| Show Americanization Am ll l iz t Ol of Or o London Newspapers Even Eon the thc Thill Thal lI I Six Gent Celt Backbone of oP the tho Empire I Its Ins lad Had lI I d to Conic Como Down in Price to Keep Up With tho Journalistic Procession Fleet Streets Napoleon Special June oven Oen The rite LONDON haughty elfr six elf HI HII I cent Int r r nt backbone un iii 01 it empire re the HIP doun do dm n In IH price the firs oilier M day duy du there was tin Ito longer an any doubt about the Americanization of lit the London newspapers It nil till begun began In the lively II e I of or the tile Napoleon of ot Meet Street Alfred He lie It was 1111 who adopted newspaper methods toe to traditions an tie tar far n ne two Iwo lIch foro s could he bl joined Jollied Ilu Ile Im lot Imported ported a R lot of ur American newspaper new nun printed the tho noun nets circum loru i rut nt lIt nut the he padding took tool Home dome pains In to what wee wae written writ ton tend rend IIII mill nil 1111 a II l morn morning ing In II for one edit ClIt It 1 was II IH nl 11 ln thing thinE n to I read in Mr Ir Mull n Il naked statement ti to tn the affect for example hat the king kin II wa 1118 about to buy hll n now new I horse Borne whereas such each portentous Infer mutton million 1011 previously y had l hon In n broken I rutty gently In to the tho in 11 a 11 farm Blue Ilku 1 this Ve We have o In I from until con of or unquestionable able authority writes u a that thai his hlA most mOlt gracious majesty U Is nut not n hN ON k Ink Mf Ills Iff I l I le undoubtedly duo due to the theof of ot that lint of or and I ele s which makes maken every overy Y hilt big bl American nu n I of ef Ir efficiency and honesty In iii public depart departments ments I Editorial denunciation of ot suit eun lucre here takes the tho place of or reportorial exposure and nd proof NC Novo that concerns Itself with gov gos governmental or municipal departments department Is IA Infinitely harder herder to obtain hire here than In display much great greater er N in it Intel licence than In III making It public hell tape and blank stupidity oppose C nil tilt manner of ot obstacles to tin Ih reporter who ho hn inn to any do 10 In III of or what In iii America would ouI be aft IIA perfectly mate matl A tub mice as 1111 lo 10 till the number of nr from each nation that would be hI allowed tc te participate In III naval nt Home Hattie contradictory reports bad hlll beer been published h 1 on nn turn the but It was aA by byno bynn no nn nn an I Foreign ln gov gee governments boil been duly uly Iq Ip the could ha ho h bien by rolling up UI some on the thu telephone uric bane Naturally I I II tint that I 1 should have no In III obtaining tho the Information at lit tho the thoN N N Me story Dior If It the facts are arc not obtainable In any ally nil other othor way 11 ho he tackles sumo some police policeman man concerned 10 III In Ili It and privately offers him iii in a 11 shilling or 01 livo to tell lell what he lie knows known about It Tho ho money la Is always taken provided tho policeman pal runs rues no 1111 risk of lit being detected by b some noble lor for but hUI often the tho Information IM it I Inot not worth tho the price paid for tor It II Krc Fre 1 10 queen It IH Is manufactured on of th spot for purposes of ot revenue only nail The rho usually phlegmatic bobby bobbyy bobb can run develop dot clop n ut very or lively Imagination when there IH lu a n prospect of ot naming mating a n few tew shillings thereby Hut tho Iho reporter gets lilt hla motley money back In his weekly account lie Ito charges charged To obtaining information iota tho lie police It II IH Is recognized Mil ain as n thoroughly legit legitimate charge To Jo 1 this thlu extent do 10 lon Ion don editors old It and ind 1111 ubet In police cor corruption bribery LETTING N SLOWLY News Is 18 gauged by a II very cr different standard from which prevails In lit America Tho The managing editor of ot a n great groat London daly once handed hond n a proof to tn me toe with limn tho observation that thaI It I rout con contained twined something which might bo be worth cabling It stated that two Americana had hlll been heln arrested nl nt Charing Cross CIO u for shooting at III one another anti would bo lie hoo i o o lIMMI I I NJ I h w N MI w W W Nit unlikely II 1111 to effect the purchase nt lit Homo ague time lime In III ii the tho near 1111 future of or etc elc te etc otc to 10 the extent of oe many more inure words which kept the lie Ih Item clothed In n verbiage Wo heard a lot about the Iniquities of ot journalism In those daubs hut but the mall nourished exceedingly mad and andIn madin In III limo was tuna followed hy by tho the l lrI rese lIMO sold for a 0 tent cent largely written old edited e by Americans unit avowed nowell avowedly ly Iy I Y modeled ns on oil