The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-19
Walter WincIleII
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THE PRIVATE PAPERS OF A
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THE PRIVATE PAPERS OF A
 CUB REPORTER
 My dear Walter" devotedly writes Herbert Bayard Swope, the former executive editor of The N. Y. World, ''It is utterly untrue that said would not engage gossip columnist. I offered you 8 job once, and when I have a paper again, I'll make you another offer. But that doesn't mean would take on lot of fel- lows who make no pretense at veri- ftcation. As have always counseled you-that's the one thing you and everybody else who is working in your groove should practice What I did say was that you had profoundly affected American jour- nalism through the sublimation of gossip columns, but that accuracy was not a chief characteristic of this type. However, in spite of that, l said, columns were important. There are columniStS and columniStS. In fact, am not at all sure that certain of the initiative columniSts are not responsible, in part, for the decline in journalistic influence. l have in mind deflnlte types of gos- sip columnists who, because of com- petitive pressure, have violated one of the basic principles of American journailSm-accuracy. And when you report that I ever said l wouldn't hire gab-colyums, you are tnaccuratep
 didn't say it. I read it on the front page ot Variety.
 Under the heading, "Tain't So Walter" our esteemed contemporary Joe Whirligig, of The Miami Daily News, reports: Miami newspaper men were greatly surprised to be told by Waiter Winchel that they were walking around with visa and passports for Martinique. Dilgent search of newspapermen's pockets by an official Wnlrligig searcher re- vealed nothing but unpaid bills. Not a visa or passport in the lot"
 Not in the lot is correct. But in the pocket of Steve Trumbull, whose scoops from Martinique may be read in The Miami Herald.
 They are telling the one about the man who came home unex- pectediy to be greeted by his fright ened five-year old son .. Daddy daddy!" yelled the child, "the bogey- man is here!" Papa went in- to the parlor and found his wife in the arms of a clerk from his office .. "Ah, hal" ah-had papa ''so this is what happens behind my back!" . Then, reaching for a revolver, he hollered, T send you money to bring you from Hitlers prosecutions, give you a job in my office, and what happens? You go around soaring my kid!"
 VirginiO Gayda, Benito's boy, now has a chance to show how good an editor he is. All he has to do is explain (to his fellow Italians) whatever became of what he called "The soft, decadent British Elm pire."
 The United Press includes in its ten best news stories of 1940 "The Enigma of Russia" There $ been no news out of Russia since Stalin established his censorship last January So what the UP is asking you to believe is big news story is: Russia Keeps Its Mouth Shutl"
 Hailie Flanagan has just written an excellent history of the late Fed eral Theater titled Arena. In it she recalls the time a congressman called her up, long after the Fed eral Theater had been abolished, in order to discuss the Federal Theater for his State. When she told him that the project was dead and that he had helped vote it out of ex- istence, there was a silence. Then he asked incredulously: Was THAT the Federal Theater?"
 Philip Wiley, whose fishing fables in the Satevepost are always ex- citing, was grooming about an edi- tor, whose articles invariably at- tack people who can't hit back. "You will notice," said Wiley, that he picks on people who can't hurt him. He never kicks bricks-he always kicks egg-shells."
 Eddie Jaffe, the press agent, was in St. Louis frantically trying to interest that city in snake charm CT. Jaffe called the psychiatric clinic of Washington U and kept bothering one of the doctors about the case history of girl who was '.in love with a snake. :. The doc, in self defense, agreed to examine her if he would only let him get some sleep The next day the doctor talked with her and learned she was in love not with her snake, but with her weekly salary. Turn ing to the press agent, he said: T