The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-05-25

! SVsOluUi0s guOsS way SUs-- MI UcW
that is true. clean and interesting i
worth WHILE" said Edgar T. Cutter
Chicago, superintendent Of the cen
trail division Of the Associated Press
in talk here before tho Missouri
School Of journalism, at the journal
ism week" exercises.
| Mr.. Cutters subject was "Thc New.
That Is Worth WHILE He said:
"Orland> Kay Armstrong has writ
ten and his story has been issucs
through the University Of Missouri
School Of journalism. a critical com
parison Of the newspapers Of st
Louis Of 80 years ago and of today
disclosing very interesting figures
Hall century ago sport news, it wa!
shown. occupied IL per cent of tn,
news space of one paper. Toda,
sport takes the lead, as shown b.
these averages in inches for 1925
Post-Dispatch:
sport 1929. business 3Ol.5. Grim.
1913, personal 1882. foreign 1854
politics 1915. illustrations $40. radio
33. society 2O.9, religion 11.2, theatre
100. and miscellaneous 1886, daily
toal Of 15O4.8 inches of news.
Fifty years ago these averages
prevailed: Business 174.3, legal 85.7
personal 82.4. crime 81, politics 1858
foreign 1877. sport 11.3. religion "a
miscellaneous 1867. a total Of 340.1
inches daily.
This means that more than one.
fourth the total news space today in
one paper At least is devoted to sport
with every university building Z
million dollar stadium. and high
schools everywhere playing basket.
ball, to say nothing Of the increased
interest in golf and other sports
there seems TO be a natural explana.
ton for the added volume Of sport
news printed. al $500
"Thc cause Of the. tremendous vol.
umc of crime news. which since the
world war has increased in volume
about 80 l/3 per cent, may AS Mr.
Armstrong properly says, be left fol-
sociology and criminology to deter.
NINE
Worth While News
"Well. what you ask, is worth while
news? Is it sports, is'it crime news
is it business? No. none of these
alone but they cacL have their place.
We do not quarrel with decent sport
news, we favor it. for ell classes take
part in it. 1t is worth while news
and we spread it.
"No one knows exactly why there
is so much crime, but news about the
major part Of it is history. the his
tory of our times, and as such 1t is
valuable. Certain unspeakablc crime
is daily thrown aside as worthless
news and never reaches the public,
and much more trivial crime is passed
over unnoticcd. Newspapers do not
rcvcl in revolving things. This fact
is known universally to newspaper
men. but not to the public, it seems
as was disclosed at conference in
Chicago last fall Of members Of the
state supreme court, and leading mem.
bers Of the bar and press,
"A justice of the supreme court
spoke in glowing terms Of the sup
preston by his home town paper of
a certain crime that recently had
come to his attention. The ncwspa-
per men present were amused by the
incident, for everyone of them was
familiar with the fact that ncwspa-
pcrs everywhere daily discard such
stuff and consider it only the natural
part Of days work.
And what is worth while news
Well. the testimony. for one thing,
before the congressional committee
on prohibition. in which each side was
given equal space by the Associated
Press and by newspapers generally,
That was worth while. because on N
CnJ,innt nf - n,,L
regardless Of personal attitudes OF
individual newspapers or readers, all
people wanted to know the facts i'm
partially and fully. But it was worth
while from news standpoint only ii
it was covered fairly. without cdi.
|torializing and without enbcllishing
Other Subjects
There arc many other subjects. big
and little, that arc worth while-the
activities of various organizations
business, art, the making Of books
religion. science. education. foreign
news. and the subjects must be varict
II the newspaper is to be success
for it goes to all classes of people
Indeed. no other public service 81
generally serves all people. Remem
Der that when you see something II
the newspaper that does not interes
you, it interests someone. Each per
son is critical of the newspaper which
carried the particular activity which
means SO much to him, either bhsi
ncss. profession or pleasure.
"A veryimp0rtant part of the wOrl
of news agency like the Associated
Prcss\is to carry things that bring
pleasure and entertaining interesting
side lights on life that 80 to MAKE
up that daily history. The Associated
Press will handle, and newspaper!
generally will print anything that Il
decent. 1t need not relate to tn
heavy proceedings Of an investigatio,
should be entertaining where the sub
ject will permit, and can be kindly.
T~L AZ q Adj