American A soud furthermore distinguished hel from front till nil other newspapers by h printing actual iHn on the tho page and with real headlines on It too Instead of ot tho the usual lI play advertisements Hoth papers were and flue aie II clone rod honest and comparatively lively with without without without out being heill scurrilous COMMOTION IN gT STREET The Tho success IIII of ot tho the Mull Mill and the Express hue has had hod its Hit effect nt tit hint last despite the tho he h tradition that thal onto once sou OU buy n newspaper you Jou always buy It The Rood good old ohl News founded on ailed by hy Dickens l and continued by h oth cr rr r distinguished lI teen was ivae the Brat of ot the tho penny papers paper to como come down don to tn a II cent ond print more news anti ami less leas stuffing Titers Then cume the a afew I few tew ow mocha ego ago A 1 live 11 enterprising editor was wan a t new nel plant was suns put In anti and unprecedented t was nR mada mode to meet and cover coor unexpected news Hewn penin events Instead of o rather resuming re them n nil aN being hi hug of nn an ephemeral nature tit tire I and therefore beneath the dignity of ot n 1 journal gravely devoted to routine II fl I hii were er introduced Introduce In ha till nil of or these thet papers tied and wa given to I headlines and nud arrangement of or news Tote The he transformations which have thus thul sot net Iet street agog fOil will have to be he followed sooner r or later Inter by luy other rout con contemporaries COlit temporaries t who win will Bud It impossible pOll sible in to sustain dignity dullness on ond d dwindling An tit 11 the London dallies llIllIe circulate till nil over many provincial u imperil will 1111 un undoubtedly bf be f to tn follow tollow their lend lem It Il marks mork a n 1 new lIo era ern In British a 1 general waking up tip III aunt and sit up In III till Ihs vu Ituna I sanctum lI which hoe long been consecrated to 10 routine 1001 nOO The of ot the lute which most Im l nn an American tent man Is III ltd Its from rum the their IdenA and The Tho big tIlt old ohl school dallies 3 only remotely and faintly the lire life of ot London 10 11 d the lurK largest t most modi and Interest tig ig huh hl hue e a n of or Immunity In Ili the till world Much excellent rending reading matter they contain for tho those e who wIto hove have time tune e to tn toh h them w ell written If Ir somewhat learned essays of often often often ten on social I and I 10 really good Lank hook reviews able correspondence acre of ot arid taut but ac reports report of ot parliamentary debate but they do 10 not tell what Is III grins on among the people Their re hurts on rot local hant are arc M dry Ory tr anti and On their reporter reporters play n f minor There are arc fat far tew fewer or of or them thine hitch employment on uti the tho big Mg American rs rho Telegraph the tho peony penny pen 11 dully dally 1111 that still por pery ll claims the Ihl lugged circulation In it the world orld hUll hap barely a I dozen doxen of ot them newspapers rt have cave Boon been rout ron tent lont In tie the th male main with such IlIch newa RS an can Ion be lit obtained merely by hy reporting what somebody rays ra or In la to them through channels And ItIn It ItIn In III written In that thai dull uninteresting fashion which long prece precedent dent demonic Of ot Independent to get Itt nt ot the bottom feels facia then therl thenIs Is III hardly city any In Mu h In nf or the that 1 U In Immune from dishonesty dl hono ty Mil and corruption In 7 7 7 I JN N W W admiralty 1 I wan wag referred to tho the private secretary of or the tho permanent secretary Various communications parsed between us lis hut but after being kept dangling around for more moro than two hours I r was wan Informed that there thero was nobody In ht that hugo department who Iho could court my query What WOn meant of course was that there was nu nobody present who would the tho terrible responsibility of gluing giving out mat a amite 1 tells mite of ot Information t n for or publication After fter a n protracted rainy rain spell I once nice nought sought to ascertain at the tho board of ot ag agriculture 01 lit had hall been the tho effect cf of It tho time wet wot weather on the limo crops The Tho In hi query produced co tho the officials there One of or theta them I be beHove b behove Hove felt folt a II profound pity for the g l which could prompt anybody to seek Information on a II Ilvo 1110 topic from a 1 British impertinent o I am nm truly sorry hat that you taken tho the to conic come lucre here ho said hut hilt really we o 0 dont know Ino anything about tho rho effort effect of ot the rain on out tho the crop crops Do 1 0 your you menu to tell mo me that hero thero la is no on the th hoard board of or agriculture who hll could give 