does not justly belong
cause newspaper writing, being of such
transient impressiveness, read one mo-
ment, laid aside the next and forgotten
the third, must be popular in order to
be read Ifpowerful, so much the better;
but unless it is read, because Of its popu-
larity, its "power" is mere latent
force.
But though attempt no classifica-
ton ] shall consider few of the de.
partment writer's of newspapers--re-
porters, commercial writers, editorial
writer's, humorous writer's, descriptive
writers.
/. The good reporter is 6orn,not made.
He must have a nose for news, an eye
for situation, judgment for expansion
and contraction Of details, and the in
stinct OF accuracy The reporter occu-
pies position in journalism very like
thathe blythe primary teacherin school
education. His is the most difficult
task, because it demands the exercise
of more varied powers-tact, patience,
self control, presence Of mind, unfailing
resource. Yet like the primary teacher,
the reporter is Tess well paid than al
most any other sort of journalist be
cause doubtless, of very similar reasons.
The managers of newspapers generally
fail to set the right value upon the report
er's work Just as the men who control
education fail to set high enough value
upon primary teaching
| would not be misunderstood, how
ever, as placing the reporters faculty
above that of all other journalistic
workers. Indeed, think it of less in
tellectual value than that of the good
descriptive writer and far below that
of the leader writer who can command
and hold attention by the yigor or the
beauty OF his style and by the force or
originality of his thought. But l re-
cognize that in the general reading OF
newspaper the neH,s has the highest
market value-that is, is most generally,
or at least first read and the general
reader cannot be influenced by graphic
description, or impressed by editorial
argument, until he has first been put in
good humor by well-served course Of
well prepared mental soup in the guise
of news. After that the solids and the
dessert, an you please.
OF course, in small communities,
newspaper men must be men Of all
work must report meetings and de-
scribe scenery and write editorials and
keep up with local trade and finance
and criticise books, plays, music and
pictures. | shall discuss the all
around writer further on.
lfthis were not SO busy world, If
the struggle for existence did not make
so prominent the bread and butter facet
of the million-sided polygon we call
life, If the world had shorter routine
work hours and longer hours for that
change OF work which is the best form
of recreation, there would be broader
scope in newspaper writing for the
: merely descriptive writer Nature wears
an infinitude of attire. Her smile is
never exactly twice alike. The word
!, painter has an undiscovered country
a in every geographic mile Of the earth's
= surface. But the word-painter has sci
y dom a recognized place in current news
paper work. He is not PRACTICAL
the reading world says, and the con
ductors Of great news journals are forced
(or think they are) to accept the world
!. valuation, and so drive the descriptiv,
: writer into the nasrowerer field Of maga
: zine writing. l am glad to notice
;, however, that the best American news
{ papers, notably the New York Times
are admitting to their columns NOR
: and more descriptive writing writing
, which brings mankind nearer to INA
a ture's heart;" and makes men bette
for the contact
h The humorous writer is commonl,
o an accident. He may be very funn.