See other formats

Full text of "COUNTRY JOURNALISM"

Keep Your Card in This Pocket 

Books will be issued only on presentation of proper 
library cards. 

Unless labeled otherwise, books may be retained, 
for four weeks. Borrowers finding 1 books marked, de 
faced or mutilated are expected to report same at 
library desk; otherwise the last borrower will be held 
responsible for all imperfections discovered. 

The card holder is responsible for all books drawn 
on this card, 

Penalty for over-due books 2c a day plus cost of 
notices. 

lLost cards and chancre of jesidenpe must be re 

ported promptly. ' ^-^ 

'" 




JPublic Library 

Kansas City, Mo. 



"This Pocket 







22V W 



TJANfo:/! 



>.,- .5 :v. -:&ttr'*e; '*' ' !!.., ;r/j^,;^M^'-^ i r-r^^'jr^?r 

;;^H^*^>"^53i' j '. ..-. : ^\:--,:-:-'-f^: < '')^'^:^ 

W$'.&$M$m> 'T 1 ' -tf^&^&w^^ 

".-- ; '..^' ^^;;'' v l^Ui^ s lii4^^'^' J 4^ ', > . ; .^ f t.,t',<'' '"' <#&'! <' ?. .^'M'-l^-MWft''.'. >. ""'I 




COUNTRY JOURNALISM 



BY 



CHARLES LAUREL ALLEN, M.A. 

Instructor in Journalism, University of Illinois 




THOMAS NELSON AND SONS 

NEW YORK 
1928 



Copyright, 1928 
THOMAS NELSON AND SONS 



PRINTED IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



CONTENTS 

Parti 
EDITORIAL 

I. Community Journalism and the Country Editor 1 

II. The News Functions of the Community Weekly 14 

III. The Interests of the Country Reader 21 

IV. News Sources in the Country Town 34 

V. Collecting Local News 46 

VI. News Writing for the Country Paper 56 

VII. Big News in the Country Community 74 

VIII. The Community Paper's News Policy 90 

IX. The Use of Editorial Comment in News Stories 106 

X. Country Correspondence 113 

XI. Farm News 135 

XII. Feature Stories 154 

XIII. The Editorial Page 179 

XIV. The Editorial in the Country Paper 192 

XV. News Editing and Display 210 

XVI. Make-up. 234 

Part II - 
ADMINISTRATION 

I. Surveying the Community , 257 

II. Making Minutes Count 276 

III. Self-Advertising 290 

IV. Circulation Problems and Helps 312 

V, The Value of Country Newspaper Advertising 330 

VI. Selling Local Commercial Advertising 339 

VII. Non-Commercial Advertising 360 

VIII. Farm Advertising 382 

IX. Special Pages : 391 

X. Classified Advertising 402 

XI. National Advertising 413 

XII. Rates 423 

XIIL Problems of the Combined Newspaper and Job Printing 

Shop 436 

XIV. Methods of Speeding Up Production 452 

XV. Cost Accounting 463 

XVI. Accounting and Records 484 



THE COUNTRY NEWSPAPER 

I AM A country newspaper. 

I am the friend of the family, the bringer of tidings 
from other friends; I speak to the home in the evening 
of summer's vine-clad porch or the glow of the winter's 
lamp. 

I help to make this evening hour; I record the great 
and the small, the varied acts of the days and weeks 
that go to make up life. 

I am for and of the home; I follow those who leave 
humble beginnings; whether they go to greatness or to 
the gutter, I take to them the thrill of old days, with 
wholesome messages. 

I speak the language of the common man; my words 
are fitted to his understanding. My congregation is 
larger than that of any church in my town; my readers 
are more than those in the school. Young and old alike 
find in me stimulation, solace, comfort. I am the chron-r 
icier of man's existence. 

I bring together buyer and seller, to the benefit of 
both; I am part of the market place of the world. Into 
the home I carry word of the goods which feed,/^nd clothe 
and shelter, and which minister comfort, health, and hap 
piness. 

