The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-05-27
NEWSPAPER WORK.

w. Storey Buck, an old Spokane
newspaper man. formerly chief clerk
| of the legislature, now engaged in
business in lewiston Idaho. delivered
an address to the students of the Lew
iston normal school, giving his defini-
ton of newspaper work" In his ad-
dress Mr.. Buck Eliminates the
"strenuosity of the profession" in the
following delightful language:
Newspaper men are like teachers
and ministers of the gospel, in that
they are educators, but they are I'M
like these in that they devote large
portion of their professional energies
to work that does not pretend to be ed
vocational that is, to entertainment,
and they are unlike any other profess
sional or business men in a hundred
ways.
Newspaper men are born, not made
by college. OF all the qualifications es-
sential for success in the profession.
a nose for news stands first. Second
to this meddlesome disposition. an
ability to write clear. simple English
is important Next in importance is
the faculty of getting at the facts-of
not accurate is too dangerous person
to find a berth in a newspaper office.
In addition to these qualifications the
more education a reporter has the bet
ter equipped he is, and there is no
branch of school learning that is not of
value to him, for he handles every sub
ject under the sun. Yet there are hum
dreds of first class newspaper men who
have but a limited school education. Al
ter all. the best education for the re-
porter is the street of busy city where
his work calls him, and his keenest
critic is the merciless blue pencil of the
copy reader.
Newspaper work makes a man
broad minded and intelligent for his
educati is in constant progress. His
duties take him in turn into the court
room. into the bankers private Office,
into the operating room Of the hospi-
tai, into the drawing room of the So
ciety leaders of the city. In turn he
sermon, an inquest, street
fight, a lecture, a fire, a political con-
vention, murder. a ball game or a
speech and everywhere he learns some
thing.
when the newspaper men assemble
to receive their assignments, there are
many callers upon the city editor
These people all want one of two
things. Some want certain things put
into the paper and the others want
certain stories kept out, ana there are
fully as many of the latter as there are
of the former. If only such news is
published as meets the approval Of
everybody there would not be enough
news to fill the paper once week in
stead of once a day. Railroad officials
do not like to have published the news
of wrecks on their roads, or their plans
for building extensions; business men
do not like to have the news of bust
ness failures published. Mrs. Brown
doesn't want published the list of
guests at her reception because of Mrs.
Smith. who was not invited, finds that
Mrs. Jones was. she is angry about 1t.
The cub reporter. as the boy just
starting in the business Is called. is
inclined to accommodate his friends
by leaving out what they do not want
him to publish, but he soon gets over
that, and always finds plenty of per-
sons who are eager to give him partic-
ulars of the same events which others
are so anxious for him to omit"