Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-12-05
WHAT is NEWS?"
Qaeried bV Melville E. Stone Famous
News Gsthsrer Suggests New
Order S. P. u. R. for Reporters.
II Iean Cahfll OlNfill. l

TRy Jean Caben oEeiil.l
"What is newsf" was the ques-
tion propoudded by Melville E. Stone
TO the members OF the Pulitzer School
" Journalism yesterday afternoon at
Columbia University AS none in
the audience was as well qualified to
answer the question as was the gen
eral manager of the Associated Press
himself, Mr.. Stone answeed his own
query with a forty-minues' rapid
FIRE talk which contained the sum
ming up of life-loog experience in
the active news field.
MIR. Stone had some adverse things
TO say Of the strsining after heart
interest stories which, 10 his think
ing, are at best evanescent, the may
dies of news winging shining flight
maybe for brief moment, but the
next day dead, the frail bodies ming
ling with thu dust Not that he de-
plored the sympathetic handling Of
news, but advocated the careful se-
lection of news which denoted a sense
5f perspective, Of values, Of lasting
interest, 10 the greatest number of
eaders.
We have reached a nsws-mad age.
The issue of daily papers in the
United States is something like the
proportion of one newspaper for
every three readers above ten years
Of age, )" said the speaker. at may
also be acknowledged that we are
uperficisl eaple, that is hardly to
be wondered at, remembering the
tremendous sweep of events in the
last half century, the radical changes
in the entire mode of life in every
quarter during these years"
The press is informative, and Mr..
St ne agrees with the belief Of that
great editor in whose name the stu
Tents of the school of journalism
come together, Pulitzer. who declared
that the republic and the press must
stand together corrupt press
would mean corrupted country.
The waning Importance of the edi-
torial page, Nh. Stone views with
regret, for though he conceeds here
are many splendid sheets where the
editor still is able to mold public
opinion, much gre ater is the class of
papers who are so far divorced from
the review or Informative form of
writing as to have practically no
educational worth.
The news as regards happenings
in foreign fields. our domestic aud
foreign policy, national politics, the
situation in the field Of labor, any
thing of practical benefit of the
people at large, all these come under
Che head of real news rather than
fire stories, local scandal, stories
morbid aud unwhc lesome, simply to
make an appeal to the class which
Graves the morbid Mr.. Stone was
careful to say he approved of a SEN
sational story when the story had en-
element of news-citing an incidence
of conservative clergyman who for
forty years preached in conservative
fashion, sho aid he suddenly teach
heresay that would be a sensational
item, for it would be urusual,
startling, news.
The audience, made up of re-
porters and 'would-be' e's,' were
much yratifi I'd at the high opinion
Mr. Stone holds of that branch of
the professiou--in fact he declared
that good reporters were more nee
assary than good editors-of the
impertinent type, the half-educated,
half-baked young man who neither
respects himself, his profession.
nor MS victim in his method of
securing an interview, Mr.. Stone
ned some csustic things to say.
de DIES not underestimate the diff
Guilty of the calling, in fact. accord
ing to his judgment, a good reporter
has need to know something about
everything under the sun and then
some, also he must read, but not
too m lch. Along side of Miss Nor
gan's campaign of S. P. u. G.,
Mr.. Stone would like to establish
the S. P. u. r. the Society for the
Prevention of Usel sss Reading and,
from the ripple of applause, his
hearers agreed with the novel sug-
gestion.
Ihr lugnout the entertaining ad.
dress, Illuminating anecdote and epi-
gramatic lines adorned the tale.
At its conclusion, Director Talcott
Williams, of the School Of Journal
ism, paid high tribute to the mod
esty of Mr.. Stone, which the hearers
had noticed, for Mr.. Stone had only
mentioned his experience as an edi-
tor Of a western paper and said no
word of his present unique position
in the news world. But the least
alert among the audience would have
noticed that Mr. Stones grasp of
news values was not learned on one
paper, but from his control Of 9
world service. An informal tea and
reception followed, during which the
the good-nstuIed speaker answered
all the uues tionz his vounO aUdftore