I am the word of the week, the history of the year, the 
record of my community in the archives of state and 
nation. 

I am of the lives of my readers. 

I AM THE COUNTRY NEWSPAPER. 

Bristow Adams in Canton Sentinel. 



PREFACE 

WITH the passing of the country printer-editor who served 
in all capacities from office boy to editorial writer, have come 
vast and significant changes in the entire field of community 
journalism. A tendency for small newspapers to consolidate 
has made for larger and more powerful newspapers in the small 
communities. The investment in the average country print 
ing plant has increased from a few hundred dollars to several 
thousand. Modern equipment has made it possible for com 
munity papers to be as well printed as any city daily, and 
modern methods have made journalism in the small town a 
very gratifying profession. 

These many important changes have increased, emphasized, 
and varied the problems of the community newspaper editor- 
owner. His work is constantly becoming more that of the 
executive and administrator and less that of the mechanic. 
And yet, the successful editor must know the fundamentals of 
every part of newspaper making in order competently to su 
pervise and direct his staff members in the performance of 
their various duties. 

It is for the purpose of treating these numerous problems 
of the editor of a community newspaper of today that this 
book is written. Primarily, it is a book for the student of 
journalism who seeks a knowledge of the best practices in the 
country field. That the book may also prove helpful to those 
men who have been many years in the profession, is the hope 
of the author. If certain practices are recognized to have 
definite and great value, it is only to be expected that these 
practices have long been known to a majority of the better 
country editors. It is also certain that many of the methods 
used successfully by some country editors will be gladly wel 
comed by those men who are constantly seeking to better their 
own newspapers. 

The author's aim throughout has been to give the theory 
necessary to a clear and thorough understanding of the prob 
lems of community journalism, and to supplement this theory 



with facts and actual examples taken from the practice^ of 
community journalism. With very few exceptions, the stories, 
advertisements, and other illustrations in this 1 book have been 
taken from country newspapers. It is the author's firm belief 
that the student will learn more easily and more thoroughly 
from examples that actually have been a part of some com 
munity newspaper than he will from so-called "perfect 7 ' 
examples, which are usually not representative of present 
practices and tendencies. The examples used are necessarily 
good illustrations only of the point for which they are in 
tended. They include errors of various kinds commonly found 
in community papers of today. 

Those theories which in actual practice have proved unsatis 
factory and those which have never been tested to determine 
their practicability have been purposely excluded. New ideas 
that have proved valuable in some offices have been included 
in the hope that they will be helpful in other offices. 

A special attempt has been made at all times to show the 
differences between methods most satisfactory in city and in 
community journalism. Variations of the phrase, "In the 
country field there is this difference/' occur many times to 
emphasize the peculiarities of journalism in the smaller com 
munity. Those city practices which have proved helpful to 
the country editor are explained and recommended. 

The chapters on "Cost Accounting" and "Accounting and 
Records" should acquaint the student with business problems 
in community journalism and with time-tested accounting 
systems for the small shop. The material on accounting is 
not intended to be sufficient to teach the student principles of 
general accounting. He is strongly advised to get a course 
in this subject before studying country journalism. 

The author is indebted to Professor Lawrence W. Murphy, 
director of the School of Journalism at the University of 
Illinois, for many valuable suggestions. 

Professor Ernest Bernbaum, chairman of the department of 
English, University of Illinois, assisted very greatly in read 
ing the manuscript and suggesting changes, which service the 
author gratefully acknowledges. 

Acknowledgments are also due the Porte Publishing Com- 



PREFACE 

pany of Salt Lake City, Utah, for permission to use their cost- 
finding and bookkeeping forms, and to the editors of country 
newspapers from which the many examples in this book were 
taken. 



