Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-05-28
A GREAT INSTITUTION.
The New York Press and It's Tire
less Reporters.

The New York Press and It's Tire
less Reporters.
The universally accepted idea Of a
newspaper reporter is that he is an i'm
pudent, dissolute person, who wanders
over the city until he finds some piece
of ncws-no matter of what character,
provided il viii find readers. This he
takes to his Office and writes out in
very bad English. Like many other
generally accepted conceptions of men
whose business brings them into public
notice, this is not correct one. Not
only are majority of newspaper re-
porters upon our most influential me-
tropolitan papers men of education
and of culture, but their work is sys-
tematized and gathered through organ
lied channels of investigation.
The work Of the reporter is given
him by the chief of the local news de-
partment of the journal with which he
is connected, who is known as the city
editor. The duties of this editor re-
quirc untiring energy and the utmost
diligence and application. He must
see that his paper gives all the impor-
tant and interesting news of the city
and vicinity while il is yet fresh, and II
possible before il has been published in
amy other paper. Eternal vigilance is
the price of his position. Every inn
portant and unimportant event in poll
ties, finance, society and 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 great Now York
daily has the whole city under observa-
ton, AS well as Brooklyn, Jersey City
and the adjoining country for fifty
miles around. He assigns one reporter
10 each police court. Men are also de-
tailed TO each of the other courts, civil
and criminal, from the district courts
to the Supreme Bench.
An important bureau of news gather
ing is the headquarters Of the police
department. Two men from each
newspaper are kept watching tho re-
turns of this department day and night.
Each of these journals has rooms in a
building directly opposite the police
headquarters in Mulberry street, where
the strictcst observation is kept upon
all criminal matters. If II murder or a
crime OF any kind is committed in any
part of the city, il is at once reported
by the police officer in whose patrol il
occurred to the police station of his
precinct. Thence it is at once tele-
graphcd TO police headquarters.
A record of every event of this kind
is made on "blotter" in the reporters S
room at headquarters. The moment
this information is obtained, the re-
porter starts out to hunt up the facts.
He may have whole day in which to
make his Investigations, or he may
have only an hour; perhaps but hall
an hour. Whenever fire breaks out
in any part of the city, or an accident
occurs, an alarm is at once sent to po-
lice headquarters. The same trans.
mission strikes similar alarm in the
reporters building opposite. Ten sec
onds after it has sounded-be 1t midday
or midnight-twenty men, represent
ing all the papers in the city, burst
out of the door and disappear in the
direction of tho fire. They get there
very often before the engines.
If the victim of an accident is carried
TO the hospital, the reporter visits the
place where the sufferer was injured,
and ascortains how he was hurt, and
then goes TO the hospital and learns his
condition.
In order that nothing of this sort
shall escape notice, reporters are sent
out after midnight to all the police
stations and hospitals from Harlem tC
the Battery; for, MS most of the papers
go to press between half-past two and
half-past three o'clock in the morning
there would be perceptible loss o.
time while waiting for information tC
get to police headquarters. Even five
minutes makes an important difference
in newspaper office at two o'clock il
the morning. Another bureau o.
criminal news is the coroner's s office
Any sudden death under suspicious Oh
extraordinary circumstances is at once
reported to tho coroner and registered
for the reporters who cover that office
They investigate every case for them
selves, or report it to their city editors
for their Judgment. So much for the
news obtained through the departments
of justice.
Each newspaper has also reporter
who calls daily at the offices of all the
city officials, from the mayor and con
troller down, and learns of any i'm
portant news that occurs in their de
partmcnts. Another visits the sheriff
the district attorney and the county
officials, and one zealously watches tho
City Hall, where large room is furn
ishod with desks and tables for re
porters.
A reporter ''covers" the post-officC
and the Federal court in that building
and obtains any important news there
Another spends the day among the ex
changes and brokers in Wall street, tt
keep the public posted on financial af
affairs, and one mans sole dut,
is to keep lookout on the water
front for marine news of any kind
Other reporters visit the various mu
nicipal departments-the Department
of Parks, of Public Works, of Charitie
and Correction. One man is kept a
the quarantine station in the Narrow
to telegraph any important news o
nowly-arrived transatlantic steamers
another visits all the theaters eacl
night-not to criticise the play, tha
comes under another department of tn
paper-but TO learn of any importan
changes in the cast of performance
or to obtain any interesting informa
ton pertaining 70 the stage. The re
porters also visit all the leading hotel
to get the names of prominent me
from all over tho world, from the hote