The Somerset reporter., 1900-08-23
NEWSPAPER SCOOPS.
TIE 6ANE AND THE NIGHTMARE OF
A JOURNALISTS LIFE.

What n BEAT" Means 10 the Man
s with Nose For News"-The Pc
cuIiarities of Securing Inside News
BY WashIsgton Correspondents.
They We're 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 a man occupies a desk today
because of a good beat and many an
other man Is engaged In Il 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 a woman on her back
hair; justly so, because a standard Is
formed by which his journalistic tai
ents are largely rated and his salary
In. accordance. If the city editor asks
him too often why he didn't get it. he
finally gets IT where the fowl gets the
AK, and a new man appears on his for
mer assignment.
Editors, however, are usually con-
siderate with a good man, for the lat
ter will scoop his rival as often as he
himself Is scooped-perhaps oftener-
and 1t thus evens itself up. Sometimes,
however the wielder of the blue pen
ell has an attack of acute indigestion,
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
considerable 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 Il deep, dull mystery to me. He
may treat outsiders Ito be kind to the
magazine story writer) 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
moments notice and running 1t as well
as he.
THE now you have 1t and now you
haven't 1t in our profession is well IL
Illustrated by a little occurrence that
happened In Washington a few years
ago, and it proves the element Of luck
In the matter of securing news.
at WAS undecided whether congress
would pass as read a certain very i'm
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,
the correspondent of one of the metro
politan morning dailes wired his paper
that it positively would not go through.
This paper had been talking that end
of the bill all along
THE correspondent of n rival morn
Ing paper had drawn the same conclu-
siOns from his days Investigations at
the capitol. He was on his way down
the west marble steps when he met
member to whose opinion on the prob
able fate of the bill he attached great
weight. The member declared that the
bill would positively be passed, I'M
amended and unchanged. at the open
Ing of the session the following day.
The correspondent cast his own con-
trary opinions and those of the men,
bers he had interviewed to the winds.
He wired that night that the bill would
certainly pass the following day. 1t
did. Its passage was a surprise to the
country.
Before night the other correspond
ent was relieved of his position by
telegraph. one made a bold hazard
against his OWL judgment, took that
of another and won. The other con
scientously obeyed the dictates of his
conclusions. based largely upon the
opinions of men who were in position
to advise him correctly, and lost.
This case also illustrates the pecul-
iarity of securing news by Washing
ton correspondents. 1t Is sui generis.
Rules which obtain in other cities are
impracticable here. Most of the CORE
spondents are picked men, who earn
and command good salaries. But one
of their most important functions is to
make acquaintances with men in of
fetal and congr, ssional life. 1t is an
important element in his profession to
know who to see about piece of
news, and the little interview in ques-
ton between the correspondent and the
congressman on the west steps is but
an example of everyday episodes in
the life of Washington correspond.
ent. "-Washington Star.
Good Feeders.