Evening star., 1925-11-01
Hand-Out or Nothing.

1T has got to be so these days when
you go to a Government department
for information to base a story on,
that if there isn't any hand-out on
file. there's no information.
Time was, and l can remember il,
when | wanted to get a story I'd go
to the man in charge of the work ]
was interested in and I'd sit down and
maybe give him cigar, or more likely
he'd give me one, and we'd talk the
matter over and I'd get my facts first
hand. He didn't care particularly
what l wrote, and neither did any
body else in the Government, because
the freedom of the press was being
talked about lot those days and all
facts gathered by the Government
were open to the public, so long as
they weren't diplomatic or military
secrets which if printed were aimed
to get US In war.
But today you go into a Govern.
ment department and you say you
want to find out something about such
and such. They refer you to the press
agent of the department, and he goes
through his files TO see whether he
has prepared a hand-out on the sub
ject. Chances are he has, and he'll
load you up with SO many handouts
that you'll have to call the circulation
them will they loan you a truck or
something to get back to the office in.
Again, the press agent may have over
looked the story you are interested in,
and in that case there's a world of
trouble. You are referred to Mr..
Spikum, who tries to refer you back
to the press agent, with the assurance
that he can tell you what you want to
know.
They're Stern, Silent Men.
after you explain to him that the
press agent overlooked the story you
are after, same being the reason why
you are after it, Mr.. Spikum says that
maybe Mr.. Doodle would have the
facts, and you go through the same
rigamarole with Mr.. Doodle that you
went through with MIR. Spikum. Mr.
Spikum may refer you to Mr.. Bump,
who will refer you to the press agent.
Mr.. Spikum and Mr.. Doodle. None
of them evinces a Willingness to talk,
figuring that if the department want
ed to let the public in on that matter
1t would have got out a hand-out. In
the end you either are prevented from
committing suicide by a messenger
who seizes the gun out of your hand,
or else you'll run across a Govern
ment employe who will shut the door,
bolt the windows, pull down the
shades, send the stenographer on an
errand to the Capitol and then whisper.
What was it you wanted?' If he can
swear you to secrecy he may tell, and
again he may not.
There are, of course, evident evils
in this system. In the first place
fear for the majority Of newspaper
men who are assigned regularly to re-
port the activities Of the Government
departments. l do not fear for them
so much as for their children, for l
am afraid that their children will be
born without feet, but with greatly
enlarged hands inherited from their
fathers, who have acquired this trait
through sitting on chair all day long
and reaching for handouts.
Another Pedestrian Goes.
"The whole attitude of the news.
paper men has changed since my day
and time. I can distinctly remember
some newspaper reporters who would
walk the length of a corridor several
times in order to run down story.
In those days a reporter with good,
strong feet was valued above one with
extraordinarily heavy brains.
But today 1t is all different. It's
not the reporters fault. They have,
upon first being assigned to a Govern
ment department, a certain ambition
which leads them to run wildly about
the halls and up and down the steps
in pursuit of news. But in time they
get like the rest and discover that the
best way to cover a Government de-