The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-08-21
NEWSPAPER SCOOPS.
the BANE AND THE NIGHTMARE OF
A JOURNALISTS LIFE.
what n "Beat" Means to the Man
With n "Nose For News"-The Pc
culiarities of Securing Inside News

With n sNose For News'-The Pc.
culinrities of Securing Inside News |
by Washington Correspondents.
They were all newspaper men, and
they were all so united on the PROPOSE |
ton under consideration that they did !
not interrupt the man who was doing
the talking.
Scoops said the sharp nosed re-
porter to the others, "are the bane and
the nightmare of a newspaper mans
life from the proprietor and managing
editor down to the Maltese Office cat.
Many man occupies desk today
because of a good beat and many an
other man is engaged in more humble
occupation because he failed to see
one. Scoops constitute the seesaw Of
journalistic life.
"a newspaper man is as touchy on
this subject as woman on her back
hair; justly so, because a standard is
formed by which his Journalistic tai
ents are largely rated and his salary
i in accordance. If the city editor asks
him too often why he didn't get it, he
az, and new man appears on his for
mer assignment.
I Editors. however, are usually con-
: siderate with good man, for the lat
] ter will scoop his rival as often as he
+ himself is scooped-perhaps oftener-
! and it thus evens itself up. Sometimes,
however, the wielder of the blue pen
Gil has an attack of acute indigestion.
I like the rest of us, and things are apt
/ to be unpleasant.
"a good. big beat fills the entire of
fee with hilarious joy, and particular
ly the lucky reporter rejoices. 1t oft
times means an increase in salary. The
office of the chief rival contemporary is
thrown into corresponding gloom.
"The city editor is the adjutant gen
eral of the force. Usually he is as
considerate as his duty to the proprie
tor permits. Nearly all are graduates
from the ranks. Where the magazine
newspaper story writer finds the city
editor he usually portrays has always
been deep. dull mystery to me. He
may treat outsiders Ito be kind to the
magazine story wrfter) as their stories
sometimes relate. but to his force he
does not carry drawn sword in his
left hand and pen dipped in redhot
caustic in his right. He knows that
OF the men under him many are his
peers. capable of taking his desk at q
moments notice and running it as well
as he.
"The now you have 1t and now you
!. haven't It in our profession Is we'll IL
,. Illustrated by a little occurrence that
| happened in Washington few years
ago, and 1t proves the element of luck
in the matter of securing news.
sit was undecided whether congress
would pass as read certain very Inn
portant national measure. The New
York papers were especially anxious
, about it. The drift Of opinion among
the correspondents was that it would
not so pass On Monday night. say
f the correspondent of one Of the metro
, politan morning dailies wired his paper
. that it positively would not go through
This paper had been talking that end
p Of the bill all along.
"The correspondent Of rival morn
I ing paper had drawn the same conclu
= sions from his days investigations a
1 the capitol. He was on his way dow
j the west marble steps when he met :
4 member to whose opinion on the prob
O able fate of the bill he attached grea
l. weight. The member declared that TIN
y bill would positively be passed, un
amended and unchanged at the open
n ing of the session the following day.
q '"The correspondent cast his own con
r trary opinions and those Of the mem
befs he had interviewed. to the winds
He wired that night that the bin woul
certainly pass the following day,
>. did. Its passage was a surprise to tn
!, country
- Before night the other correspond
r. ent was relieved of his position b.
=, telegraph. One made bold hazar
against his own judgment, took tina
~ of another and won. The other cor
.. scientiously obeyed the dictates of hi
/. conclusions. based largely upon tn
Fl opinions of men who were in positio
y to advise him correctly, and lost.
- '"rhis case also illustrates the pecu
% iarity of securing news by Washing
10 ton correspondents. 1t is sui generi
IN Rules which obtain in other cities al
a. impracticab.e here. Most of the CORE
: spondents are picked men, who ear
and commaGd good salaries. But OIL
of their most important functions is I
make acquaintances with men in o
m fetal and congressional life. 1t is a
important element in his profession I
d, kho" VINO 10 see ABOUT piece
news, and the little interview in que
ton between the correspondent and IL
congressman on the west steps is b,
an example of everyday episodes
the life of "a Washington correspon
ent. Washington Star.
IS
iMFANTDIESFROM NEGLEC'