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Disposing of News Items

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 15, 1910

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 87, No. 37.

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Disposing of News Items

By W. S. Chapman

Writing for the Press—No. 7

Disposing of News Items

W. S. CHAPMAN
An item of news may come to you. The first question to consider will be, “To what extent can I use it?”
Little Johnnie Piper goes skating, and slips on the ice, breaking his arm.
This item may be a “scoop” on the regular reporter of the local. How shall it be handled to the best advantage?
The relative importance of the story must be considered. Who is Johnnie Piper? Who are his parents? How widely are they known? The local paper must have the item, anyway, because it is a local of more importance to its editor than to any other. This right to it, as an unwritten law, must not be ignored.
In the local paper, also, it will be granted the greatest space, because of its interest to those who read it, as they are acquainted with the persons concerned. So, in writing up the story, you need not hesitate to use from three hundred fifty to five hundred words, or even more, bearing in mind, though, the regular news arrangement of a story,—the germ of the story in the first paragraph, the most important details in the next, following with the minor items.
Remember always never to comment, or give your own opinion, in writing up news. To do so is an unpardonable crime in newspaperdom. State facts, but keep yourself in the background. No one cares who the reporter is, or what he may think about a news item. People want the news, the facts, and these only. They will form their own conclusions, and do their own commenting.
After writing up and despatching the story to your local, it will be proper to consider the county paper, if separate from the home paper.
If Mr. Piper is a merchant, or a prominent person in the community, a story of from one to three stickfuls will be proper for the county paper. For this purpose use the matter contained in the first two paragraphs of the article in the local paper, changing slightly, and amplifying the second paragraph moderately. This second paragraph may perhaps be “killed,” but it will do no harm to send it. Often a story will be used entire—will “go”—if well written, because it is hard work for a county paper to get newsy items from surrounding towns.
It would not be proper to “query” your State paper, or one of more pretension, for permission to telegraph so simple an item. If the matter should be used, not over one-half to one stickful would be inserted, anyway. If, however, you would be able to mail in the story, and have it arrive at the office in ample time, it would be well to send in a stickful or two.
Remember, in dealing with great dailies, that they ask for matter of general interest, and nothing else. Yet a story may be restricted in interest, and yet be of general interest in its proper channels. For instance, anything happening concerning barbers, that is of interest to all barbers, is of general interest, though not of any importance to other classes.
When the Piper story has been carried up to the State paper, it has gone as far as an item of that character can be successfully handled, unless something very unusual and peculiar is attached to it.
If little Johnnie’s mishap should be the fourth time the child had been injured within four months,—fell in the fire and badly burned in the fall; kicked by a colt soon after; fell off the roof of the chicken-house and broke his collar-bone; and now laid up with a broken arm,—why, that item could travel all over the civilized world, occupying, possibly, one or two columns of space.
The ability to see clearly and quickly the value and possibilities concealed in an item is what must be developed to win success as a reporter.
But right here will come the question, “How must I use this item to make it tell to my own best advantage?” Here several things must be considered, and circumstances must govern to a great extent. You must be certain to gain and retain the good-will of your local editor,above any other consideration; therefore, in such a case, where you have something desirable and local, give him the lion’s share of the news—fill in two or three columns of “stuff,” being careful, always, to preserve the “unity” and “construction” of the story as already explained. Place the germ of the story first, allowing three or four paragraphs for it, then twice that space for the important items, using the balance for the minor details. The editor can then cut the story to suit “space.”
When you so favor the local paper, however, you must not let in the county and State papers. Let the local editor have a clean “scoop” of the whole thing, so far as the State is concerned, and force the other papers to “clip” the news from the local. This is recognized courtesy to your home paper, and places the editor under obligation to you.
However you shall treat an important item among the local papers, it will always be allowable to redress it, and forward to any metropolitan daily, or to several, printed in widely separated places.
In case such an opportunity comes to you, send in your “query,” thus:—
POUNICK VALLEY, ARK., Dec. 2. Editor New York Herald:— Boy seriously hurt four times within four months. Fell in fire; kicked by colt; fell off roof, broke collar-bone; slipped on ice, broke arm. Do you want story? JAMES ALBRIGHT. Filed 3:20 P. M.
Queries and all telegraph matter are sent to newspapers “collect,” because special rates are granted to them. In sending in news stories by telegraph, extraordinary care must be exercised to have everything arranged correctly along story lines.
In the foregoing query, you will notice that the year is not given in the date-line. The year is not used in newspaper work. The time of day at which it is given to the operator is written in. This is very important. I take it for granted that you have already written to the dailies, and ascertained the hours when the papers go to press on their several editions, and will make it a point to send off your despatches in ample time to reach the office before they go to press on one or the other of the daily issues.
If your query is about an item that the editor can not obtain through the regular channels, he may wire you to send it in, and name the number of words you are at liberty to use. Never exceed this limit, or use it fully, unless the story warrants it.
Should you not hear from your office, wire to another paper. Do not wait to hear from an editor before beginning to write out your telegram. Have it ready, if possible, as soon as an answer comes. Be certain to note on your telegram the hour you hand it in for transmission, because the early items are always set up first, and stand the best chance of being printed. You will receive pay for only the matter used. At the end of each month paste together all matter used, in long strips, and send in to the editor. You will be paid “space rates,” which average six dollars a column.
Do not drop out little words in telegraphing. It costs more to insert them again than the extra cost of telegraphing them. Write the article just as it is to appear in print, arranging it so that it can be cut to suit space. If the arrangement is not perfect in this regard, as I have explained, your telegram will surely be dropped into the waste-basket.
Get the main facts of the story into the opening sentences. State the particulars in the shortest and best words you can command, but do not drop out any necessary words. Substitute two-syllable for three-syllable words whenever possible. If you can get hold of a “Roget’s Thesaurus,” use it to obtain simple words in which to express your thoughts. Do not try to magnify or “pad.” Use calm, temperate, common-sense language, no matter how exciting or harrowing details may be.
If your story is well put up, the possibility may be that on some future day the editor may need a two- or three-column article from your section, and that he may give you the “assignment” instead of detailing a “staff reporter” to write it up. Telegraph editors are not likely to overlook a reliable telegraph reporter when needing a “good man.”