The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-05-19
CIVESOUT THE NEWS CONCERNING, ,
MEXICAN SITUATION PROMPUY
Josephus Daniels Training as Newspaper Man Serves To
Make Him Understand Thirst of People For Facts
Howard Banks Skilled Assistance

what there Is OF news value in all this,
and | feel that the people OF this
country are just as nxiou TO know
the contents of these dispatches as
am or as the President is.
Copies Are Turned Ont b, n
Hundred.
IT takes only a monent IF
thouSht TO Slfi that which must he
kept confidential from that which il
IS possible to make public, and Just
as soon as | can blue-pencil the con-
1identlal parts Of the reports the bull
1etin is by some one OF nv assis-
tant editorial fOrce-so to speak-and
Stancllled and min1eographed by the
hundred copies as quickly as possible.
In a very short time after / myself re-
ceive these reports they are flashed
over the wires to all parts of the
United States and the news contained
IN them IS being cried by the news
boys as they hawk the extras through
the streets.
Admiral Fletcher, wnen he went
ashore at Vera Cruz to take com
mand, vinced all the qualities of a
trained journalist. He put the news
features to the front in his stories
from Vera Cruz, and seemed to bear
IN mind the great concern of the
American people to know what was
Transporting. and forwarded the facts
In such form that his stories could be
immediately given out to the press
He never once had an editoria'
scrambled up with his news, and YOU
know II takes about five years t(
break the average newspaper man o
that habit. Fletcher is the ables
member Of the editorial staff of tt..
Navy. He would have made a grea
managing editor if ne had gone int.
Journalism
In the midsummer of 1870 'Th
Philadelphia Record found that ii
local staff was rather short ii traines
men, and yet it needed to send an eX
pert to Wilkes-Barre to report a bi;
event, in which President Roosevelt,
John Mitchell. the labor leader; job,
Weaver. reform mayor of Philadel
phia, and Cardinal Gibbons all spok
from the Same platform to q crow
Of 10000 people. Try the ne,
man. said the city editor, and How
ard 4. Banks was assigned to TT
story. He had just come to +
Record" from The Charlotte Obse1
YER There was a panic IN the enoi
nous crowd, which MI. Rooseve
quelled. The new man won his spur
with the story he sent in.
Then Daniels Appropriated His Sci
vices.
This was Mr.. Banks suspicious il
| PRODUCTION to metropolitan .iourna
ism. He went back to North Care
lima. bought The Hickory Demt
Crat," caught the eye Of Josephl
: Daniels. editor Of 'sThc Raleigh New
l and Observer" and when Mr.. DAME
vas offered h Navy portfolio
President Wilson he made Mr.. Banl
l his secretary.
1 Of course, if it hadn't been f,
I Joseph p. Tumulty, secretary to Pres
dent Wilson, a lot of the news whiC
has reached the newspapers won
have been YER much delayed, if mae
known at all. Mr.. Tumulty is not
n newspaper man. but he is what mig
be called the contributing editor
o the administration, and has share
1 equally with Secretary Daniels in Sc
b ing to it that information of intere
# to the people be given out promptly.
s Many a perpleXcd newspaper m;
O has gone to Mr. Tumu1ty in the pre-
ent crisis and asked for his help
e getting some news which has be,
held up at one OF the department
j. If Mr.. TuInuity considered the reque
q legitimate and felt that the news d
O sired belonged TO the public he to,
up the matter at once and obtain
the information for the applicant.
: There is also another way in Viii
,s news is distributed. This is at t
Monday morning and Thursday afte
-e moo ncOnferenceS With President W
SON. He receives the newspaper m
at these times and he is c~ross-exami
a ed pretty thoroughly as to the ha
h peningS of the day.