Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1915-04-30

From this II will be seen that each story with
its fund of human interest and useful information
combined, reaches a different circulation the
distribution being governed entirely by the range
of applicability of the information II contains"
IL is the desire Of the Office of information 10
prepare these stories so that they may be printed
without editing or revision. II il in this that lies
one OF the strengths OF the agricultural depart.
ment information service. for II means that Bcien-
tihc terms and phraseology eliminated wher.
ever possible, that the significance to the people
Of the bulletin which the story IL based In
emphasized, and that specific. but easy instrue.
ttons are given TO enable the people TO do that
which the bulletin recommends. The stories.
therefore. be called constructive news"
They tell the people what they can do and how to
do IL.
The department OF agriculture takes great care
10 make It's stories accurate. Everything that Ii
put out by the office of information is submitted
for approval, first, to the author; second. to the
chief Of the office or bureau which has charge
of the subjects with which the story is con-
eerned; third. to second chief OF bureau I'm
order that he may check up any undue en-
phasls on one particular aspect of a given prob.
lem, and. fourth. 10 the secretary or assistant
secretary Of agriculture for final approval
II would seem that with these safeguards moth
Ing can be sent out which will be misleading to
the people. II be said that since the office
OF information was created II has been a rigid
rule to avoid any appearance OF personal pub
lieity. In the information stories which are sent
out neither the names of individuals nor even
the names OF the different Offices and bureaus
In the department are printed unless they are
absolutely essential to the story. Every state
ment that Is made is given upon the authority of
the department and not upon that Of a part OF #.
No stories are sent out from the Office OF infor.
nation about what the department Of agriculture
intends to do or hopes 10 do. Neither is anything
said in praise OF the Departments work Plain
statements given OF what has been done and
recommended. This 10 all II can be said that
seemingly this policy has brought about a very
appreciable change in the way in which the
newspapers regard agricultural ney-s Once the
daily press inclined To consider that the
only interesting stories were those which were
personal In character. we're sensational or what
might be called freakisb. Now II is believed that
the newspapers are much more disposed TO meas
ure the value OF a story news by the value
Of the information II conveys
The office Of information does not measure the
worth Of newspaper circulation by numerical
standards. but rather by the appropriateness Of
each story that II sends OFT 20 the necessities
of the readers. So It can he said that the farm
papers are regarded a much more valuable
medium than the daily press for purely agrfcni.
turai stories. and the papers circulating in rural
districts much valuable for the same
kind Of reading matter.
No absolutely accurate information can be had
as to the extent OF the circulation given 10 nfor.
nation stories by the agricultural department
service Il is said that clippings are received