The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-07
ROBABLY no one outside newspaper Of
fees. except telephone operators, .ea-
lies how mistaken Is tn g ge neral pub
lies idea regarding the work Of an or


moro constantly in touch with the city ed
itor and better posted on every "up"tthan
would have been possible under the oldstyle
Change of Style Duo to Phone.
Critics of newspapers, especially advocates
Of old methods, claim that the telephone and
the telegraph have ruined the literary
newspaper" Perhaps there rs grain OF
truth in their claim, but an examination of
metropolitan papers OF fifteen years .ago-orI
even ton years ago-wfll reveal the tact that
words, for words sake, are about, oil that
have been lost. In place of the graceful
flowery word paddings,'' the public gets
facts, crisp and bristttng, tersely told, and.
the = graceful {" writing is reserved forth
{ a features
The telephone is responsible for.t1is, al
though the growth OF the cities are also re-
sponslbie. Chicago, and NewY Y rk, and Phil
adelphia have become 80 igand local news
SO enormous in volume that crtspness and
condensa ton have become necessary. It Is
now question OF putting all the important
news into Its most pleasing tabloid form and
getting. all the news up to the last moment
before the paper goes to,press.
@s Last Hour Most Important.
~ 1t IS in getting the last news that the re-
porter who writes nothing becomes the most
Important factor in the situation. The last
hour in the Office means that the night police
reporter, who early in the evening was held
In small account, suddenly looms large Per
haps three reporters are Z stuck 4 on{late
stories. A few years ago the reporter would
have 3 thrown up his hands |" on a story at i
o'clock in the morning, knowingih The could not
eetinto the5office and write tin,time, where
as now he remains on the scent until the last
moment, perhaps--if the 4. story : looks big
until d fter the paper has been printed hoping
to pull OF O. scoop. \
He knows that within few. minutes after
he lands = his story he can reach tele--
phone and that within few minutes after
that a -. star . in the oflcewill be pounding
out the news at the rate OF forty words a
minute. Every morning you read In your
paper about something that happened at
2:45 that same morning or Q clock, and
perhaps you have wondered how the paper
rot the item. It Is simple. A night police
.rer ,rtcr, or q friend OF the pa per. or g re-
porter on his way home. got the = story X
Jumped to telephone, and less thanffifteen
minutes later 1t was In the paper. 8
rIurrying up like that may hurt literary
!. STYLE" but 1t gives the news TO the5puDlic,
3{$ .
Much Waste Of Time Prevented.
ma use OF the telephone in newspaper
Offices has come to be one OF theffeatures 81
ranortinr. Thousands OF miles OF riding are
saved daily by reporters who know how to
rae a 9nhone intelligently. The city editor 8
prevents the waste OF the services OF one.o
10 of hi. men merely by calling up and
f,ndine that the story which promised well
really amounts to nothing. He uses 1t to
verify or disprove rumors which flow into
,very ONCE by scores, FIe learns that the
.torv which some atternoonrival has printed
Is. to use his expression. rank fake,"tand
loes not waste man to investigate. The
notice reporters, from their posts in impor-
ant stations, keep In touch with other sta
ions over police lines, and knowsalmost In
SANITY when some big story he's broken 4
oose." @
BY the use OF the phone the city editor, I
who directs the movements OF doAeas OF men
and women at every hour Of the day. knows
exactly what is going on In each part. OF the (
town. how each story ID developing, where
10 concent rate his forces, when to take man
1T one story and start him on another. He
narshals his forces by telephone just as q
modern general directs u battle. keeping In !
ouch with every one OF ms men, except only
hose who are out on some !" story I which
ends with the business or court day and I,
which he must come In to write.
The reporter for morning paper, OF course,
comes into the Office and writes his own
stun !" IN the majority Of cases. having I
more time and gaining in accuracy and de- \
all by so doing. In bhe afternoon papers 1t
S safe to say that much over half OF the
local m, fer tS raceiyed nv tal
purpose,