The record-union., 1898-03-31
THEY DO THEIR BEST.

In view Of the inordinate boasting fire.
quently INDUCED in by evening paper 5
in regard to their superior advantages
for giving the news to the public the
question is often asked: why is it, if
the evening paper possesses so many ad-
vantages that all of the great news
papers of the world are morning papers? 2"
The answer is very simple and no one
can fail to understand it who gives the
subject a moments reflection. Each
appears but once in twenty-four hours
be issued by eitheD but the morning
paper contains the complete news of
the day and night, while the evening
paper is limited to a very few hours of
activity. The important business of the
world does not commence until late in
the forenoon and as the evening paper
goes to press from 2 to o'clock in the
afternoon it is only able to give it's rea-
ders the beginnings of the news of the
day, or in other words the opening of
the story. OF course the reports of all
events or activities occurring after 4
o'clock on the previous day they must
take second hand, as they have already
appeared in the morning papers. This
is no discredit to the evening papers,
as they cannot publish events until they
happen. They are simply unfortunate
in that their field is so limited.
Those of the evening papers which
amount to anything take the Associated
Press dispatches and it must be said
for many of them that they handle the
material furnished them with great
skill and in a manner to make a fine
showing on very little. By means of
e1travagant headings, covering not only
what is contained in the dispatches but
what they expect win be the sequel OF
the story, they succeed in conveying the
idea that they are publishing all the
news. That is to say, they do the very
best they can, but the news of the day
as sent by the Associated Press is a con-
tinuous story covering the full twenty
four hours. The Associated Press report
goes in duplicate to the morning and
evening papers in the same city holding
first-class franchises. The wire ordi-
narily opens about 8 a. m. and is prac-
tically open from that time until a. M
the following day, at which time the
reports of the morning papers close.
1t can readily be seen, therefore, that
the evening paper covers the news-so
far as fresh news is concerned-from D
a. m. to or 1 p. M, while the morning
paper covers it for the whole twenty
four hours. It is for this reason that
the evening papers are required to pay
only a very small amount compared to
that paid by the morning papers for the
Associated Press service. The evening
papers get the opening chapters of num-
erous events and are able to give an
inkling of what the whole story is, but
they cannot give the whole story, for it
field, but it is practically the same field
that Is filled in a very much less sat
isfactory manner by the bulletin boards.
They are practically bulletin boards for
the great morning newspapers. In local
matters, as every reader knows, they
are compelled to cut their reports off in
the middle. In almost every edition will
be found articles winding up with the
statement that such and such events
had proceeded thus far when the paper
went to press. The proceedings of
courts, trials Of cases, meetings Of
State Commissions, Supervisors and
public boards of all kinds are usually un-
finished at the time the reports Of the
afternoon papers close. Therefore it is
not the fault of the evening papers that
they cannot tell what was the result of
such proceedings or the action taken by
such bodies. It is because they cannot
do it.
When these facts are considered there
is no longer anything strange in the fact
which is unquestioned, that all of the
great newspapers Of the world are morn
ing papers.