PART I 
EDITORIAL 



CHAPTER I 
COMMUNITY JOURNALISM AND THE COUNTRY EDITOR 

To THE student of journalism, anxious to make the most of 
every opportunity, the question of determining a lifetime 
field in which to work is of the greatest importance. Should 
he start at the foot of the ladder, with reporting work for a 
big city daily, where many years of experience are necessary to 
put him at the top, or should he begin in country journalism 
where he can some day, not too far distant, hope to have his 
own newspaper? The way this question is answered will 
depend upon the student himself, and upon what he aspires to 
be. If he wants power and influence, a comfortable living, 
the respect of his fellows, and intimate association with them 
in his work, he will find all these in country journalism. If 
he would be rewarded both in money and in regard for his 
life's work, he will be more sure of it in country journalism 
than in many other professions. If he wants to live his life in 
some sort of freedom and be contented, happy, and satisfied, 
country journalism will help him do it. 

There is great pleasure in being a country editor, as many 
who have been in the business a long time will testify. The 
following article tells what one man thinks of his chosen call 
ing. It is written by Edgar White in the Inland Printer: 

In addressing one of the press meet 
ings at Columbia, Missouri, not long ago, 
Walter WilliainjS,j^aji^^ 

. said : 'When 



ineja ^ 

be a"coun^^9K^^agam. There's more 
faW^m^JH^W'^SS^Mier thing I know 
ofl' Any country newspaper man who 
can look back through a decade or so 
of experience will quickly understand 
what the dean meant. ^ There's many 
a man in country journalism today who 
might have made his mark with some 
large city newspaper had he not pre 
ferred to cast his lot among people who 
1 



2 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

called him by his first name and sent 
him pumpkins and tomatoes at season 
able times. 

The country editor rubs elbows with 
his constituency, and he knows their 
every mood and peculiarity. There 
pass before him every day the tight 
wad, the envious, and the jealous; 
likewise the generous, the hopeful, the 
ambitious. As best he can he deals fairly 
with them all, knowing his own frailty 
and liability to make mistakes. With 
alacrity and pride he assumes the bur 
den of hewer of wood and drawer of 
water for the old home town, 'atitf 'ft&TOf* 
until the angel writes '30' on his brow 
does he cease from telling the world 
of the t virtues of his people and the 
possibilities of the region in which he 
Jives. 

Berated for errors, he smiles and says 
he will be more careful next time. Ridi 
culed because his paper does not contain 
as much news, or as clever editorials, as 
the great city papers, fie shrugs his shoul 
ders, but holds n,o;:gFUflge. Forgotten 
when invitations are jsrent out for some 
high society event, he ignores the slight 
and tells his reporters to get 'as good a 
story of the affair as they can. And 
when patted on the back by good old 
Farmer Jo^es, who fetches in a pumpkin 
or watermelon, or perhaps a basket of 
luscious pears or peaches, the clouds roll 
away and the old world is again lighted 
with good will and the joy of life. 

The Extent of the Country Field. li one Is Inclined to 
think that only a few people, and an insignificant few at that, 
live in country communities, let him consult the last census 
figures. There are sixty million people living in rural com 
munities and towns of five thousand population or less. This 
means that the country field is as large, considering the num 
ber of persons concerned, as the city field. There are certainly 
enough people to make country journalism an interesting call 
ing and to offer the young journalist ample opportunity. 

At present there are more than 13,000 weekly papers in the 
United States, and they are increasing at the rate of about 
fifty per year. There has been a tendency in the past ten 
years for weekly papers to decrease in number but this de 
crease has been brought about by consolidation, where the 
weaker paper is absorbed by the stronger. There has been a 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 3 

corresponding increase in the number of dailies that have been 
started in small towns. It used to be thought that no com 
munity of less than 20 ; 000 could support a daily, but today 
there are many communities smaller than that which have 
prosperous dailies. These dailies are country papers just as 
the weeklies are ; they have the same problems and deal with 
the same people. There is as much opportunity in the coun 
try field for the student who wishes to do "daily" work, as 
there is in any other. 

