The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-10-23
NEWSPAPER REPORTERS.
THEY ARE AS NEARLY UBIQUITOUS
AS MORALS CAN es


Part Of onrnaiism-Aiws,s ON Guard
with Pencil and Paper.
There are few persons that realize the
importance 81 "A newspaper reporter TO a
community lie IL pictured in the i'm
agination II many ~ "A happy-go-lucky
sort Of fellow. whose life IL free from
care. and who never exerts himself until
some piece 81 news fairly envelops him
and he il compelled to take cognizance
Of It, Others view him as "A mysterious
parsonage who thrivcs like the flowers
Of the field and the birds Of the air. with
out any cxcrtion on his part But it is
a great error to suppose that. like the
flowers ~ the field and the birds OF the
air. he ia nourished and projected with
out earnest labor.
There Is not buster man living than
the reporter. He Is as nearly ubiquitous
as a mortal heinz can lie IIcgoes every
where and delyes into everything. The
day Of the popular type Of the newspaper
reporter ia past Years ago. before
local representative Of the paper might
have been a very Indifferent and lazy
sort Of n fellow Those were the times
before the public was educated TO appre
ciate the value and the interest Of news
But whatever he might have been then
he is not so now He ia one Of the mos;
systematic. the most industrious. the
brightest or workers. II he Is not svs-
tematic. not industrious. not bright. he
ia soon forced out OF the ranks and his
place taken by some one better fitted tc
honor it than the idler.
The newspaper has evolved just n
.man has evolved and as society il cvolv.
ing every decade What would the
people Of today do wisl the primitive
journal issued by Benjamin Franklin
from his Philadelphia Office; They would
throw it aside with Impotence and dis.
gust as unworthy Of moments con
,ideration Today the people must have
not only the news Of the community in
which they live. not only the news OF
their country, but the news of the entire
world.
Who is il that does al the work for the
reading public? Primarily. the reporter.
The word reporter isa wider term than
people conceive II embraces every one
that contributes in any way to the news
columns OF a paper. A letter writer Is a
reporter, provided he deals in his CORE
spondence with current events. The dar.
ing journalist who accompanies an army
On its campaign and sends either wildly
graphic dispatches or letters is likewise
a reporter. The best work in paper is
done by the reporter. because by it there
are the greatcr number Of people enter
tanned.
The reporter Is contemporaneou;
historian. 1t is in this capacity that he
appears in his best light Tacitus. Thucy
dides. Iiyy. flerodotus and Xcnophon
we're nothing moro nor less than report
ers. Caesar combined the reporter witt
the military chieftain.
The value OF the reporter 10 his EN-.
ployer is based not more on his ability
than on his proper conduct. People like
TO meet gentleman; they do not like tC
associate with boor. True it is that q
polished manner without brains will not
make a good reporter. True it IS, also
that a man with brains and rough in hi'
manner may make a splendid reporter
But we meet the ideal reporter when ;
fine sense Of the prophecies and culture
are combined.
Reporters do much good for the morale
Of "A community. II there were no re
portcrs To ferret out ofenses agains
public virtue and the written law, there
mieht be more who would offend. Th'
presence u that vigilaut unwearyinl
fellow who is always armed cap-a-pieC
with pencil and paper is wholesome
check upon those who would ike TO sc
their hands into the public crib an'
those who might be engaged in corrup
ton OF various kinds If this sentine
were not ever on duty to watch thei
incoings and outcomings The man VIII
il bent upon wrong doing is ever th'
first to decry the reporter.
But without hope Of great rewards, o
fearof individual contumoly, the reporte
tolls on. satisfied with the consciousness
Of work well done and well pleased if h
oleases the patrons OF his paper. Ihinl
how much a great newspaper Is indebted
20 the toiling reporter He gets it'll
,lorv himself All his labor. all his genius
III his courage il absorbed into that grea
inpersonality-the daily paper-whic
cannot hear praise, or feel the glow tina
follows "a we'll merited compliment Ono
IN awhile a reporter, 10y some stroke O
enterprise. or by some line of work TO
which he ia peculiarly fitted, makes
mark and name for himself. But tn
others. and they are largely in the ma
jority, work on and do just as good wor
,s the more lucky one and are littl
known outside Of their circle.
But, mark you, While the reporter
today is a great improvement over In
reporter Of a quarter Of a century ago, Ii
IS destined to progress yet farther in ia
scale Of perfection. The time is comm
~hen he will be of more importance
even. than he is today. This Is bias
and an eccentric age. The public dc
mands more news and less opinions.
wants that news prepared in spicy way
The newspaper reader is like the goul
met. whose palate needs highly seasone
food to make it acceptable. He wantst
know what is going on about him. II
wants to read not only the actual new
Of the time. but gossip about himself an
his friends. This is a vain age. IheI
; never was time when the personaliti'
Of society were given such attention.
the public did not relish such matter III
papers would not give it to them.
Herein lies the great opportunity f'
fTh.ra laye i4gn gre.