The morning news., 1892-03-19
REPORTERS KEEP SECRETS.
The Newspaper Man by No Means
Prints everything he Knows

Prints everything he Knows
l. e. Wdtrous in March LipD;ncotfs.
That newspapers print all that they hear
IS supposition entertained by the people
who bri what they think is news to news
paper Offices. That newspapers print moth
ing that they hear from irresponsible
sources without investigation, is the truth,
known to all trained newspaper men.
That they do not print all they know, is
known also to all trained newspaper men.
That they do not print more than from one
tenth to one-half OF what they know. is the
truth; aud 10 is known only to one or two
men IN every newspaper office, whose bust
ness il is to decide whether story is
worth following out" and whether after
following outn it is proper for publication.
Even the Q men, unless they are Of an intro
sDective and retrospective turn Of mind
do not realize the enormous quantity OF
chatf they winnow for the puOlic's daily
loaf
Fierce as competition Is, there could to-
day be started In every large city Of the
east a newspaper which would outstrip
every other newspaper in the vital init
Of its news by simply printing what the
other newspapers refused to print. This
news would all of it, too. be with legal and
conventional bounds of decsncy. Then why
not start such a newspaper will be asked.
such newspapers have been started in
plenty, but none we're sustained. The rea-
son, simply though seemingly paradoxical, =,
Is that the stock in trade OF every solidly
established newspaper is the news it does
not print. In other words, confidence Is
the source of every piece Of really valuable
news; and to maintain that confidence and
obtain that news the newspaper man must
daily sacrifice a vast AMOUNT OF readily
printable and vastly readable matter
the publication of which would cut him off
from his sources of supply. This is the
reason why the newspaper man Is the best
confidans in the world. He cannot betray
condolences in type for fear Of cutting off
future supplies of news. He cannot betray
them in speech, for fear that some one else
will betraY them in type aud thereby expose
him to the reproaches both of the source of
his news and the source Of his income.
II the theory be not conclusive. let me call
a witness to the fact. l may not do so by
name-too many thousands know it-but l
may describe the witness as man who for
dozen years has been connected with the
administration of justice in one of the great
eastern cities. His language was: II have
always taken newspaper men into my con-
fidence and l have been betrayed but
once
In that dozen years that mau had seen
and talked to dozen newspaper men a
ud1s no COuuueuC6 W nhlCA uo duL0lbbbu
them was the most salable and the most
printable imaginable. The emineuce OF his
position made the mention of his name in
print fnger-board which would halt the
attention of the most careless newspaper
reader. The nature Of it would make any
secret he could reveal of startling interest.
He had probably never laid the injunction
of seer Q any one of the men to whom
he had .aIAsd.
They intuitively understood what was for
PRINT and what was not, and but one of
them had broken faith. In that dozen
years that man had seen 100 lawyers break
faith with everything in heaven and earth
but their clients interests. lie had seen
doctors by the dozen prostitute knowledge
and pervert science to save the lives or lib
critics of wretches with position to shield
them or with money TO pay an experts"
fee. He had come into contact scores Of
times with that curious obliquity Of vision
of the clergy which prevented them so
often from observing the age and condi-
dition of persons joined by them in wed-
lock that remedy had to be applied by
statute in their state, to the profitable
scandalizing of the cloth In New Jersey.
Yet he had observed only single dishonor-
able action on the part Of tie newspaper
craft. This certainly was not because the
newspaper men were less full OF human frail-
ty than their brethren of the professions
which are called learned, It was simply
because those men who were tempted to be-
tray his confidence could not afford to do
SO.
One night not many months ago two men
met at the door of metropolitan news
paper Office. One was coming out, the
other was going in. They recognized each
o,her with some difficulty. so slighu was
their acquaintance, exchanged salutations
and then upon the incomer's informing the
outgoer that the purpose Of hiS call was
visit to him, passed up the street in earnest
conversation. One might not have known
that one of the pair was an editor, but he
never would have missed naming the other
as an ecclesiastic, For two squares they
strolled, the churchman doing most of the
talking, the newsman listening and throw
ing in an occasional word.
Then, when their ways parted, they
stopped. and the listener took the part Of
orator. 81 will tell you frankly, doctor :"
he said, that there is uot a newspaper in
this country that would not gladly print
every word that you propose to say and
not single one Of them would give you
the slightest editorial support. You would
be just as much liable to church discipline
as If you had said it to your bishop In con-
VOCATION
II will think It over," said the divine;
and the two .parte1.
1ulS WbSs perhaps, Gno LuOSG remarkable
case of confidence in my observation.
The ecclesiastc was rector of one Of the
largest and Oldest parishes In the east.
He had seen the newspaper man but
twice before; yet he put before him a most
tempting moroccan in the way of 'religi-
GUS sensation" and parted from him on
street corner without even the perfunction-
ary enjoinder TO secrecy which men lay in
imparting the most trivial bit of gossip
whose paternity they do not care to own.
OF course the question of conscience
entered largely in to this case.
The newspaper man knew by reputation
and admired the clergyman, and did not
care to see his useul future sacrificed for a
newspaper scoop"
TALL MASTS FROM WASHINGTON