Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-07-25
NEWS WRITING

The following is a paper read by A.
W. Conway, managing editor of the
Askov American at the CorrespOn-
dents banquet May 16:
OF the three classes of people in
this world, who are supposed to know
something and to know it first, news
paper writers are all three of them.
They are supposed to be the medium
between gossip and real news. They
have to do ferriting of news happen
ings at times that would compare fla
vOrably with Scotland Yards achieve
ments. The news writer is sort of
buck sergeant-a gO-between for the
superior news sources and the ranks
of the public. 1t is his or her duty
to straighten out the ENHANCEMENT of
gossip and set it forth in tangible and
correct form to the readers, who get
the ''hear-Say" on the street, but wait
until they get the paper off the press
for the enlightening details. Isn't
this a wonderful mission? Are we
not proud of our profession? A won
derful work, if carried on i'm the cor
rect manner. This is one reason we
are cOngregated here tonight. We
of one of the best counties in the
state of Minnesota. with boundless OPP
pOrtunities for developing our re-
sources, are as one large family,
working for the best interests of our
county and the people at large. We
are going to, collectively and coop
eratively, strive to make our AskOv
American power as county news
medium. We are together, going to
strive to reach that goal of perfection,
that knowing full well while upon our
course that we have"hitched our char
riot to star excellence, which in the
end, we can feel assured that it has
been well done and we can have the
satisfaction that while so doing, we
have lifted the newspaper profession
as a whole and the AskOv American
especially to a plane from which
there can come no shadOwy reflec-
tions.
Thus, my paper tonight dwells upon
the theme of news and how to write
it. First Of all a newspaper writer
must remember the time worn, but
none the less effective phrase, Get
it first, but first get it right We
cannot guess. Anyone can gossip.
What would be more disgusting to the
readers than to read about some re-
spected citizen'in the community kill
ing his wife and then to find out later
that they had been misinformed by
the paper. And then to cap the eli
max, that citizen, who was supposed
to have done the killing, would in
stitute criminal action upon that pa
per for defaming the character of
respected citizen. OF course this eX-
ample may be very extreme, but new
ertheless, it shows what hereSay
might dot teaches us never to guess
If we hear anything, we as news wri-
tiers, should spare no efforts until we
have all the true details surrounding
the case, with nothing said that will,
in any way be misleading. Take for
instance, probably the most difficult
piece of news gathering that news
writer is called upon to face, the get
ting of complete obituary and an in
telligent write-up about a neighbor or
citizen of the community that has
just passed away. 1t is very difficult
at this time to approach the sorrow
ing relatives of the dead, but it would
be worse for them if they saw that
their sadness had been sighted by the
paper that they had learned to trust
and respect. There is great comfort
for the Borrowing relative to see
complete and an intelligent write-up
that the deceased one was so esteemed
as to warrant such an accomplish
ment. So many times it is easier for
the correspondent or reporter to write
that John Jones passed away at his
home and that he will be buried with
in a few days, and though we have
not learned the cause of his death, it
is presumed that he died of heart fail
ure. Well in any event, the cause
of death was due to heart failure,
otherwise he would have still been
living. Be specific, if it is not pos
sible to get an interview with the rel
atives, who know, then in a majority
of cases, a full account of the life of
the late Mr.. Jones, and all other de-
tails can be had from the minister or
undertaken who is to have charge of
the funeral.
Now coming to the matter of news.
what is news? News is anything time
lxr hot inf ntnts of
and the best news is that which has
the greatest interest to the greatest
number of people. While going into
the desert, if one were to see lot of
sand. that would not be news; if one
were to see a COW grazing in some
grassy spot in the edge of the desert,
that still would not be news: if. while
going a little farther into the desert,
one would see cactus, that still
would pnt no pnUc Rnt on fhp other