The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-09-16
WRITE news STORIES
With TYPEWRITER TO.
INSURE PUBLICATION.
legibility Is Big Point to Re-
member When Turning
Story In to Editor
By MRS. EDITH F. THOMPSON
(Society Editor. Grand Forks
Herahl


Herald)
Much desirable publicity is lost
to clubs through the submission Of
llleGible copy, names used without
first names or initials, and glazing
inaccuracies Of fact.
Time, fact, names and place, oil
vie for first place in Importance in
news stories and the omission Of any
m Of these may weaken . story 90
as to make it practically useless from
the standpoint Of publicity. As .
general thing, q story is more valu.
able before an event takes place than
afterward.
This brings us to another phase,
featuring the unusual. There Is
nothing unusual In serving a "dain-
ty," delicious" "appetizing," or any
other kind Of lunch. Nine out Of 10
club women can do it, and while per-
haps club meetings dwindle when
that feature is omitted from the pro-
gram, not one would admit that that
was what attracted them to the
gathering.
Official guests, thir names, place
of residence and reason for vista
ton are always important features
of reports. Care should be taken in
mentioning everyone who appears in
any capacity in connection with .
program. from the person who ar
ranged it, to the names Of the "quar-
tet."
A story should also be sent to the
press before the whole countryside
knows about it and has discussed it.
It frequently means that q favorable
opinion is created ahead Of time
through the right presentation Of
the project in its proper light and
before some m~isinformed, dis
gruntled person cloud the issue
With a q Of irrelevant facts.
Care should be taken in featuring
individuals. Admirable and indie
fatigable as q member, chairman or
officer may be, people get tired Of
reading about her. While newspa-
pers want names, names and more
names, they T frequently shy about
the word in the singular, particularly
when 1t comes with too great fire.
quency. It hurts both the club and
individual.
Time has an Importance in the
newspaper world and club women
will have to learn that fact If they
want to secure whole hearted coop
GRAFTON from the press. A story
which we would be delighted to give
place in the Sunday issue when it
comes into the office the first part
of tn week. we can only give a sour
look. room in the waste basket, or
cut it to an inch Of space when it
arrives, unheralded. Friday or Sat-
urday.
There is q continual struggle in a
newspaper office for space" Sum
day editions are outlined early in
ihe week and much Of the material
IS in type by Friday.
This of course does not apply to
\ story that the national president
Or Queen Marie will stop off unex-
pectedly that week, to be the guest
of the club for . day.
While recommending that stories
contain only essential facts, for the
inexperienced copy writer, that
must not be taken too literally. It
is better to put in a lot Of non-essen-
tials, among which may be a verit-
able jewel In the way of q story,
than to cut out so much that there
is nothing for the reporter to work
upon,
To the club woman, / would sug-
gest that in preparing copy, she
think first Of insuring the legibility.
Tipping simplifies that; second, that
all names be complete. with care Is
to correct spelling and that al names
in connection with the event are in
cluded. Write the story in your own
words. ignore style and ~adjectives,
and make it complete. When all
that has been done, give u the name
of some person with whom we may
communicate in case we need furth-
err information. And last. tell who
submits the story by signing name
and address.