Evening star., 1928-10-07
CAMPAIGN PRESS BUREAUS
DROP OLD.TIME BALLYHOO
High-P covered Organizations Now Turn
Out Some Real News, Instead
of All "Hokum."

from incessantly clicking typevritsrs
and throbbing nlimeograph machines
and clattering printing presses.
The birth Of campaign handout Is
worth describing.
Let us suppose that Gov Whoozis Is
the subject. As he emerges from MI.
Hoover's headquarters he is met by
Charley Gridley, a veteran newspaper
man and former correspondent in the
press gallery for string of Western
dailies, but now a publicity man for
the Republican national committee
Gridley interviews the governor just as
any other correspondent would. Indeed
so far as the governor knows, Gridley
Il but one of the group of writers sta
| toned in Inc press Toorl there.
Pictures, Too.
Gridley rushes to his typewriter ami
pounds out, with true newspaper mans
| instinct, an authentic STORY" Of the
governors visit and what he had to
/ say A messenger takes the interview
/ down to the Barr Building. where 1t Is
1 fed into the mimsograph grist mill on
/ the main floor Of the building. Within
remarkably short space of time the
sporadic, Heterogeneous words Of Gov.
| Whoozis have blossomed into a full
| grown homogeneous press release, of no
mean proportions-ready to be sent by
messenger, mail or wire to the four cor
ners of the Nation.
| That is not ALL Pictures, as all editors
| know. have become in indispensable
part of every story. Consequently, just
az there are campaign writers, there
are campaign photographers. When
Gov. Whoozis reaches the front steps
he finds himself staring into the lens Of
a camera held by the Official photogra-
pher. Jack Stohl. Stohl, a news pho
| tographer of long experience. is at
tached to Hoover's headquarters for the
duration of the campaign, and he ac-
companies the nominee on the various
stumping tours out of Washington. An
other photographer is stationed at the
Barr Building to snap prominent Wis
itors to Chairman Works domain.
The publicity organization of the Re-
publican national committee is COM
posed of veteran newspaper men. head
ed by that well known Kansas pub
Usher. Henry J. Allen, former governor
of his State. His immediate assistants
are Alfred Kirchofer and Harry j.
Brown. well known correspondents.
Under them is an experienced staff of
writer's. formerly reporters on some of
the larger newspapers.
Resembles Newspaper.
Most of the actual writing Is done
in suite of rooms in the rear Of the
street floor Of the Barr Building. The
publicity offices resemble the average
newspaper city room, except that there
are more stenographers and fewer copy
readers. Adjoining these rooms are the
mimeograph rooms, from which issues
all day long the din Of duplicating ma
chimes turning out copy ~ II
Tons Of paper have been carted into
these rooms by perspiring coiorecl
youths, and tons of the finished product
have come out of there, to be folded
by a force of mailing clerks. put into
envelopes and dumped into the hopper
of the Post ONCE Department.
Similar scenes are being enacted daily
at the Democratic headquarters In New
York City.
The convergent streams Of publicity
are directed toward the voting public
of the United States. through channels
of the daily press.
The voters have a chance to dodge
this flood of high-powered political pres.
agentry. They may take It or leave II
as they please s..
But pity the poor, defenseless editors
who must serve as go-between. The,
have to read and Judge every new. out.
burst. Escape Is beyond question
Small wonder, then, that editors art
beginning to have a haunted look on
their faces and to restrain that urge tc
Shrek and tear their hair.