Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1885-10-13
i MANAGING EDITOR.
A JOURNALIST TELLS HOW He USED
TO FILL THAT ARoUouS POSITION
The secret af Newspaper succe,s Dis
covered by One Who Has Been
There Gathering the News
How Accomplished.
Amos Cunulngs in The Journalist.I

Amos Cunnings In The journalist
The sans Greeley that made me polit-
icil editor made me city editor. l left
The Tribune TO accept the managing editor
snip OF TIE Sun. | had no idea that l
would make a successful managing editor.
By careful reading Of the daily new papers,
and especially OF Toe Herald, under Fred
Hulsiu's management. had learned what
wa, likely 10 prove interesting 10 newspaper
readers | used that knowledge in trying
10 give the new of tue day In The Sun.
Whenever founl reporter who could
write up the news in a manner that inter-
ested me, | felt that be could write in a
manner 70 interest the people
REPORTERS We
Such men encouraged o. giving them
all tie work they could do. employed no
man at ,alary. Every man was paid by
the piece The piece-wOrk sy stem proved TO
be an incentive To the reporters When de-
tale To special work. il he found anything
intere sting outside of his work, 1t was to his
interest to write it up He himself was
acting uuconsciously as a managing editor,
and awaited myself of his intuition, and,
probably, got credit for it.
Noluo Hlcu khlutErh anus anu "eAp uh'
able to write them in presentabls shape. In
such cases | compiled them myself. No
man had any real cause for complaint in re-
enumeration II he didn't put in a bill large
enough for his services, l added what
thought he de erved, aud he got the money.
OF cUur,e there were times when, under the
pressure Of vital news, Icouli not tinl re-
porter who filled the bill to my satisfaction
In such cases left my desk TO my assist.
ants and went for the news bald heads |
myself became unconsciou.ly an analyst
Of human nature was uncousciously a
receiver as well as gatherer of the news Of
the day. Whatever struck me a facetious,
made facetiOuS Whatever struck me n
direct, | made direct
God knows | worked hard enough. ! was
unmarried. roomed at French's hotel,
across the way from The Sun office. was
in the office by 10 o'clock in tue morning.
and sSer left it, except to dine at Oliver
Hitchcock's, until 4 o'clock the next morn
ing My industry and intentions were APP
pIecistsd by the editor in. chief Of the
paper. In the slack tides and nsap tides Of
journalism he was at my back He never
Jailed me- He backed me editorially 10
every dash made at the news OF the day.
Without him could never have been sue.
cessful managing elitor under the circum.
stances
NEWSPAPER SUCCESS.
II any OF the success of the paper is due
to me. il is du1 TO the fact that 1 was a close
reader OF all the other daily newspapers,
and that my personal interest in the news
OF the day governed me in my efforts tc
secure the news of the day. ldOn't believe
that any man eau make newspaper unle g
he is similarly interested. l don't believe
that any amount OF what Is called fine
writing can make newspaper. don't be-
ieye that any editorial page, however well
written or carefully laid out can make 9
newspaper. Idon't believe that ne wspapsr
extracts, however carefully selected, car
make Newspaper. They are all ad junct'
having bearing, more or les, on the circu.
lation.
The only man who can make newspaper
Is the managing editor, and LIE can only
make IL through his natural intuitionI and
his knowledge Of the men whom be sends K
gather the news The best reporters ar,
not college graduates, but men who hay,
graduated from the case in printing Offices
The best elitors ever saw are men who
wrote from their hearts, and not men who
wrote from eg ,tistical impulses The sue
cessful newspaper viii ever be the nswspa.
per that gives the news OF the day the
quickest and in the most presentabls form
The great " n Ter TO me Is that with al
the bright female intl lects now illumi.
mating the literary sky, no woman has ye
appeared as the editor Of successful daily
newspaper.