The record-union., 1891-07-25
NEWSPAPER WORK HERE AND IN
ENGLAND.

NEWSPAPER WORK HERE AND IN
ENGLAND.
''In England" says Alfred Bach, "the
gathering force of the newspapers
consists of reporters who are invariably
stenographers. Everything is reported
literally. The news-gatherer is not al =.
lowed to go outside of facts, and general
izations are forbidden. He is not per
mitted to gather number of facts and to
infer from them that something has been
said or has occurred; he is restricted to
reporting only what he sees or hears. 1t
is libel in England to quote the opinions
of a man, unless those opinions are given
10 the reporter by the man himself You
cannot say that man did anything or
said anything unless you saw or heard it."
The English system has its virtues. It
is, in fact, genuine, but unsympathetic
news work, for the daily paper should be
a true reflection of the days history The
result is that what appears in the English
newspaper is accepted by the people as
verify, the record of actual fact, and not
the lubricity, the vaporing and the wild
speculation and the personality of the
reporter. On the other hand the system
lacks the snap, life and attractiveness of
the American style. With us the reporter
with mustard seed of fact very often
blooms out in a column of characterization
speculation and theorizing. He expresses
opinions, argues out guilt or innocence,
advises officials, or castigates public
servants. He elaborates into extended
interview solitary remark, and at times
does not hesitate to publish long conver-
sations with prominent people that in
fact never took place-a striking instance
of which occurred in San Francisco re-
Gently.
In England opinion is reserved for the
editorial page, and fact is given free rein
elsewhere. In America the sensational
newspaper man cares less for accuracy
than he does for spice; he proceeds upon
the theory that what the people want is
exciting, attractively presented and spicy
articles, and he certainly supplies the de-
mand. But it is also true that the people
very largely have come to know that the
great majority of sensational reports are
overdrawn and overcolored, and that
many of them are absolutely untrue.
The result is, and no well-informed, con-
scientious newspaper man will venture
10 deny it, that our people receive with a
reservation of distrust nearly all that the
American newspaper serves up as fact.
The statement that 81 saw it in news
paper" is nearly always accompanied by
the supplement, ''but, wait and see if il
IS correct" etc.
OF course this truth is unpalatable, and
the sensational newspapers tip tilt their
noses at it. But it is a subject that at the
recent session of the National Ed
itiorIal Association the members had the
courage TO take up and discuss freely
ON the other hand, the heavy, colorless
and absolutely accurate style of news re-
porting in England is unattractive; i;
makes the paper, in one sense, dull; il
eliminates vivacity, largely inhibits wit
and cribs the reporters in strait-jackets
making them little less than machines.
There is a middle ground, however
4, 4hat leading journals are adopting, q
ground that some of them have always
occupied-that is, that trustworthy re-
porters are given the liberty not only tc
report the facts, but to elucidate their rel
jative values, TO place them in comparison
with past records. to point out the SO.
auence of events, TO denounce evils and
corruption, to arraign venality, to appeal
TO the sympathies by expressing Their
idea of the effect of events upon those
i.3nost intimately related to them. Blu
npon this ground there is not permitted
pny manufacture of history, no padding
of narrative, no specializing for the mere
sake of sensational excitation. In short
honest, earnest newspaper work occu
spies the broad, sensible, middle ground
between the cold, hard fact style of the
English and the overcolored, nervous
fictitious and unreliable style that in thi.
country we designate as the sensational