The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-01-16
MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR

Prof. Geo. A. Starring Of the de-
partment of Journalism at State Col
lege, says that the cooperation and
publicity of the newspapers of the
country had more to do with winning
the war than any other factor outside
OF the willingness of the d~oughboy to
go over the top. In a statement given
out this week on what the South Da.
kota newspaper boys have done, he
says:
The weekly papers OF South Dakota
since the entry OF the United States
in the war each donated an average
of 1873 columns of news to war activi-
ties and carried an average of so
columns of paid advertising, some of
which va donated by the publishers.
The daily papers during the same
time donated an average of 654
columns of reading matter and carried
237 columns of wal advertising. These
figures are the result of a survey made
this month by the department OF agri-
cultural journalism at the South Da-
kota State College, one hundred typi.
cal replies having been made to the
QUESTIONABLE.
From these one hundred print shops,
IS employees or publishers went into
the army or navy, five Of whom have.
returned to their work. Twenty 9th
ers expect to retuTn TO their previous
work. while nearly every editor said
he hopes they all viii do so. Twenty
one sons of editors, some OF whom
were printers. entered the service. one
dying in the Canadian army and an
other st Camp Cody Fo-ry spent
mach time serving In sEth special war
activities b ths Council o! Defense.
CzltA6 War Fund drive. War SAVINGS
committee. Four Minute Men. Red
Cross, Local registration and home.
gnE-6s Twerty-ons editors were
c1E1Tr1H1 q one OF more Of the fore
going activities u many shops. the
wife or z daughter took the place OF
ar employee IN war service.
Newspaper men have been l5ath 10
claim any special credit for their war
work. In fact, a. In the case Of one
publisher who gave practically a half
year to war work outside and TO the
neglect C! his sGsiness-and a German
al rhRt-practically every man stated
his regret that he could not have done
o One editor contributed more
than his entire income TO war activi.
ties. ran his paper without help and
kept il going at a loss because it's pub
licity service was necessary. Another
editor. in a town of 500, was chairman
of four war activity committees, was
member of two others. arranged for
all local public meetings relative to
the war. donated 125 columns OF his
newspaper space to war work. and
financed the expense of the county
Red Cross chairman to two surgical
dressing classes in Minneapolis.
The war work of the government
would have been greatly hampered
without the efficient newspaper ma
chinery ready to carry important war
information to the people. The CO
operation of editors and local adver.
tisers enabled the government to do
a kind of work with great speed that
would otherwise have been impossi-
BILE. Publicity probably had more to
do with winning the war than any
thing else, outside the willingness of
the doughboy to go over the top. Con-
slant publicity made the money and
hearty support come forth, and these
made everything else possible. Thank
heaven, then, for the Newspaper in
every town and editors who are glad
to dc anything for the public good.
-@w. s. s.@-
The Civic Leagve has resoluted, the
Commercial Club has adopted and The