The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-04-25

Imagine il you can the publication OF . daily
newspaper from airplanes in fight This new
phase OF journalism will soon be attempted.
however. on planes leaving Paris and London
daily. The Paris plane machine will print edi-
tons Of the Aerial Mail in French, and the
plane from England will print English copies.
Bundles Of papers will be dropped by parachute
in Boulogne, Rouen, Amiens, and other cities
where there are subscribers.
Besides complete printing plants the ma
chimes will be equipped with wireless outfits
and will issue news of politics, finance and
sport as well as general information. Tn
doubtedly aerial publication will be taken up
in course of time by enterprising American
newspaper publishers. Fascinating possibilities
suggest themselves. In the world Of sport the
result of world championship match could
be announced to waiting public much sooner
than through the medium of the comparatively
slow telegraph.
1t is not hard to picture lively political
contest in which both sides conduct an aerial
newspaper battle and drop patches of papers to
influence the electorate in carefully chosen sec
tons of the district where the vote is likely,
to be close.
Scoops" could be scored easier and quicker
in aerial than in earthly journalism
Editors would never complain of stufy ILL
ventilated rooms in which to compose their
comments upon the state of the world, and re-
porters would not have to wear out three or
four pair of shoes running about the streets
for news.
Advertising rates would probably undergo
a tremendous boost. for any given territory
could be covered completely and expeditiously,
and the news Of bargain sales spread far and
wide to a large constituency.
II an advertiser wanted change in his
| full page notice, all he would have to do would
| be to get the manager by wireless.
| Whole newspaper stats have been known
to be up in the air" long before the first bird
man essayed a fight, but there looms now a
prospect that managing editors. city and tele-
graph deskmen reporters, operators stenog-
raphers and the whole bunch, including the
want ad" girls. will perform their duties in
an environment truly celestial
Linotypers will begin to set time copy
stuff when the plane is few miles above
Kokomo Ind, and "Bill", the foreman, viii
lock up the Last form" and shoot it down tt
the pressman as The Argus craft is floating
in space near Riverside, California or Portland
Ore.
Bombs will have to be lodged in war time
and contrary air currents will possibly be {
source OF irritation, but the life Of a news
paper man will be SO delightfuty varied tina
he will not mind small annoyances.
The fellow who was written up" canno
walk into the Office at will and clean up tn
force az in auld lang syne, and the stat vii
enjoy feeling OF pleasurable security, at leas
from earthly foes.
Sailing far above the clouds. the "colyun
conductor" can afford to ignore the comment
Of the representative reader, and the print
er's devil" can flick the ashes OF his cigaret owe
!, tho side of the plane and let them fall upon
world to whose criticisms he is sublimely an
serenely Indifferent
Welcome aerial journalism!