Power and Influence of the Country Editor. John H. 
Perry, President of the American Press Association, is the au 
thority for the following article on the "Growing Influence 
of the Rural Press." Mr. Perry has daily contact with hun 
dreds of newspaper editors and readers and knows the situa 
tion. Here is what he says concerning the power of the coun 
try press: 

/ The next time the Inquiring Reporter 
/stops you on the corner and asks : 'Who 
really runs the United States? 3 do not 
answer according to your temperament 
and prejudices 'The Interests,' 'The 
Politicians,' or 'God knows.' 
The correct answer is: The country 



oiFceTEat T"controls this country 
of ours, in t the long run, is the rural 
editor, in his capacity as spokesman for 
sixty million Americans who live and 
earn their living on the farms and in 
the villages and towns of 5,000 popula 
tion or less. 

It is not necessary to take the 
writer's word for it. Ask any politician 
whom you know well to tell you the 
truth. Ask any representative of 'the 
interests' big city bankers, for in 
stance, or presidents of great railroad 
or industrial corporations. 

The politician, if he is above peanut 
size, will tell you that he worries little 
about what the city papers say; but 
let even half-a-dozen country weeklies 
in his home state or district open on 
him, and he pulls down the lid of his 
desk in Washington, Springfield, St. 
Paul, or Jefferson City, and takes the 
next train home to see what it is he has 
done to make the farmers sore. 

The Big Business man, if he is big 
enough to be entitled to the designa 
tion, will tell you that his business is 



4 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

good or bad, depending on how the 
country people like the way it is run; 
and that what those country people 
are thinking he finds out by reading, 
or having others read for him, what the 
country papers are saying. 

Some Characteristics of the Country Editor's Readers and 
His Friends. What Mr. Perry said about' the power of the 
country press will be more clearly understood when we con 
sider more closely the farmer and his family. These are the 
people that make up most of the country community. What 
they are and what they do will determine in a large degree 
what the community is. Everyone is familiar with the ante 
diluvian cartoons which depicted the farmer as the green- 
looking simpleton dressed in patches or in rags and chewing 
the well-known straw. Let us see what his real characteris 
tics are. 

Consider his purchasing power as shpw:n by the^wehase of 
automobiles, which is a pretty good in^igjuef - a "community's 
prosperity. Seventy-two per cent of all automobiles sold go 
to people living in rural communities and towns : ~of>jjLess than 
5,000 population. These cars, many of them, are bought by 
farmers. They buy cars which cost as much and look as well 
as any that are owned by city people. These are the same 
farmers with whom the country editor deals and for whom he 
writes the news of his community. 

* Farmers also buy their share, or more than their share, of 
other commodities which we generally associate with citified 
persons such things as silk stockings, cosmetics, and luxuries 
of all kinds. The average farm family, according to Mr. Wil 
liam H. Woodin, president of the American Car and Foundry 
Company, spends more than $2,000 every year for things 
which are not necessary to raise crops. The total sum that is 
spent by farmers in the United States for these things with 
which to live well, is the appalling sum of thirteen billion dol 
lars a year. There are six and one-half million farm families 
in this great commonwealth and they look for their news and 
their editorial guidance to the weekly and daily papers pub 
lished in their local communities. 

It will be seen that the country editors of the United States 
are very comfortably situated so far as potential possibilities 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 5 

are concerned. They have a majority of the people of the 
country in their communities, and they have a majority of the 
wealth and buying power of the country as well. There are 
greater opportunities for the country editor than have ever 
been imagined, and today he is making use of them as never 
before. 

One must realize from the above figures that the farmer of 
today is far from being the character depicted in the comic 
strips. People living in country communities are quite as 
human as those in the city indeed, in many ways they are 
more so. They live and amuse themselves in much the same 
ways as do their city cousins: drive cars, have good clothes, 
are very much civilized, and are coming to be as well educated 
as anyone else. They have money with which to buy things, 
and they spend most of it in neighboring country towns. 

