The farmer and mechanic., 1913-03-04
THE GENTLE ART
OF WRITING NEWS
4 Book Which Deals With the "HoW
OF the Reporters Day by Day
Work.

Grant Minor Rice's Newspaper Re
porting and Correspondents Is yet
young. but the instructor in journal
ism in the University Of Wisconsin
has produced such generally useful
book that il has found an easy place
in the curriculum Of more than one
college OF newspaper training.
The book is divided into seventeen
chapters of $40 pages and waving
entirely the treatment Of the separate
and very serious purviews Of the edi-
tor and the business manager, it
develops the news end. appraiSes news
values, defines the terms. suggests the
form, treats the varied news stories,
and closes with a comp prehensive list
of badly written articles - be correct
ed by the student after having mast
cred the more academic work.
The value of the book TO newSpa
per men is positive. Many reporters
work under arbitrary rules and are
instructed by an imposing list OF
''Don'ts' growled out by busy city
editors and deskmen. Under that sys-
tenn they rarely receive any inStruc-
ton at all. A recent work Of similar
nature employs list Of one hundred
"don'ts' covering fourteen pages OF
good paper, to which is appended
list Of brOmides that covers six pages
| It is nothing to the discredit of the
work that its author writes many
bromides against which he has thun-
! dered no don't" and forgets often
some of the hundred that he cannot
| remember.
| The purpose of Mr.. Eice's News
paper Reporting and Correspondence
is the dealing with the 'hOW' Of the
reporters work. lie is a friend OF
the cub and is seeking to conduct him
! past the perils of the blue pencil.
which. by the way, is rarely blue. Mr..
Rice would teach him that however
bright and brilliant he may be. the
reporter must first observe form and
system. and until he has learned the
emphasis laid upon these and dis
! covered the way to bring out from
hiding the best IN the story, he must
| write under the restriction of the
rules
In the gathering Of news, the au-
thor deyotes fourteen pages to the re-
porter, whose offices are both literary
and detective. This chapter concerns
itself with expected and unexpected
news sources, runs and assignments.
the interview for facts, the point Of
personal view. with the many sides to
} every fact at issue between persons
the outside.
| The second chapter concerns Itself
| with the appraisal Of news values
| It aims at all readers and offering
no special way to please them, tells
the prospective reporter that he must
in the best sense, obey the st. Pauline
Injunction to be everything to all men
: The author assumes that the story OF
a Presbyterian assembly will not in
terest greatly the lovers OF baseball
; and surmfSes that the wife at home
, will hardly be excited over a prize
, fight. Academies and actuality loci
horns here. for the teacher Of journal
side that the newspaper Is hard press
, ed to live up to it's ideal because O
, the patronage Of the sensational pag.
by those who decry it. All religiousl.
6 inclined editors have discovered tina
: the daily publication Of Beecher's ser
! mons would queer many OF the pro
, feSsedly pious. while detailed account
4 OF a fragrant divorce case or stor.
by rounds of an International prz
: fight will cause the very elect to sWoO]
4 down upon 1t like q hen hawk afte
a green goSling and with fixed ey
n upon the upper world, wonder wha
t on earth men are coming to.
Time!iness. "all the news Of today.
/, if it is an afternoon paper and a
much rs possible today if morn
a ing, gets good word. and the worth
e lessneSs Of q story tomorrow or tn
9 next day Is impressively told. Dis
tance, or better. proximity. plays a
It important part in the paper, an
news that interests clannish individu
2. ais must be unusual. Loss OF life
given the precedence over everythin
:, in q news story. and big names an
l. property loss always furnish valuabl
4. news. Human interest and the pei
II sonM appeal. by which latter teri
is meant that which concerns the il
! diyidual. enter into the chapter
Newspaper terms are defined in tn
= third chapter, but this talk is largel
: shop. The news story form. is lai
:, down in the fourth, the when wher
,, ,, what. who. how. and why Of ever
- story is given and explained.
- The fifth chapter and the sixth al
90 given to the fire and the feature III
g on tu-n all In,