The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-10-30
A MANAGING EDITOR.
A JOURNALIST TELLS HOW he USED
oFILL THAT ARououS POSITION
The Secret OF Newspaper Success as Dis
covered by One Who Has Been
There"-G Gathering the News-
How Accom- plished.
tAmos Cummings in The journalist

tAmos Cummings In The Journalistic
The same Greeley that made me q polit-
ical editor made me q city editor. / left
Tho Tribune to accept the managing editor
ship of Toe San I had no idea that !
would make n successful managing editor.
By careful reading Of the daily newspapers.
and especially OF The Herald under Fred
Huds1n's manage ment. had learned what
was likely to prove interesting to newspaper
readers / used that knowledge in trying
to give the new, Of the day In The Sun.
Whenever folnl q reporter who couft
write up the ne ws in n manner that inter-
ested-me | felt that he could write in q
manner TO interest the people.
REPORTERS wolK
Such men encouraged by giving them
all the work they could do Iemployed no
man at q salary. Every man was paid by
the piece. The piecs-work system proved to
be an incentive to the reporterS When de-
tailel to special work. il he found anything
interesting outside Of his work, it was to his
interest to write it up Hs himself was
acting unconsciously as a managing editor,
and avaiied myself of his intuition, and,
probably, got credit for it.
Some men gathered facts and were un-
able TO write them in presentabls shape. In
such cases / compiled them myself. No
man had any real cause for complaint In re-
muneraticn- II he didn't put in a bill large
enough for bis services, l added what
thought be de served, and he got the money.
or course, there were times when, under the
pressure Of vital new could not find q re-
porter who filled the bill to my satisfaction
In such cases left my desk to my assist.
ant, and went for the news bald-hsadet
myself. became unconsciously an analyst
OF human nature / was unconsciously
receiver as well as gasherer OF the news OF
the day. Whatever struck me as facetious,
made facetious Whatever struck mo as
direct, made direct.
Goi knows / worked hard enough. was
unmarried. Iroomed at Ffench's hotel,
across the way from The Sun Office i was
in the Office by 10 o'clock in the morning,
and 70 yer left it, except to dine at Oliver
Hitchcock's, until 4 o'clock the next morn
ing MY industry and intentions were ap.
pr eciated by the elitor In. chief Of the
paper. In the slack tides and neap tides OF
journalism he was at my back. He never
Jailed me. He backed me editorially in
every dash made at the news Of the day.
Without him could never have been q sue
cessful managing eiitor under the circum-
stances.
NEWSPAPER SUCCESS.
II any OF the success of the paper is due
to me, it is dus to the fact that was close
reader Of all the other daily newspapers,
and that my personal interest in the news
OF the day governed me in my efforts TO
secure the news of the day. ldon't believe
that any man can make a newspaper unle ID
he Is similarly interested / don't believe
that any amount OF what Is called fine
writing can make a newspaper. don't be-
lisve that any editorial page, however well
written or carefully lail out can make q
newspaper. don't bslieve that ne wspaPer
extracts, however carefully selected, can
Ss1lns mofc ThsY are are s "a
| lation.
The only man who can make newspaper
Is the managing editor, and he can only
make it through his natural intuitions and
his knowledge Of the men whom he sends u
gather the news The best reporters ar
not college graduates. but men who hav'
graduated from the case in printing offices
The best editors l ever saw are men wht
wrote from their heart, and not men wh'
wrote from egotistical impulses. The sue
cessful newspaper will ever be the nswspa
per that gives the news Of the day tn
quickest and in the most pressntable form
The great wunier to me Is that, with al
the bright female int lects now illumi
mating the literary ky, no woman has ye
appeared rs the editor OF a successful dali!
newspaper.