The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-10-04

I ~tNSS- AVS Stiauke 10 say, luere ISM
another reporter in evidence. although
the detectives. their prisoners and tn
rest of the party have arrived yer,
noisily in an automobile. Miss Michel
son. are the Herald. Tribune, Sun
Times, American and all the other po
lice reporters sleeping on their beat
1 Now. what does Harry Van Ness do.
Does he quietly slip out to phone his
city editor that Tom Dorgan. the noto.
rious jail-breaker. has been captured
in the apartment of Nance Olden, the
actress. that he had first implicated
her in a theft and afterwards cleared
her: that the desk sergeant had book
ed her and then taken her name of
the blotter, thereby making 1t very
probable that he Will be tried for ex-
ceeding his authority: and that L.ati-
mer, the celebrated philanthropic law
Yer. has announced his engagement to
Miss Olden in sensational circum-
stsncess And does the city editor say
Great. Wen have it on the first
page with pictures. Harry; get your
copy in qui,k"e Nothing of this sort
happens in The Bfshor's Carriage -
The star reporter who is doing night
police for the World tears up all his
notes with the astonishing remark
Il guess the readers of my paper
don't want TO know anything about
this wrings L.atiner's hand and
saunters out of the station.
AS 1T PROBABLY HAPPENED.
To the uniniiated that may seem
golden deed. a praiseworthy instance
of journalistic forbearance. but every
newspaperman knows that it is an ar
rant neglect of duty. an absolutely un-
warranted assumption of authority on
the part of reporter who ought to
have known better. There is not the
least doubt in my mind that when the
whole story leaked out. as these stories
always do. the star reporter was fired
and some less susceptible man was
detailed TO do night police for the
World. There was no excuse for Van
Ness action; in '-hurying'' the story
he simply showed himself an ass and
an incompetent Newspapermen are In
duty bound not to exercise any such
discretion in their work. The
responsibility for the publication or
of story rests with the edi-
tors who receive better salaries than
reporters because, among other good
reasons, they are supposed TO have
older and wiser heads upon their
shoulders and 70 know what is fit and
what unfit for the public to read. ac-
cording to their ethics. It is dull
fellow who does not learn this elemen-
-ary y1ripainlo ~ iourpal;cr, ", hi. Sr-.
weeks of cubdom.
FAMILIAR FALSE PICTURES.
Perhaps this criticism may SAVIOR too
much of the superhuous process known
as breaking butterfly on a wheel. Is
il not trivial mistake on the part of
the playwright. after all? Perhaps,
but il indicates a misconception of the
lewspaperman's duties and this mis-
as 1 have pointed out,
usually extends to other matters, in
1us import. Then this misconception
works great injustice to the members
of a profession as scrupulous as any
other in its code OF honor. Then il
reaches 10 such base Misrepresentation
as is contained in the Yellow Journal
st stories before mentioned, wherein
reporters are make to peer through
aey-holes and over transonls. TO climb
porches. rifle desks and do a score OF
1ther disilonorable and criminal acts
which il makes a newspaperman'
blood boil TO read about. Just how
general this misconception is only q
papsrnnan knows. II is exhibited
n nearly all the short stories of news
paper life that seem so popular with
editors and it is constantly
appearing in plays. The Undertow"
which purported TO give a truthful
picture of the profession as practised
n a large city, afforded some glaring
examples The Man of the Hour"
vas not without its absurdities Of this
kind. One Of the most frequent
,fenses consists in depicting the re-
porter as a soft-hearted sentimental
ST who neglects his work on the
slightest pretext that offers him the
opportunity 10 appear as a hero in the |
Eyes of some equally soft-hsarted but |
beautiful girl Newspapermen are not |
and when they report |
Tres, floods, earthquakes, explosions, |
rain-wrecks and bank failure@to |
mention some OF the fayorite assign |
nents that are given in hction-their
Indifference 10 beautiful girls can be
sublime Why should the newspaper |
character be distorted Why cannot |
!. reporter be portrayed as nearly TO |
he life as an engineer, a lawyer or q |
surgeon? One answer IS that the news
1aperman is not so chary OF his rep /
ltation as these others; that his fatal |
sense OF humor prevents him from pro- |
.esting when he is grotesqued- But |
may one OF the tribe venture TO ask |
'or more ccnsiderate treatment May |
ne at least plead that writer's like |
Miriam Nicholson who once knew the |
oczl room may strive 10 keep a little |
loser 10 yerisimihtude when depict |
ng men who, maugre their careless
exterior, are intensely sensitive on |
questions Of professional ethics?
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