The Country Newspaper o Today. From the little, poorly- 
printed paper of a decade or more ago the country newspaper 
has come to be an advertising medium of power, and a chron 
icler of news which is relied upon to cover thoroughly the 
local field. Instead of printing a four-page paper, half of 
which is ready-prints, the country editor today very often 
runs as many as twenty-four pages in a single regular issue. 
Many country papers are printed in the best-equipped print 
ing plants that money can buy. They are nearly all set on 
linotype machines which cost around $3,000, and are printed 
on presses which cost several thousands more. The old print 
shop where everything was done by hand is completely out of 
date and there are few papers that are hand-set today. The 
country editor of today has many thousands of dollars invested 
ia~his plant and spends many more in publishing his paper. 

Qjiads^ur^-t0 Botice, if he reads country newspapers-^tt-all,. 
that they are in general vjg^j^.prmt^ f nd^titat they look 

While some of this appearance 



may be due to the fact that certain country editors ape the city 
dailies, some of it is also due to the fact that as much caie is 
taken to make the country paper attractive as if it were a 
large daily. The news in these papers is mostly all local, be 
cause that is what interests the readers, and the advertise 
ments tell what local merchants have for sale. 



6 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

The Editor Himself. Changes in equipment for country 
printing offices and in the appearance of country papers have 
come about becaulse the country editor of today is far from 
being the poorly-dressed, puny-looking, poverty-stricken per 
sonage that he has been depicted in the past. The A country 
editor today is a live business man ; he has to be, to live in a 
community that is up and coming. He has much money 
invested and he must know how to take care of it. He is not 
starving to death; if he were, he couldn't be hiring a force of 
from five to twenty-five men to work for him and be paying 
himself a salary of from $50 to $100 a week as he does. Be 
sides a reasonable salary, he gets the profits from his business. 

Neither is he some kind of character who has happened to 
drift into journalism after he has failed at everything else. 
More often than not he has gone to school to learn his profes 
sion and is a college graduate. He is respected in his com 
munity and is looked up to as a leader and one of the town's 
most prominent citizens. 

Usually the editor belongs to several associations for the 
general good of the profession and he knows what is being 
done and why It is being done. He knows the power he wields 
over the votes in his community and he is judicious in its use. 
He gets features for his paper from the best writers and from 
the best artists in the country, and Tie is aided by cooperative 
organizations in getting national advertising at rates which 
pay. 

Chances for Financial Success. The fact that 13,000 coun 
try editors are today making so much money that they con 
tinue to stay in the business even though many of them could 
go elsewhere if they so desired, argues that country journalism 
offers opportunity for financial success comparable to that 
offered in any similar undertaking. When local merchants 
thrive, the editor's opportunity for financial success is greater, 
and today farmers are spending most of their thirteen million 
dollars in their local communities. Bob Mooney, of Temple, 
Oklahoma, does a $2,000,000 business by advertising in coun 
try papers to bring farmers in to trade with him. Fred P. 
Mann of Devil's Lake, North Dakota, has built a department 
store that any city would be proud of in a town of less than 
5,000. National advertisers are learning that to reach the 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 7 

consumer living in rural districts there is only one way and 
that is by using the country newspapers. Country journalism 
is paying financially so well that more than 13,000 editors and 
their thousands of .assistants would not trade their jobs for 
any others. 

The Country Editor and Leadership. Once, the country edi 
tor was considered as a necessary evil, some one who had to 
be tolerated but who was to be considered as inferior to almost 
everyone else. That is changed. Today he is respected as he 
should be. Let us see what Mr. Perry has to say about the 
country editor of today: 

They (farmers) look to the country 
editors for leadership, and the country 
editors have made their leadership effec 
tive by organizing. That is the new 
thing that has made the voice of the 
rural press effective organization; it is 
also what has made the publishing of 
country newspapers profitable. 

