St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1953-10-02

cidtoI, press Ieeuer, clrculatl0
perhaps the photographer. He is
Observation-Disclosures IL ever there
was one. On a larger weekly he is
relieved of some of those duties.
but never all OF them-for he has
to fill in many times in numerous
places. His job parallels that of
the editor of a small daily.
But don't think for a moment
that the publisher of the large
daily is one-niche man. While he
may be freed of lot of the chores
of the publisher of smaller news
paper he faces a multitude OF
problems not common to the little
man. Once you cross certain line
in the publishing business, you
face the big problems of employee
relations, labor unions. mass dis
tribution, newsprint shortages.
and greater and greater civic re-
sponsibility.
Newspapering has become a
complicated profession. The editor
must be able to sense the public
pulse, evaluate the news, and re-
lay the events of the day to the
reader in such manner that he
will fully understand what is taxi
ing place at home and abroad. II
is his responsibility, too, to inter-
pref the news. advise on matters
of local concern and stand up for
the peoples rights. He must
know something about everything
and everything about something
the latter being the newspaper
business.
II is his duty also. to display
the news in his publication in such
a manner, geographically. as to
attract the readers eye to the
more important news. At the same
time, he must not everyday an un-
important event; or underplay an
important happening. He weighs
the news as carefully as the but
cher weighs the meat or the gro
Ger the apples, or the filling sta
ton attendant measures the gaso-
line. Did you ever stop to think Of
that?
What about the adman? Did
you know that he probably spent
several years in school learning to
plan ads that would appeal to you
as reader, sell merchandising for
you as an advertiser, and bring
buyer and seller together? Did
you know that he studied mer-
chandising. layout, copywriting.
selling-and continues to study
those things-so that he can adj
wise intelligently on advertising
and can be a merchandising coun-
selOr, 50 10 SPEAK
Do you realize that the reporter
must be a person of broad train
ing, with a great knowledge of
many things? Did you ever stop
to think of the multitude of as
signments he covers? OF the COM
plcated subjects he is called upon
to report?
Sit down some day and try to
write story about meeting you
attended. For example, the city
council, the medical society, the
bar, the ministerial alliance, the
PTA. Ever try to write up trial
a football game, drowning, a
funeral, fair or festival--all in
the same day. That's a fair SAM
pie of the reporters job. Often
times, in addition, he has to cover
the police station. the city hall.
the court house, the chamber of
commensurate write a feature
about the biggest melon, or the
smallest midget. or the newest
automobile. It's fun. No doubt
about that. And you meet the
finest people, the worst people, the
prettiest, the zaniest-all those
who make life what it is. That is
the reporters job-bringing you
life as il is-for he is the mirror
Of all that happens.
There are society reporters, po-
lice reporters, sports reporters,
feature writers-each with a sepa-
rate task to perform-on the
larger newspapers. On the smaller
publications the reporter does IT
all--like one-man band.
Writing a story Is one job. Get
ting IL into print is another. Enter
now the mechanics OF publishing
a newspaper.
That story. that ad. that head
line-all must be set in type. A
few. very few, newspapers. still
are set by hand. On those. every
small letter in the newspaper is
picked out individually from a
type case, and set in its proper
place in the columns On most
newspapers. typesetting is a
mechanical chore performed by a
Linotype machine which sets.
as its name indicates. line OF
type at a time. The Linotype oper-
stnr. the compositor. the makeup
man, the pressmsn-all have their
jobs TO do in the bsckshop. and
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