Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-22
SPEED IN NEWS GATHERING
ACCUMULATED BY TELEPHONE
Up-to-the-Minute Equipment Of The
Evening Star Referred to as Last
Word In Efficiency.

Value Of the telephone in news
gathering for modern newspaper is
described by Lawrence L. Evert in
the April issue of The Transmitter,
the official organ of the Chesapeake and
Potomac Telephone Company and asso-
ciated companies.
The article, which follows, gives q
description Of the telephone system
| installed in the new Star building and
tells Of the Importance of this mod
ern instrument Of communication:
I'm moving into the new annex ad-
joining its old building, at Pennsyl-
vania avenue and 18th street, The
Washington Evening Star has
shown how it values the telephone
by providing one of the most COM
paper. Those In a position to know
even go SO far as to say that they
have seen no other paper as fully
equipped to handle news by telephone.
1.-THE Star was the first paper In
Washington to use the telephone In
the days of the switchboard and the
exchange the paper had line run
ming between the Capitol building
and its Office. At that time the tele-
phone merely connected two points.
but The Star found it's line invaiua Dle
Congress.
"As the telephone developed from a
few scattered lines into an intercom-
municating system The Star added
the more modern equipment, realizing
that in covering distance no other
much of the local news has been as
sembled by means of il. and large
staff of reporters can remain at the
scene of great Developments and at
the same time be in touch with the
guiding hands OF the paper. The ed
phone system. know the circum-
stances of happenings a few minutes
after the reporters, out on the job
see or hear of them.
Every Man Phone.
I'm the new offices even the ex-
tensive old equipment has been eX-
ceeded. Every man has telephone
have them in their ofices, private
lines reach outside points where re-
porters make their headquarters, and
private branch exchange provides con-
nection between the various depart
ments. The entire seventh floor of
the news department. The same floor
Of the old building, which formerly
housed all the news workers. now
contains the Offices of the editors
and the editorial and special writer's
me business forces are on the sixth
The new seventh floor has been
divided into. several sections. The
largest is the huge city room, where
the news editors. reporters and copy
readers are located. There are also
suites OF private offices on the 18th
tors are received. The managing
editor and his assistant occupy a
suite. and the other offices are filled
by the sports, illustrations, art, So
clety, Sunday and dramatic editors.
I'm the city room there is a tele-
the news editor. news manager, city
editor, chief copy editor and the as
sistant city editor. The desks Of the
reporters are arranged in groups Of
four. and there is a telephone for
each group. The sports and art de-
partments have two each. and there
is one in each Of the other private
offices. In the old building each
writer has telephone and there are
several in the office Of the publisher
have been installed in the city room.
A telephone. equipped with a head
set. a desk. chair and typewriter are
the furnishings OF each, and a typist
Is the occupant. During rush hours.
when reporters find it inconvenient
~ Wilte tAcir StoTlee In the once or
there is not time to carry" them in,
they call by telephone, and. after
giving the gist of their stories to
the city editor. dictate them to
typist in one Of the booths. In this
manner. big happenings of the day
can be taken care of almost instant
~. At the conference on the limi-
tation Of armament. for instance, it
was not necessary for the reporters
to leave the D. A. r. building, yet
the paper got quick accounts of what
was taking place.
Phoning in Stories.
1T has been the custom of many
big afternoon papers for years to
have reporters. whose job it was to
take the facts secured by the outside
men and write them in news story
form. The telephone is used to give
the data. of course, and it has been