The country editor of today has a 
standing in his community and a respon 
sibility to it comparable with that of 
the banker, the doctor, or the minister; 
perhaps a little of all three. He has 
a personal relationship and contact with 
his readers such as the editor of a city 
paper can never hope to attain. The big 
city newspaper is edited impersonally, 
perforce, for the accidental fraction of 
city people who may happen to get 
hold of any particular issue. The coun 
try weekly is edited ^ personally , for the 
entire community within its circulation 
limit. The result is a different type of 
journalism in every respect. 

City journalism is founded upon the 
sensational, the unusual, the abnormal. 
Country journalism has as > its base the 
every day comings and goings of com 
mon-place people, their fairs, and church 
socials, their breeding associations and 
farmers' institutes, their births, mar 
riages, and deaths; the emphasis is upon 
the common welfare and the individual 
good. 

The country editor must not merely 
know the people he serves, to succeed; 
he must be of them. Individually and 
collectively he is the force that poli 
ticians and Big Business must, reckon 
with first in the conduct of this nation's, 
government and in the operation of i^ 
commerce and industries. 



8 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Personality Counts. When a "country newspaperman" is 
spoken of, the emphasis is on the last syllable. In the country 
and in the small town a man is first of all just what he is as a 
person, and secondly, what he happens to be in order to make 
a living. That is why the most important considerations for 
a country newspaperman are an examination of the environ 
ment he is in, and of himself. 

Function o the Country Town. The majority of the Ameri 
can people, it is said, are not far removed from the soil, and 
are interested to a considerable extent in what is being raised 
and marketed by the men who till the soil. Whether this is 
true of the rank and file of city folk or not, it is certainly true 
of the people in the small town. They are interested in the 
country and in country folk. Why shouldn't they be? Most 
of them have been farmers at one time, and living in a small 
town does not make a person cosmopolitan. The farms and 
the great expanses of land were there a long time before the 
railroad came through and the town sprang up. 

The small country town fulfills its function best when it 
best serves as a community center and furnishes a good mar 
ket for the products of the soil. In mining and industrial 
districts there is little difference in the function of the town. 

"Small-Town Stuff." It is still a standard joke to say that' 
a thing is "small-town stuff." Actually the only rule that 
can be applied to determine when a thing is "small-town 
stuff" is the one of comparison with the city. If it isn't done 
that way in the city it's just naturally "small-town stuff/' and 
this phrase is usually said in a manner which aims to convey 
to the hearer the feeling of disgust with which one born and 
reared in the city looks upon those things which are "coun 
trified." 

The significant fact here is that city people are just as fond 
of the things they do as are country people, but city ways are 
taken as a matter of course to be the better. When small 
town people are accused of provincialism, the limitations of 
the average city dweller's views and ideas are never men 
tioned. Who is there that has lived all his life in Chicago and 
still believes that St. Louis, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, or even 
New York offers all the advantages that are found in Chicago? 
When those who are urbanites laugh about a quaint costume 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 9 

or a peculiar custom of the small-town resident, they are show 
ing in the strongest manner possible that they are more pro 
vincial; more confining, more narrow in their views than the 
same simple folk that they ridicule. 

Residents of a small town are "countrified" in just the same 
way that city people are "citified." Persons in small towns are 
"just folks/' They do not profess to be what they are not. 
Each one is known by almost everybody else, and everybody 
shares in the joys and sorrows of everyone else. The "false 
fronts" of life seldom appear and if they do, are soon torn 
down. It is hard to appear to be what you are not in a small 
town because the constant association with the same group 
of people does not make for secrets. The braggart in a small 
town is either laughed at or openly told to keep still. Life 
here is relatively simple, where people have, to a great extent, 
the same interests. There is a unity, everyone interested in 
his town, and ready to help to make it better. It is true that 
there are some who do not cooperate ; but they are the excep 
tions, not the rule. 

