The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-13

| But the S. r. must use her judg-
i ment about Withholding news at the
request of subscribers, just as the city
! editor and every other reporter on the
/ paper must 1t is sometimes very
| hard to know what is best to do. OF
| course in the case of a good friend,
1 one upon whom the S. R. regularly
| counts for news, there is hardly any
| request Which she should not grant.
But sometimes people ask WHAT'S un-s
| reasonabl and the S. r. is unable to
| ohlige them. Of course they are dis
| pleased and usually take occasion to
| let her know il. She has lost afriend.
| But not forever. If the S. R. was
really in the right from her profess
sicn's standpoint, the woman she mas
| offended finally comes to look at 1t her
/ way She gets over it if she is left
| studiously alone. and one fine day she
| telephones the S. r. and sweetly asks
| if she won't publish the fact that her
| bridge club will meet with her tomor-
| row. And the dove of peace returns
and hovers over them for "quite
spell ="
1 Gilbert Hp-rd has pointed out
| that people who write for the public
mustn't be disturbed because their
/ readers get angry and stop their sub
scriptions "For every one who goes
| out by one door, Mr.. Hubbard says
| half a dozen come in by another
| And 90 the s. r. finds it. If one girl
is angry because her engagement was
4
| how much the item was worth
| A new engagement or a wedding of
which everybody doesn't know. is
about the nearest to a real news item
that the S. r. is allowed to handle. OF
course there is no especial news value
in the gofngs and comings of people,
in accounts of luncheons. dinners,
teas and dances. Women read them.
and SO as the city editor contemptuous-
~ says, the paper must publish the
rot. But new engagement or an
unexpected wedding is real news. A
large number of readers is sure to be
interested in every such item.
She Must Use Great Care.
Engagements and weddings, how
ever, are to be handled with great care
and never announced without good
authority. For while the s.. r. s 9TH
er mistakes are trivial and unimpor-
tant she can get into an awful scrape
by a premature engagement an
nouncement. IF the wedding never
comes off, for instance, she will al
ways have a sreaking feeling of guilt.
Maybe if she hadn't bawled it out the
man wouldn't have been frightened
away. Not the most hardened s. r.
could bear with composure the weight
on her. conscience of having blocked
another girls matrimonial game, for
reasons purely professional OF course
if her motives We're personal it might
be different. AS a rule, therefore, the |
S. r. gets the consent of the prospec-
tive bride CIR her parents before she |
announces an engagement.
This usually means that when the |
engagement is published everybody |
already knows it and it has no news !
value whatever. Most people refuse to |
make a formal announcement of their |
engagement until a few weeks before |
the marriage, although they may have |
been talking about It to everybody and t
telling all their friends of their plans |
for a year. From the S. RS stand |
point there is no sense in this custom /
and the society departments the only |
takes into account. to such an extent
the wishes of the people about whom |
it prints news. In other departments
the question is. merely, is a report |
true? In such a ease it is published. |
But the S. r. usually defers to the [
wishes of the principals and withholds
the news of an engagement or APP !
preaching marriage until they give her
permission to use it. Sometimes she
departs from this rule for good rea-
sons. If the man or woman concern
socially prominent. the news becomes
too important to be kept out by re-
quest" In those cases it is usually
handled outside the society column
and made a top head story. Or If the
S. r. knows that she can't get the an
with the consent of the
for her paper. because they
prefer to give it to some other paper,
other reason. she can lose nothing by
publishing it without their consent,
provided she is absolutely sure that the
engagement exists and that they are
it.
Attends Few Functions.
Contrary to some peoples opinions,
the. S. r. rarely attends function in
her professional capacity. She is
often asked to do SO but she rarely
For one reason the S. RS
written before tile entertainment has
taken place. Ordinarily the society
news on an evening paper must be in
about noon. On a morning paper the
copy is required at O'Clock. OF course
the S. r. having a wide acquaintance
is asked about good deal in a private
and personal capacity. She may use
her own discretion about going. Gen
orally speaking it would seem to be a
decided advantage to her if she has
the inclination. the health and the y
time to CAD a good deal. She viii
pick up more news that way
than in any other. Half an hour at a
pink tea will result in more profit to
her society column than half days
buzzing about the style 4
shops" and the tea rooms, and inter- 4
srs, the florists. the caterers and the u
ticket agents, although from
al these sources she picks up a good
1caI of information of use in her bust
overlooked. A man once rallied an
5. r. on her giddy frivolity. you're
4, nice sort of Poor Working Girl he
aid. Zone meets you everywhere?
Really, do you ever work ?" DO
ever work?" she retorted promptly !
You mean do l ever sleep? I'm al
ways working. Don't mistake me
when you see me with my parlor face
md my toppy Tugs on for gay butter
1y fitting aimlessly from flower to
lower. This is the way I do my work
ind collect my gossip and am Stever
10 dangerous as when I am disguised
Is a lady" .
Plain STYLE Is Best.