1110 tin 1144 n authoritative Information In tor mation on tho the subject I 1 not nin very vry sure lure that there thero I honnen ho ered shaking Blinking his bend liend sadly mIll Thou Then Thoua u a bright Idea struck him I tell you yet Oll what Ihal you might do he ho sill mild cheerily Go 00 and Interview tho the editor of or soon some paper 1 about It He lie ought to know tf t f the tIE t of ot the tho rule rain on tile Me lie 11 hoe have to toun you un kno know to run nn an agricultural pi piper piper per Iler peri perI I J wondered what hot an nil had lo to ImOl In tn order to hold hohl a II billet on the tha board of ot agriculture hut huh did tint not think It Judicious to ask him It U occurred to tutu 1110 that lint nt nl the Royal Honl Society of ot Agri Agriculture culture which Is in I n II private Institution anti not 1111 dependent on of taxpayers ore ers cr for tur support I might find and same porno n nw who w ho hn node made It Il his bin business to keep 1 od oil on of u conditions condition hut But y thero there proved equally futile Wo o dont dOllt know knee anything about the tho effect of ot the tho rain on In the tho crops sold said ell III the How should wet we We get Het out nn on annual report but Jut wo shall not sot not about preparing that for tor some I months yet vet 1 Come around then lIen and wo we may b he be able uhle to give giro you 01 same mitno infer Information I mation 1110 I AH An 1 American n editor would delight In Ia up III things of ot this sort Borl lint but butan an nn l n lIeh editor of or a II staid I respect respectable title able rut penny Journal would regard such cuch exposures urOR as its tank rank sensa sensationalism quite without the tho tunic pale of ot legitimate Journalism And 1111 thus oil elal e Ial h and Incompetence are screened from tho the limelight of pub publicity licit OK OJ WS In wont eer Interviewing has peen been even by tho the roost most conserva conservative five tive British Journals Journal ui us legitimate le jour hut but It IM Is not practised to any anything tin thing like the extent It Is in In Iii America British officials high and low have how ii n I great horror of it Mr Ir Chamberlain unity may bo be Interviewed In America but hili never would he bo submit to It la tut England When n reporter seeks eks Information of It tuft tho London County Council ho he is given givena a 1 1 a er to by II which ho pledges himself not to use what he learns In Inthe Inthe the IIII form curia of an nn 11 Into view and nut not t to 11 j mention the thc name of or his hlA Informant No Information la le ever eer given Ion to 10 reporters at lit Scotland Yard or the police pollee stations concerning murders suicides A burglaries or any nn crimes crimeA of ot to bo be of public In Judicial Inquiries Ire are tho the only anI source lOUICO of ot legitimate official Information on such When a 11 reporter Is put on a criminal I JK arraigned In ht flow Dow Street Police court In Inthe Inthe Inthe the morning No names and no urn par particulars parn Jill were given HIen I suppose you yon have hm n 0 reporter out outrunning running the tho story down don I remarked being then somewhat green with re 11 regard Him gaud to 10 English Journalistic methods and an will gut got the rest of ot tho the story later latr laterNo No he Ito replied that Is hit I all 1111 wo we shall ahall publish tomorrow I dont suppose wo we should get Kot et r tn additional details ii If It wo we tried and It is III la lannot not of ot enough Import Importance once ance to be bo worth trying When the tho case copies comes up liP In tho the pollee police court WP WI shall bo ho able to get et nil all tho tin particulars without any 1111 trouble I tried trio to in give him soon some Idea of ot the tho efforts that would bo ho made In iii an nn Amer American Icon ican newspaper office orrice If It n a lilt hit of ot of ot that thul unit drifted In n at tit night to get geta K It t l tu lI u a I account for next mornings paper rapel He lie won not nol much Impressed My dear Mr elm 1 Englund l li is not Amor Amer AmerIca lea Ica was his hili continent comment aunt ami American merllIn journalistic methods methodic would l not work here herc Ono One of or tho the funniest things I know lutov I I IOno of said MaId nn rot American Journalist who occupies nn on Important position on 01 ono one of the tho halfpenny exponents of ot tint the saw now Journalism Is tho lute spectacle of ot a n I Brit huh Ish editor dor frantically urging John Pull Hull to wako wake up IP that ho loo may not bo lie 10 hope hopelessly hopelessly lessly 1081 beaten by I American competition furnishes tho the while his hl hil own awn newspaper most striking example to bo ho found any anywhere anywhere where of somnolent satisfaction with antiquated methods i U E LISLE SHELL |
