The morning call., 1894-11-13
STEALING THE NEWS.
One Way of Obtaining Foreign
Dispatches.
The Great Trouble Is That Detection
is Just a Thought
Too Easy.

NEW YORK, Nov. 12.-Uuder the head
ing, 'rhe United Press Stole This" the
Commercial Advertiser this afternoon
printed the following: "The Associated
Press has been aware for some time that
the news organization known as the
United Press was appropriatiDg the Amer
lean and foreign news Of the Associated
Press from early editions of Associated
Press papers ana sending it out to such
papers as it was serving with reports as
though original to that service. This
practice has grown to such proportions as
10 attract the attention of every we'll
informed newspaper. A comparison made
between the first editions of the afternoon
papers of New York City will disclose the
fact that those served by the Associated
Press-the Commercial Advertiser, Even
ing World, Evening Post and Brooklyn
Eagle-have large volume of foreign and
American news, while those served by the
United Press-the Mail and Express and
the Evening Sun-contain very little, if
any, telegraphic news.
'The last editions of the United Press
papers usually contain soma of the dis
patches appearing in the first edition of
the Associated Press papers, and the
entire volume OF the days foreign news
usually appears In the United Press MORN
ing papers Of the succeeding day. This
has represented in some instances fully
two-thirds of the total of the foreign re-
port handled by those papers. The night
fOreign report Of the Associated Press is
printed in volume and at an early hour, as
the news is at first hand, while other news
agencies have to await the issue of the
morning papers of London, and the hour
is too late, even with the iavoring differ
enee in time, to handle the news ALWAYS in
time for publication.
'The identity of the foreign news of the
Associated Press can easily be followed
when taken by another press service ow-
ing to the wording in the editing of the
reports, both at London and New York.
and the necessity at times of minor
changes in the form OF dispatches. The
absorption of the exclusive news by the
United Press compelled the Associated
Press. in the defense of its interests, to
maintain record of the news so taken.
and in various instances the dispatches
were so worded as to insure detection. On
October 81 the manifesto of the Russian
nihilists was tslegraphed from London. 1t
contained the names of certain Russians
and the name of mythical person was
added to the list, namely. 'Nelots off,
This by division and inversion reads
Stolen off, This manifesto, with the
interpolation appeared in the United
Press papers. On November a cable
gram from Calcutta described an uprising
against the Rajah of the tributary State
of Nyaghur. The name of the Rajah was
not given and the name SHIT ell Otspueht'
was inserted. This, like all others. ant
peared in the United Press papers. It
was probably immaterial to the news what
the real name of the Rajah of Nyaghur is,
but the name printed if read reversed is,
The Z P stole this"
The Evening Post, under the heading
"Source of the United Press News" tells
the same interesting story in this way:
THE u. P. has foy some time been very
nimble in filching news from the columns
of journals supplied by the Associated
Press and sending il out as the product of
original enterprise. On October 81 the
Associated Press telegrsphed from Lon
don the manifesto of the Russian Nihilists.
Among the names it mentioned was that
of NeIosoff. This eminent propagandist
duly appeared along with the Others in
the United Press newspapers issued after
the first publication of the dispatch in the
Associated Press papers, and by a little
simple reversal Of tue first six letters it
now becomes in plain American Stolen
off,
Now, on November an Associated
Press cablegram described an uprising
against the Rajah of the tributary State OF
Nyaghur. The name of the Rajah was
left out, but the omission only increased
the interest of the little drama. The APP
pellation "Siht ell Otspueht" was allowed
to appear instead. and, wonderful to re-
late. 1t appeared promptly in the United
Press dispatches. Being translated by
reading backward it reads. The United
Press stole this The Hindoo scholar of
the United Press was evidently absent
from his desk when this went in"
sr&