Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-05-04
GETTING THE NEWS.

GETTING THE NEWS.
One matter of very striking interest in
connection with the war now in progress
is that of collecting the news for the peo-
pie, and i'll view of the many conflicting
ideas OH the subject, it is worth while to
make some explanations.
A majority of the people in this section
seem to think that the only news agency
of any importance is what is known as
the Associated Press that the Associated
Press only publishes news that is true,
and, further, that such news as is not pub
lished by the Associated Press, is without
foundation in fact. But this idea is en-
tirely erroneous, as we will endeavor to
explain.
While an important factor in the collec-
ton of news, the Associated Press is real
ly not even the most important. A num-
ber of the big metropolitan dailies. which
take all the Associated Press news, each
get up, through their own correspondents
and other agencies, as much news in one
day as the Associated Press is able to
get up in two days and not only that, the
news of these papers is just as interesting
and valuable as that furnished by the AS
sociated Press.
In New York, Washington or other
cities, all the big local papers are natural
| ly competitors. This competition is OF
the fiercest character possible. To get
there first with important news is the
keynote to journalistic ambition. Any
of the big newspapers can pay for the
news of the Associated Press, and all OF
them take it. But that is only drop III
the bucket. With all containing the same
news, one would be no better than anoth-
er, and here the competition begins i'll al
of it's fierceness. Each paper knowing
that increased circulation is the reward,
concentrates its whole energies to the col
lection of other news not furnished by
the Associated Press, and ahead of its
competitors.
One metropolitan daily would no more
think OF swapping or selling news to an
other in the same city, than it would
think of dropping out of the business
To do anything of the kind would be fatal
Consequently, while all have all the AS
sociated Press has (that is if they want it
many of them throw great deal OF il
away they each also have much news
that the Associated Press has not, and
which they would not let the Associated
Press have under any consideration.
But here comes up another element oI
news collection. While papers in New
York and Chicago, for instance, are IL
competition with each other in their re-
spective cities, there is no competition
between the papers Of New York and
Chicago. The reason is obvious. The
cities are about "A hours apart, and in q
section of live papers the life of one sin
gle issue of newspaper is seldom more
than y hours. Before the New York and
Chicago morning papers have met each
other half way, they have been milked OF
the cream Of their news by afternoon
dailies between, and they are back num-
bers. This fact then makes desirable the
sale of more important news to each
other. A Chicago paper will pay big
price for anything desirable that New
York paper has, and vice versa. But
these trades are always made with the
understanding that the news is not given
out to the Associated Press. Otherwise
every sale Of news will result in giving
the same article not only to the paper to
which it was sold; but also to all tho
papers in New York and Chicago, and
every other paper in the country which
cares to print it.
Take for instance the leading papers OF
Cincinnati and st. Louis. Every morn
ing they publish, simultaneously, the
more important news stories of all the
leading papers of New York. They pay
for it literally, and thus, being out oi
competition, furnish market which
helps the New York papers bear the tire.
mendous expense at which they have to
collect their own special news service.
The Associated Press deals principally
with official matters. 1t runs across, OF
course, many items that are collected by
the other papers and serves them out to
it's patrons; but, as rule, it is looked to
to furnish various official developments.
For instance, the big newspapers are OF
all shades of political bearing, and while
some might be in the confidence of gov
ernment authorities, for all to be is out OF
the question. But still it is desirable to
furnish many items Of official informa-
ton TO all the papers, and the most prac-
ticabe means to this end is necessarily
the Associated Press.
This condition of affairs does not con-
stitute any considerable advantage, as is
easy to see. Being contidant of official
dom, while the Associated Press is bound
to be non-partisan, at the same time
it can only publish what it gets the way it
gets it, and often this matter is colored
Just as it would be colored by partisan
newspaper, except it is colored in the way
the officials giving it out want it color