Telegram-herald., 1889-10-27
PARIS NEWSPAPERS
What the Editor OF '.fhe jour
nalist" Thinks Of Them.
CHARACTER OF TIE FREyCH PRESS
la Belle FFsnes is = coed Place f0r tie
Professional JourEalist, but irs ~
Place al All TOR tie Newspaper
49, Ihtnks ALAu A 0rsasR-



poor field for a newspaper man. IN Paris
they produce the handsomest, best ed
tied. bsst illustrated periodicals IN the
world, and they have the meansst news
papers. The English newspapers are
slow enough 10 set an American editor
crazy. But newspapers. as We under
stand them, can be hardly said 10 exist
in France. for news occupies bat very
secondary place IN their composition
Take, for example, lie Petit Journal.
the daily paper with the largest circula-
ton in the world, genuine and undOubt-
ed. Il sells for FIVE sous-one cent-and
it is the worst looking little rag ] ever
laid eyes on; printed on miserable paper,
with heavy faced type and poor ink. it
presents a cheap, sneary appearance,
which would fiji the soul Of the most
slovenly backwoods editor with disgust.
Ii contains condensed reports Of the pro-
ceedings of the chamber OF deputies. po-
htical articles, short police notes and
story. The story is the main feature, the
special articles next and the news is last
10 be considered.
Dynasties may be overthrown, cities
may be destroyed. kings and emperors
may die, The Petit Journal will prob
ably print the information some time,
but if the entire Western hemisphere
should be destroyed by an earthquake
and it was question between publish
ing the news of the catastrophe and
story, the news would lay over every
time. am not caviling at the manage
ment Of the French newspapers for this
system. They are paid 10 give the
French public what it wants. and the
success of The Petit Journal proves that
the French public wants the story. Just
as the English newspapers remind one of
yesterdays edition of a quarterly review,
so do the French papers bear a close re-
semblance to a cheap story paper.
In art publications Paris is far ahead
of England and America. They have
nothing which, in point of mechanical
execution, can equal the Revue Illustree,
the special editions of Figaro. or half
dozen other periodicals could mention.
The press work on these publications is
simply exquisite, and the letter press is
generally above the average in literary
merit They have carried process en-
craving to point which we have not
yet attained, and while the Illustrations
frequently affect broader style they
are better on the whole than ours.
In addition to these really fine art pub
locations, the news stands of Paris are
crowded with dozens of illustrated comic
papers, most Of them witty, with a style
of humor which will not bear transla-
ton nor republication in this country.
They have no Comstock in Paris. The
| difference in the style of the Partisan
journals to those CT America naturally
necessitates a difference in management.
have returned to America more firmly
convinced than ever that the reporter is
the backbone of the American newspa-
per. Editors and special writers are all
very we'll in their way, but it is the
American reporter who has educated the
American public up to knowledge of
news, and who has made the American
newspaper the most accurate, wide
awake and enterprising in the world.
In England the reporter is simply a
stenographer; it is his duty to write what
! he hears, not what he sees. The idea of
making a picturesque, readable news
story never enters his head; his work
reads like Congressional Record. In
| France the case is the same, only, if pos
sible, more so. The French reporter is
| about the most unfortunate specimen of
| humanity ever ran across. 1t does not
require a very high order of intelligence
/ to do reporting for French newspaper,
and, as consequence, the wages paid
are not very large. The interview is
practically unknown; naturally, with
these limitations, the French reporter de
velops into a sort of human machine, a
two legged phonograph, smelling of alb
sinthe and rank cigarettes. He is held
in utter contempt by the leader writers,
who form the aristocracy of French jour
nalism. He is snubbed by officials and
editors, and his small pay is frequently
further reduced by an ingenious and in
iquitous system of fines, which prevails,
as far "a | can ascertain.
The leader writer, on the other hand,
is quite too utterly gorgeous He is a
well paid, well dressed, well kept person,
whose duty it is 10 write essays in a
lighter vein upon subjects more or less
directly connected with topics of the day,
not Of the day on which the paper is
| printed. but of the day before yesterday.
! He ranks only peg below the dramatic
and art critics, and he signs his articles.
/ I. z. 81 l. 1 ~-rxH H-.hf
harmless duels, who pen the fiery arti-
| cles urging the people 10 revolution and
| generally keep up the reputation OF the
I French press. For some occult reason
/ they sign their Christian names in small
{ capitals and their surnames IN large ones
40 that it presents a decidedly unique ap
pearance to Al American. n It is bred
/ of desire to achieve that fame which
leads the world % ignore the existence
( q first name. "a we speak Of Tenny-
son, Virgil. Thackerav. Dickens and
| other familiar names in letters. it does
Z not work. for ~e hear the French writer
almost universally referred n by his full
/ name. "FRoMAaE DE BRIE" may look
verv stunning for a signature. but it
does not send the name hustling down
the corridors q time % any marked ex-
tent. The leader writer stands between
osIr special writer and our editorial writer
and com hines. "a a certain extent. the
duties e both. ard his prominence marks
the difference between French and Amer
ican newspapers The French paper u
/ more Journalistic and Jess new 81. tele-
/ graphic matter even from other PARTS of
France "a cut down % a minimum. and