The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-15
The Reporter of TODAY

The Philadelphia newspapers have
had a subject for a little shop talk
during the past few days hat is of
the art p~reservative eff arts but to
the general public which occasionally
gets into trouble by talking to the
press in a careless way. An interview
in cold type has a different look from
that generally expected by the one who
furnishes it, and none are more fully
aware of this fact than men
It was a preacher, a good, earnest,
weIl-meaning man, w1ho furnished the
text for the shop ak Of the Philadel-
phia newspapers. Rev. Mr.. Woolston
gave an interview to a reporter of the
Press on the war now in progress to
Improve the social purity Of the COM
munity. He doubtless spoke to the re-
porter, says the Times, just as he felt,
and as he believed, and he spoke with
the earnestneSS n enthusiaSm which
led him into the common error Of ex-
aggeratiOn. When he saw his state
ments in cold type he was appalled,;
he could not believe that he had been
correctly reported, and he unfortunate
ly so declared; but when confronted by
the reporter with his shorthand notes
read ack to the minister, he was
compelled to confess his error and act
ed manfully in doing so.
All this has served to call attention
to one feature of the newspaper Of the
present day-the reliability and &C
curacy CT the news furnished by the
reporters. Their first requirement, as
they we'll know, is truthfulness and
fairness, n for a reporter to hand in
anything to a reputable newspaper
which he knew to he untrue would be
equivalent to handing in his ~resigna-
ton. Truthful reporting is a charac-
teristic of the we'll conducted ewspa
per, and the statements of the writers
are in most cases found to be correct
when challenged, as. in the Instance of
Mr.. Woolston. The newspaper is not
| published that does not make mis-
| takes. Be it ever so vigilant mistakes
viii creep in it at times. Circunstan-
| ces constantly arise under Which arti-
| Giles have to be prepared in haste and
this is a necessity the recurrence of
which is constantly dreaded in every
| well-directed newspaper office, but
| which nevertheless must be met. Again
newspaper men are given information
| the authenticity Of which seems to be
| undhallenged but which may prove to
! have been incorrect. These are in
| stances of how mistakes may and do
| occur, but in the offices OF newspapers
! lei as we I'VE been writing about,
! an Intentional misStatement of speech
| or fact is a thing unknown.
But there is yet another good side to
the newspaper reporter. He never be-
trays a secret. His pockets are filled
with keys to skeleton closets and he
never makes an improper use OF them.
Says the Times: '"The public little
know with what thorough integrity the
newspapers, as a rule, protect the in
nocent even at the cost of suppreSsine
legitimate and interesting information
The skeletons of hundreds Of house
holds are carefully guarded in the
newspaper offices Of the country, and
generally without even the knowledge
Of the people who are thus protected.
The newspaper reporter deserve!
more of public commeidation than il
generally given him. He is a good Eel
low, honest, truthful and faithful, an
by his own good work has done mucl