The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-21
NEWS ABOUT NEWS
Country Correspondents and
Big DaiIieS Are Defended.

the business, a short article relative to
the duties of country correspondent
of metropolitan dailies will be of inter-
est to every reader of the Sun:
In the first place let it be understood
that the dailies, without exception
print only the facts. The idea in the
minds of many that the papers want
lies is erroneous. Were this so the pa
pers would be defending libel suits con-
tinually. The fact that they print only
actual facts Is proven in that they are
very rarely heard Of in court. But they
want the facts, without fear or favor
They are in the business of supplying
the people with that which they cry
out for-news-not to hide it from
them. The paper to get all the facts
must have representative of news
paper instinct willing to send in the
news of community as it happens, the
bad as we'll as the good. The papers
always prefer newspaper man to rep
resent them. Having his own interests
to protect and being familiar with the
wants of readers everywhere, he is in
a position to protect the big paper
while supplying these wants. The cry
of yellow journalism has been repeated
until many people have come to believe
that there is little of honor connected
with a metropolitan daily. This Is
most absurd idea. The correspondents
who have served these papers longest,
though not having personal acquain-
lance with those behind the throne and
at the desks, know that they are men
of honor, and the business carried on
in a systematic. honorable way.
The daily paper may print a story
apparently true one day, but wholly
untrue the next. 1t occurs this way.
The correspondent may hear from a
good source that a person prominently
before the public eye has gone to a GER
tain town. Investigation confirms the
rumor. The news is sent to the papers
and printed. But at the last moment
other arrangements send the person
elsewhere. Finding this true, Sec
ond dispatch is sent that the party
may be correctly located. Both reports.
true for the days they appeared, yet
one of them seemingly false to a per-
son unacquainted with neWsgathering
and daily newspaper work.
The dispatches from the country
towns are generally written offhand,
under most bewildering surroundings.
The subject being telegraphed out is
the talk of the town. The correspond
ent receives a telegram from a daily
for 200 or 500 words about the impor-
tant event. With more certain
knowledge that the telegraph office will
close at a given hour than he has of
the event to be reported, he hustles
for the facts desired and rusheS FOR the
depot. He stands at a desk, being In
too much of a hurry to sit down, and
pens the number of words asked for
with a few extra for good measure He
is watched closely in his work by sew
eral seemingly interested persons, while
one or two will glance over his Shout
der. Sometimes they may talk in an
undertone of a man who just got kill
ed at the next station, ETC., in order
TO attract the attention of the reporter
to some fake. But if the correspondent
understands his business he finishes
his task, at last to hear from the lips
of the waiting operator the encourag-
ing WOrdS-"shes a good one"
Some may wonder why a special cor
respondent is sent to write up a trial
or an event. The papers may presume
that the regular man is interested in
the case, that his relatives NAV be
connected with it, or that it may re-
qu1re more experienced man, so to be
sure that all is given a special reporter
is sent to the scene.
Human interest stories are desired
by all papers. These are based on
fact, although the most Of the facts
may have been forgotten by nearly
everyone except their author. No
11clL AL Cc1n COIIlO lIOIII OuCIl SUITES While
many are entertained.
A human interest story may relate
to wolf hunts, a pioneer incident, an
arteSian well of freakiSh nature, in
fact hundreds Of subjects.
Anyone who is arrested may be writ
ten up to the extent of all the facts in
the case. When you leave the path of
privacy for the legal highway your
steps may be publicly noted in the
papers.
The pay writer Of specials gets is
ample for the actual work. Some pa
perS pay for ordinary matter from the
small towns about 81 a column An
article with flash head over 1t is more
valuable and more is paid for it. The
dailies keep track of it and pay at GER
tain times. Only used matter is paid
for. The headings to all articles are
made up at the Office of the paper
printing them.
The daily paper depends upon It's
regular agent or correspondent for the
news of community, but anyone may
send in news and it will be printed if
of sufficient Importance. If a paper is
In doubt about the reliability of news
thus sent, especially if character is as
sailed, it is returned to the regular cor
respondent for verifcation. A great
many specials are printed that are sent
In by someone who has friend to re-
ward or an enemy to punish that q reg
ular correspondent might not care to
bother with. The regular correspond
ent accepts the credit or blame for
these irregular articles and says moth
ing. unless they become fiagrantly out
rageous.
Special kilograms are frequently
greatly enlarged and changed in the
wording by the paper receiving them.
Sometimes a daily will have tele-
gram written in its own office and give
1t a date of the scene of the event told
about-but only in case of emergency