The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-25
The Night Editor
Walter B, whitman in Hollands Mag

Walter B. Whitman in Hollands Mag
 azine.
 Perhaps not moro than one out of each thousand readers of a daily morn ing paper couyld tell the name of its night editor; in the city of publication he often has fewer acquaintances than the cub reporter; special double-leaded articles do not appear over his sigma ture and at the head of the editorial page his existence is not even noted; yet the gathering and printing of the news-for which the public really buys the paper, Is his daily. or rather night ly, work, for his hours of labor are while other men slumber. Ills Identity is merged into that of The Herald, The Times, or The Journal, as the case may be. The papers glory Is his own; its failures are his shame, its news scoops" his reward. He does prod igious amount of work, quietly and without ostentation--for the pure love fit, without thought of the size of the check which he gets on Saturday night. Loyalty to his paper Is a part of his religion. faithfulness the chief article of his creed. To "get the news he will sacrifice his brother.
 Faithfully unto the end he serves the public and his paper; then a ten- line Associated Press item announcing ms QSfnlSS lB uedu6up 4taS AhiA " AlAs
 thirty being a newspaper term Tor all finished. At the little restaurant around the corner where the force takes the midnight lunch, some one remarks, Poor old Bill! He was h-l of a good newspaper mani" A new night editor is at his desk. The Herald comes out as usual and the pulp lie wots not of the difference.
 Drop in to see the night editor at
 n N-V -N- Av. GA -~vsNN- ing, ands~h you succeed in getting to his desk at all you'll find him with a mass of typewritten papers before him seemingly piled in hopeless confusion in spite of the fact that he knows just where to place his finger tips on any item-story he'd call 1t, for fin news paper parlance everything is story, whether 1t be a six-column account or the assassination of king or fve-line Statement of the winners at bench show Here is the special stun" that coming from the London correspon- dent. to the left Is that political scan dal from Washington. and beyond on that file hook Is the Header" or intro- duction for that murder trial, the de- tails of which are already in type. HalT a dozen pencils with big soft black leads, sharpened to a needle point lie beside his shears and paste-pot; as many more the leads worn to stubs' have been thrown aside. The green eye shade is showed well up on his fore head and the smoke from his short stemmed pipe with its blackened bowl. comes in short nervous puffs from his lips. Hours ago he threw away the thick black cigar with which he set tied down to his nights work-its end nervously crushed between his teeth long after 1t had ceased to burn.
 The night editor scarcely looks up as you rustic the papers piled upon the floor. A half articulate grunt is his oniy greeting. He hasn't time for words. Busy" is likely 10 be the only answer you'll get to any inquiry unless you have an item of news. He is not intentionally impolite but his mind is at work on the printed pages vet to come from the press. Pictured on his brain is an outline of each, clear as thouRh the open paper were spread before him.
 ''Cut 1t to a stick" he almost snarls as he scarcely Rlances at tvoewritten story a column in lenEth, which an assistant has just laid before him. Short and sharp are the few words he speaks to his associates, but they are obeyed without question or com ment.
 A sensational news item from a dis fant cOrrPsnOrhfnt comes m over tDe wires; 1t involves the renutation and business standing of numbers of peo- ple. Failure to print it may result in a big "scoop" bv a rival paper; It's mo- nearance nav involve numerous dam age suits and the pavment of thous- ands of dollars bv his own publication. The night editor must decide, and de- eide at once. There is no time for con hFnation: he must trust to his own in tuition; rarely does he consult an as sistant, and his decision opcc made IS never changed "Kill It. or Fun Scare hpadw the verdict stands. The night editor will take the consequence es
 Now comes a rumor unconhrmed' or a trilrner tragedy or a dire accident, the details of which can not be op- talned from the usual sources. Thcn the night editor is put on his mettle' His fingers are on the pulse of the world, vet there Is no direct connec- ton with the particular spot he wishes to reach. It may be an obscure point where the paper has no correspondent or 1t may not be reached by wire. If there Is a local correspondent, the first endeavor Is to establish communication with him. One correspondent was reused from his slumbers a few months ago by a telegraph messenger with this characteristic message from thu night editor of a paper printed hun. dreds of miles away: "Wake up there's a lynehing in your towni''