Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-05-16
MAKING NEWSPAPERS.
The Work If The CITY Editor Of a Metro.
politan naiiy--Lnbevs Of tho
Reporter.
Important nurean ~ nov, aathcri,,g--
Firss, Accidents. caiminai sSws--Repost.
css who DO ''senerai work.

W TUT JuuIudA Win WnlCn ne IL connected.
who Is known as the city editor. The
dulles Of this editor require untiring en-.
ergy and the utmost diligence and nppli.
cation. He must see that his paper gives
all the important and interesting news Of
the city aud vicinity while II Is vet fresh,
and, u possible, before II has been pub
liShed In any other paper. Eternal vigil.
lance II the price OF his position. Every
Important and unimportant event in poll
tics, finance, society aud crime he must
follow, and see that the reporters Under
him investigate and present promptly for
the next edition OF his paper. The city
editor OF a great daily has The whole city
under observation, as well as the adioin-
Ing country for MY miles around. He
assigns one reporter 20 each police court.
Men are also detailed TO each OF the otaer
courts, civil and criminal, ftom the dis
tfict courts 10 the supreme bench.
An important bureau OF lews-pather.
ing rs the headquarters Of the police de-
partment. Two men from each newspaper
are kept watching the returns OF this de-
partment day and night. II 4 murder, or
crime OF any kind, is committed In any
part OF the civ, IL is at once reported hy
Cured to the police station OF his precinct
Thence 1t Is at once tolcgraphed to police
headquarters. A record Of every event
OF this kind Is made on a "blot-
ter" in the reporters room az headpuar-
tiers. The moment this information is
obtained, the reporter starts out 10 hunt
up the facts.
FIRES, ACCIDENTS, CRIMINAL NEWS.
Whenever a fire breaks out ia any part
of New York city or an accident occurs,
an alarm is at once sent to police head
quarters. The same transmission rikes
= similar alarm In the reporters building,
opposite. Ten seconds after IL has
soundtd-pe II midday or midnight
twenty menfrepreseuting all the papers in
the city, burst out Of the door aud dlsap-
pear In the direction Of the fire. They
get there very often before the engines.
II the victim OF an accident Is carried TO
the hospital, the reporter visits the place
where the sufferer was injured, and ascer-
tnins now he was hurt aud then goes TO
the hospital and learns his condition.
Another important bureau OF criminal
news Ia the corOnei's office. ANY sudden
death under suspicious or extraordinary
circumstances Is at once reported to the
coroner, and registered for the reporters
who cover that Office. They investigate
every case for themselves, or report IL To
their city editors for their Judgment. SO
much for the news obtained through the
department of justice,
Each newspaper has also reporter who
calls daily at the Offices OF all the city
ndlcials, from the mayor and controller
down, and learns OF any important news
that occurs In their Departments, Another
visits the sheriff, the district attorney,
aud the county officials, and ono zeal.
ously watches the city hall reporter
"coyorsh the postofllce and the federal
court and obtains any impo tant news
there. Another spends the day among
excha ges and brokers, TO keep the puo-
lie posted on financial affairs; and one
mans sole duty is TO keep lookout on
The water front for marine news Of any
kind. Other reporters visit the various
municipal departments. Another visits
all the theatcrs each night not 10 cr!ticiso
the play-ihat comes under another de-
partment Of the paper---but to learn Of any
important changes In the cast vt per-
Torrance, or TO obtain anyinteresting In
formation pertaining TO the stage. The
reporters also visit all the leading hotels,
TO get the names OF prominent men from
all over the world from the hotel regis
tiers. From a great many Of these places
no information worth printing Is obtained
once year, but a newspaper takes no
risk Of being cleft" on any matter Of
news.
THOSE WHO DO GENERAL WORK ~
But all these are merely the routine re-
porters, who do The same work every day.
Besides these, there are the men who do
general work. 80 1t IL called---who are
sent TO religious meetings and prize
fights; who interview great men ami
women; who attend funerals; who obtain
obituary sketches of men Of prominence,
whether living or dead who write
sketches OF street occurrences; attend
important trials In the courts; report SER
mons, and lectures, and hangings; inves-
tigate rumorP, and do thousand and one
other kinds OF work.
II a well.known citizen IL dangerously |
i'll, reporter Is sent to some trend or
relative Of the suffering man, To obtain |
the main facts OF his life, for an obituary |
sketch in case the man should die. II tho |
sick man RECEIVERS, the sketch IL written |
and put In type, With blanks left for the |
cate OF his death, when 1t occurs at some |
future day. Then proof-sheet Of the ar
Iicle Is filled away in the obituary depart
ment OF the paper, known among news
paper men as "the graveyard" aud re-
aimed until the prominent citizen does
die.
The qualifications Of a good reporter
must bn above those Of the average young
man. lie must be largely endowed with
Inc shrewdness and insight which make
he sncce ssful detective, but above all he
must be gilted with what newspaper men
,all "news seDse.n Another qualification
Is the faculty OF rapid writing. Not un-
indeed, an emlssary from the
'omposlng-room stands at his side 30 take
he pages Of bis manuscript from him a.
asst as he concludes the last word OF the
eaf Reporters come to think nothing OF
writing their articles on railroad trains,
Il street cars and row boats, In telegraph
fiees, streets, saloons aud restaurants,
u all concelyAble places, aud under every
and degree Of iuconyenlenee
I'D discomfort
The reporter and the county telegraph
perator are instructive foes, and IL re- /
uires every species u threat and biibe 10
induce the ia ter to stoy late at night 10
end long press dispatch. Reporters ,
aye been obliged 20 20 into q village ball
Dom ~ midnight and tear an unwilling 4
slegraph operator from his partoef 10 get
u important dispatch through 10 his
aper on time.