The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-17
NEWSPAPER ERRORS.
Why They Cannot Always BE Successfully
Guarded Against.


almost every newspaper reader in the
United States at one time or another has
berated his favorite journal and uttered
abjurgations concerning its editors and
reporters because of some error of fast,
some misspelling of Il proper name or
some incorrect statistical statement.
And yet if these fault finders were to
stop and think, the wonder would be
not that there are plumbers in newsEa-
pers, but that there are so few.
Although in general way modem
readers of modern newspapers knew
something of the methods employed In
laying the news of the world before the
people at daily or weekly intervals, yet
few not actually engaged in the work re-
alize through how many hands cath
"ltem" has to pass from the time it is
perhaps rumor on the street and
compact paragraph or double leadel
scare headed, screaming SCOOP" columns
in length and an integral part of tile
printed sheet. Let the reader of this
letter mentally follow the fortunes of
single, plain, everyday news item OH it's
way to the reader, and he will under
stand what mean
Among the assignments given out by
the city editor one has been for the in
vestigation of a rumor that Judge Hevi-
waite and Lawyer Huccumso have had
an alteration on the street. 1t hap
pened the day before and has SO far been
kept out of print. 1t may be permanent
ly kept out, but it must be run to earth.
and reporter who is known to have a
knack of tracing and unraveling Just
this sort OF story is started out.
1t will not do, i'll the opinion of this
experienced "gatherup," to go direct to
the judge and the lawyer until the sa-
lient points of the story have been got
together. So the reporter visits first
Judge Heviwate's friends, to whom he
says he understands that the judge got
decidedly the worst of it in the contest,
verbal or physical. They have been
sworn to secrecy on the subject, but this
skillful exhibition of his Slight informa-
ton by the reporter is too much for
them, and they proceed to Indignantly
deny the insinuation, and to tell the true
story of the row, according to their
lights.
After the reporter has en- four or five
of the Judges friends. each of whom has
has been thanked for setting the reporter
straight, he seeks the friends of Lawyer
Huccumso. Similar tactic; and similar
experiences follow, and with mass of
conflicting material i'll his possession
the newspaper man then goes to the prin-
cipals. Each Of these protests against
publicity Perhaps both refuse to talk:
perhaps both talk freely. AT last the
reporter returns to the newspaper Office
and tells the story i'll brief, as he under
stands it, to the city editor.
Half column" says that function
airy laconically. posing his blue pencil
for moment in the air. Tell both
| sides in full
Then begins the reporters real work.
AT least IL men have told him 12 differ
ent tales of the trouble, which must all
be fused into a half column of space
say from 500 to 800 words-and '.both
sides must be told in full" When the
story is completed by the reporter, it is
more nearly column than half that
length
Hurry up, you'll" sings out the city
editor. Must have that story now"
Then to n reader" Here, cut this stuff
down about half-quickv
And the blue pencil of the reader gees
remorselessly and rapidly through SEN
fences and paragraphs that were care
fully prepared with view of giving
"both sides III full" head" is written
the whole rolled tight and shot through
pneumatic tube to the composing room.
There the copy is cut into "takes." or
! pieces of Il few lines each, the later the
smaller, and given out to perhaps half
dozen separate printers. Each sets his
take as rapidly as possible, using in CO.
ing SO many little pieces of metal. IT, Il
very short time the takes" are assem-
bled, and the story is proved" In the
aggregate all the way from 600 to l GOO
bits of metal or types have been arrarg-
ed i'll sequence by the men in setting this
story, and every type out of its proper
place means an error of some sort. The
matter must now be read by IL proof
reader and copyholder, then correcte ed
and hurried to the FORM" where it is to
take its place with other STORIES" ca IN
containing hundreds or thousands Of
pieces of type.
1t is late now, and the paper must be
made up. The makeup" editor, VINO
perhaps has neither seen nor heard of
this STORY two minutes before he ur-
ders it placed, finds it too long, even
after the readers heroic compression.
and cuts out 81 few more lines sin typ,,."
He busies himself for some time doilg
this with great variety of articles a. I'd
"stories" long and short on all sorts of
topics When the last form is lock ed
mp and on its way to the press, there is