The record-union., 1898-02-07
NEWSPAPER WORK.
RENCEBETWEENL LONDON
AND THIS COUNTRY.
a New York Reporter Tells OF
Some Of the Difficulties in
London.
(From the London News.)


A greater contrast is presented by the
way in which newspapers are conducted
in England and America than by any
other Institution common to the two
countries. A smart New York report
er would get his paper into a libel suit
or find himself in Holloway, for con-
Quoting his work here in the American
way, almost as quickly as an English
reporter would find himself discharged
from a Yankee paper, for not knowing
news when il was handed to him, If
he followed the cautious lines he has
been accustomed to in Great Britain.
One striking difference in the jour-
nalism of the two great English-speak-
ing countries is the giving out of de-
tails. or assignments, to reporters. In
America a man comes to the office about
noon and receives the very latest in
formation to hand by post, wire or
ticker (the tape), while in England
members of the staff, if they do not re-
ceive an overnight letter or wire from
the office, at their home in the morn
ing, are free for the day and draw their
salary just the same. In this coun-
try the valuable man is the literary
chap" with a neat gift of throwing to-
gether stereotyped phrases. In New
York the man who makes the money
is the wide-awake, enterprising, up
to-date fellow who gets out his own as
signments and comes to the office every
day primed with ideas for working up
good news stories. Here a reporter
who brings in an idea is apt to be con-
sidered impairment. On this side a
reporter looks on an engagement as a
gallery man in the House as a big
thing; there he considers all routine
work beneath him. Here a man goes
out on an assignment and If the per-
son sought does not wish to express his
views, he comes back empty-handed.
There a reporter who returned thus a
few times from interviewing trips
would lose his position.
In England nearly all reporters are
first-class shorthand men; in America
shorthand writing among newspaper
men is almost unknown. Probably on
account of the larger leisure class here,
English readers want exactly what a
speaker has said, and then draw their
own conclusions from it: there what is
wanted is a bright, entertaining arti-
Gle, with the salient points made the
most of the rest fading away in the
perspective.
Among the first things that an Amer
lean newspaper man discovers in this
country is that he is not SO we'll consid-
cred here as he is at home. Here
everybody takes you for a penny-a
liner. 1t ~ little puzzling TO under
stand how well-dressed man can be
set down in this way, often by people
who do not make half what he does in
the course of the year, but that is the
general impression. / went into a
Bond-street jewelers. when | first came
to England, to ask an explanation OF
a curious thing I had noticed in the
window, with the intention of writing
it up if I found it newsy. The dealer,
who took me for a probable purchaser
explained what l wanted to know kind
ly enough. Then I gave him my card
An American would have redoubled his
efforts TO please, and tried to get me &c
make an article on the subject This
man said. after a little Now, that will
make lot Of copy for you, won't it?'
I had intended writing a half-column on
what was really an interesting subject;
but that patronizing remark settled it
l put it in the paper in about six lines.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PUBLIC
OFFICIALS
But it is in trying to obtain import
ant information in the houses of Par
lament and about the Foreign and
Colonial Offices that an American re-
porter learns how surprisingly ill-serv-
ed the English are content to be, as re-
CARDS news. No Alderman in New
York. no Legislator at Albany, no Con
gressnan at Washington, hardly the
President of the United States him
self would dare to be so scant of cour-
tesy and disobliging to even an unim-
portant American newspaper man az
are some private secretaries and even
liveried attendants, in English official
life to representatives, not of the news
agencies alone, but of the biggest Lon
don dailies. 1t is almost impossible tc
get an interview with man like
Chamberlain: people are content tC
gather his views in the report of one
of his speeches at some country hust-
ings, and wait for an explanation of ar
important diplomatic move in the floor
of the House. The nearest the mos
expert, enterprising and capable re-
porter can get to an account of a Cab
met meeting. or hint of the Premier
policy, is a nod or a smile from one o
the private secretaries to the effec
that some wild guess the reporter
has haZarded Is not altogether wrong
or a fat denial of some canard tn,
reporter has brought in. An American
newspaper man in his own country VIII;
could not get, at first hand. fresh new.
from the biggest politician would
soon make life not worth living foI
that politician.
Only few days ago I saw in a copy
of the most widely read social pape
in America paragraph which ran lik'
this Mrs Blank, the intimate frienC
of Mr. and Mrs. Mckinley, is not meet
Ing with anything like the social sue
cess in Washington which her wealth
beauty and position gave her the RICH
to expect. 1t is an open secret tina
Mrs Blanks social failure is due to he
cool treatment of the newspaper repre-
sentatives who were at Canton in tn
closing days of the campaign. TIL
lady's name was printed.
INTERVIEWING IN ENGLAND.
Another surprise awaits the Aneri
can reporter In England when he goe
out interviewing. Objectionable a