The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1917-02-08

description of a large metropolitan
daily newspaper and its operation
and influence on our modern life
of to-day would take up more
space than / care to use for dis
cussion of this subject, and besides.
it really isn't necessary, because
from time to time you may your
self read such articles in the pa
pers or in tine magazines, and no
doubt most of you have either
read the book or have seen the
play of The Fourth Estate, -
which gives a clearer explanation
of the subject than what l could
give you, as my experience on a
daily newspaper has been limited
to the composing room only. So,
in this article l will just give a
brief insight on the powers and
duties of the city editor.
Now, to take Horace Greeley's
maxim: ITO make a good news
paper man and editor out of a boy.
he must sleep on the stone and
feed on printers ink" therefore,
it would seem that it would be
necessary for US to start in the
composing room and work our
way up to the city editors depart
ment; but such is not the case, for
what might have been true in the
days of Greeley, does not apply in
these days of high-class universi-
ties with their very elaborate and
extensive courses in journalism.
The city editor is the immediate
chief magistrate of the paper. Of
course, above him are the manag-
ing editor and the owner, or own
ers (mostly owners in these days,
as very nearly all metropolitan
dailies are stock corporations), but
in the immediate management of
the paper and its plant, the city
editor is supreme, generally
speaking. and especially of the
two great mechanical departments
the composing room and the
press room. He exercises no
authority over the employees of
these two departments, as they are
in direct charge of superinten-
dent, but his commands are law
in respect to anything about the
paper. When he says rush-rush it
is. If he says hold up the ''forms''
till further orders held up they
are. The great, roaring presses
stop at his command. If an extra
edition is to be run off, the order
for it comes from him.
The editorials are not written in
his department, as the editorial
policy, generally, is directly under
the managing editor and his de-
partment; neither is any of the
telegraph news, nor the sports, nor
any of the special features, but it
must all pass under his observation
before it is set in cold type. Why
is this sog Because, being directly
in charge of that news which will
be of the greatest interest to the
largest number of readers-that is,
to the people of the city in which
the paper is published-he must
give precedence to that which will
interest them the most.
If a great fire is raging, or a
disastrous flood has occurred, a
terrible railroad accident has hap
pened, or horrible murder been
committed, in the immediate vicin-
ity of the city, he must give pref
erence to it over any of the tele-
graph news, such as news from the
field of war in Europe, or any
other foreign matter that does not
come directly under his depart
ment, for news of the former kind
is of more vital interest to the
greatest number of readers than is
news of the latter class.
Therefore, the city editor has
nearly the powers of the Gar of
Russia over the operation of the