The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-15
HOW "YELL0WS" MAKE NEWS.
The Art of Evolving Sensations
From COMMONPLACE Accidents.

From COMMONPLACE Accidents.
1t is not yet dawn, but Park row is
alive. Newsboys, delivery wagons and
hurrying figures of early morning toll
ers fill the streets. Strange, mysterious
men carrying cameras and casting fur
tive glances from side to side loom up
out of the misty darkness and disap-
pear within one of the big newspaper
buildings where the presses are still
groaning with the task of running off
the morning edition. These are the
seluths of the Evening Vespucius, the
leader of undermined freak journalism.
Every morning they come this way
with their cameras, for at daybreak
they must have the 10 o'clock extra on
the streets with full reports of all the
events that are not to occur until the
afternoon. Up stairs in the reporters
room they find the men with the gas
house trick working like mad, clipping
articles from the ink-damp morning
papers, rewriting and pasting. A few
words transposed here and there and
bliCSC IiRDlUSS are TGduy lot the HoSt-
script Extra, where they appear under
big headlines that announce new and
startling discoveries just made by re-
porters of the Vespucius.
Soon the city editor rushes in. In
stantly the office bristles with excite
ment. He is angry because the Sphe-
roid. the great rival of the Vespucius,
beat him on story the night before
He begins to send out the reporters TN
assignments as fast as he can talk.
The Captain ON the Bridge.
Call up Brown at the morgue and
tell him to make a mysterious murder
cut of that body found floating in East
river" he commands.
Here, Jackson, run down and get
Russell Sage to deny this story in the
Morning Spheroid"
McGillegan, you will shadow Nanny
Friend all day and see if he commu-
nicates with Capt. Strong. Don't let
him lose you. Play up everything that
looks suspicious
Here, Smith, you write me a half
column interview with Controller
Grout on the Pennsylvania tunnel
hold-up. Make him denounce the all
dermen and then call him up later and
get him to stand for it."
And so it goes.
Pretty soon Brown telephones from
the morgue.
That's plain case of accidental
drowning" he reports. THE girl fell
off the pier last night, before a dozen
OF her friends. and the body has been
carried home'
We'll, what differences does that
maker storms the city editor, angrily.
We've got to have the story. Make
1t suicide for disappointed love, work
IN a lot of romance and get the pic
lures of everybody she knows"
I'VE can't make it a suicide for
love-" demonstrate Brown, very meek
~, because she was only II years old"
"Oh-have her kill herself because of
harsh treatment from her playmates.
Work in plenty of human interest. It's
good for a seven column head"
And Brown goes out and gets the
pictures and writes the story.
The Art of Making News.
Suddenly the city editor jumps to
his feet, wildly excited. He has Just
noticed a Il line item in a morning
paper telling of a girl drowned at
Lake Ronkonkoma, L. L, while out
rowing with young man."
IVY NohlCiS Olls Hc SHOUTS, mere S
another Good Ground tragedy. Get
Dooley, Wainwright, Black and Miss
Cox and catch the first train to Rom
konkoma. I'll send White and Brown
out on the $40 train and will try to
get Miss Fairchild out in time for a
story for the last edition. Work it for
all it's worth. This says the coroner
is satisfied the girl fell overheard, but
you want to get him stirred up and
make him hold an inquest.
BE sure and get the girls sweet
heart to write the full story of the af-
falr, ana hire the girls mother to
sign stories for us. You'd better take
two or three gross of films along, for
we want pictures, pictures, pictures.
III telephone to the Western Union to
send down five extra operators.''ss.
Watterson runs hurriediy over to
printed schedule and begins to COPY
down certain figures. 1t is the price
list for bereaved relatives and sweet
hearts, showing how much reporters
are authorized to pay for the services
OF such as will agree to sign articles.
Here is a part of the list:
For WIFE, widowed by the tragedy
and demanding vengeance for her hus-
bands slayer, IS per day.
For fainting in court room. $40 ex
ira. Twenty-Five dollars if widow de-
nounces prisoner before fainting.
For all dramatic situations created
by the widow exclusively for the Even
ing Vespucius, IS additional to the
daily pay.
For a sweetheart of the murdered
victim, IS per day, or as high as SIS
if necessary. This Includes pictures in
a new pose for each day and reporter
pays all expenses of the sweetheart.
For a mother denouncing murderer
of her son or daughter, $3.50 per day
Twenty-Five dollars for an affidavit ac-
cusing any person of the crime.
For prisoner reporting his or her
own trial, SIS per column.
The Rush for the Scene.
In a few moments Watterson has his
staff together and they are rushing for
the train. While they are waiting at
the depot they buy copies of the IL
O'Clock edition of the Vespucius con-
tanning a full account of the great
Ronkonkoma murder mystery. 1t has
just been written in the office by Billy