The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-08
EXCHANGE EDITORS.
Ho1 SOME READABLE NEWSPAPER
STORIES TRAVEL.


pear In the Same Papers Twice.
A story originating in Boston told OF
the finding bya fisherman OF malodorous
gslatinous mass in the bay. lie towed il
% shore ana tried To boil it, Ho thought
twas some kind Of glue.
Tho mass weighed 100 pounds, but it
sn,riled ~ bad he threw most Of it away.
A portion weighing six pounds he kept
and took to the village pharmacist There
hs harmed the stuff was ambergris, worth
t3 an ouncc.
1nAe man who wrote tho story figured
Sat the fisherman had thrown away 900,
eoA. and on this the tale was based and
siScn value. Hundreds of papers copied
the story, because of tho immense amount
the fisherman was supposed to have lost,
says The Press and Printer.
Any one who took the trouble to figure
tbe value of 100 pounds Of ambergris at 80
n tHnV Oirco would have seen the "for-
sunc" thrown away footed UP only 80, 500.
Sosno ore did this finally, and the story
senses to travel.
Occasionally an exchange editor forgets
what has originated with his own paper.
14sns, New York paper that is generally
losazcd upon as the one nearest perfection
In that city printed good article not long
age that was copied in part by a weekly
paper, and the paper that first had the
story copied it and gave the weekly credit
fr IL.
0id exchange editors look for certain
stories periodically. Poker, snake and
ghost stories never die. a good poker story
will come out and make the rounds of the
country ut least once in three years They
are G,ed away until they have been almost
forgot, and then brought out, brushed up
and put before the public.
Most papers are conscientious in giving
credit for matter taken from exchanges.
Sometimes the credit is actually omitted,
and then there are papers that deliberately
--Snib matter This leads to confusion, both
Of readers and exchange editors. Once in
,aXiAlie story is so good the usually con-
scientious exchange editor "appropriates
IL just this once.
Frequently q story is reprinted without
Cfodit ty other papers and is finally credit
ed Co one of the publications. that has
"borrowed" IL. When this happens, n well
meaning exchange editor may be led into
error in giving credit. Readers are con-
fused when they find the same article
day, one OF the papers presenting it as
original ana the other crediting il To an
exchange
Publication of IN article does not always
end interest In it in tho Office in which il
originates. When The Post printed an
article two years ago about the market for
old bottles In Pittsburg and the fortunes
somo persons were making out OF it, it
was not supposed anything moro would be
heard of IL.
But people in tho territory in which the
paper circulates sent in scores of letters
asking tor further particulars. They wish
ed to share in tho rewards OF the old bottle
industry. The article was copied by news
papers throughout the country, and every
week for year thereafter The Post recciv-
ed inquiries from men who knew where
fherc were some old bottles" Some Of
these letters came from cities and towns
1900 miles distant.
One Of the best magazines In this coun-
try, one that continues TO bc sold for 30
cents n copy, regularly prints stories that
havo been 'mOss arOwn' for years. They
arc good things, short and sharp, in anoc-
dote form, and they arc copied by tho
newspapers now as IL they had not been
rSntod originally in newspapers years ago.
Tho magazine is given credit for them
now.
ahc exchange editor doesn't expect to
go through life without making mistakes,
and he viii admit printing old stories un.
Willingly, but he does feel small when no
finds he has clipped ono story twice within
iow days and it appears twice in tho
samo Issue Of his paper.
One who reads great many ncwspa-
pers observes curious things about them.
The exchange editor Is the man who secs
most Of this, and he could tell some inter
esting tales. On the number of papers he
can ''go through" depends his value to his
employers.
There Is an old newspaper office joke,
one that never fails to raise q laugh when
told among newspaper men, about u mcr
chant who bought newspaper property
and set about conducting it on economical
principles. After he had been i'm posses.
sion few days he went 10 his managing
editor with tho suggestion that Jones be
discharged. EtA
"what forp Hes one Of the best men
on the staff" protested the managing
editor.
"He's fooling you, said the newcomer.
tive been watching him for three days
! now. and haven't seen him do u thing
but read papers"
The exchange editor has to have good
memory, ms we'll as good Judgment Hc
must know what Is fresh matter and what
is likely to interest tho great body Of read
crs. But sometimes he forgcts, and good
story will DO printed In one paper more
than once.
Sometimes very odd stories 60 all over
the country, one paper after another print
ing them without the popularity ever be-
ing discovered. Stories have been known
% travel for ten years