The student who plans to go into country journalism ought 
to realize at the start that he is going into a community that is, 
in the dignified sense of the term, "small-townish." City 
methods and city ways just simply will not work in these sur 
roundings. He must be ready to take a part in the affairs 
of his community and work with the other people in that com 
munity for the general good. He must be ready to associate 
with people who are "just folks" and to be interested in the 
little things, the commonplace things, the local affairs that 
interest them. If he despises the country and the small-town 
atmosphere, and has no appreciation of the character and 
worthiness of these people, he will do better to find another 
way to make his fortune and another field in which to spend 
his labors. 

Qualifications of a Successful Country Newspaperman. 
With a sympathetic understanding of the people in the small 
community the student intending to enter this field will do 
well to consider those personal qualifications which make a 
successful country newspaperman. There are, perhaps, no 
certain qualifications which may all be found in all successful 



io COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

country editors but many of these qualities will be found in 
the majority of those who are successful. 
The successful country newspaperman will: 

1. Be a booster. The country newspaper is the town's most 
powerful force for boosting if it is rightly used. If you knock 
your own town you boost the other fellow's and thereby take 
business away from local concerns. When there is no business 
in your home town, there is no place for a newspaper. Boost, 
even when something needs correcting; a positive suggestion 
showing the way to better the town will accomplish far more 
than showing how poor the town is. 

2. Be active in community enterprises. Commercial clubs 
and other organizations for the betterment of the local com 
munity are the best agencies for cooperation that the country 
editor can have. He should be a member of every organization 
looking to civic betterment, for not only will he here meet the 
men with whom he has to deal but he will meet them under 
favorable circumstances and in pleasant surroundings. There 
is a spirit of good fellowship in the air at the Kiwanis meeting, 
for instance, that makes for thorough acquaintanceship and 
happy association. 

3. Be informally friendly. Dignity is the screen behind 
which, too often, the real character of the individual is hidden. 
The country editor should have dignity, but he should not hold 
himself aloof from his fellow men. It i's not "Editor Smith" 
when a real country newspaperman is met on the street by a 
friend in a small town; it is "How are you, Jack?" and there is 
more real friendship and respect contained in the familiar 
greeting than in the formal one. Country folks are not formal 
nor do they like stiffness and formality in another. They like 
to feel that they are every bit as good as anyone else, which 
they are, and the successful country editor is the man who can 
be sociable without being patronizing. 

4. Be a "mixer" Nothing is important enough to happen 
in a community and not important enough for the editor to 
notice. The country editor can afford to spend much of his 
time in getting better acquainted with his townspeople. The 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 11 

best news to be found in a small town will often be heard in a 
friendly conversation. The editor should be on good terms 
with everybody; in a few words, he should be "one of the 
boys." This does not mean that he must conduct himself in 
a manner unbecoming a gentleman, but simply that he should 
have the confidence of the people with whom he associates and 
be trusted as one of them. Making friends and keeping them 
is a big part of his job. 

5. Be connected with some church. Connection with some 
church in the community is a point in the editor's favor. Not 
only are lasting and worth-while friendships formed here, but 
the influence of Christian association acts favorably for him 
upon the other people in the community. There is a great 
deal of news about church affairs, now ignored, that is good 
news for the country paper. 

6. Be even-tempered. The days when the editor carried a 
.44 to talk for him when an argument went the wrong way, are 
gone. There is certainly all the chance in the world to lose 
one's temper around a country print shop. Grief is as plentiful 
there as anywhere else, but the man who "flies off the handle" 
every time some little thing goes wrong will only make those 
around him lose respect for him. 

7. Be neat in personal appearance. Although it is some 
times necessary for the editor to do some work in the back 
shop, when he appears on the street or anywhere in public he 
should be neatly dressed. Nothing counts so much as a clean, 
neat appearance, even in a small town. He should try to show 
the professional marks of his business more and the ink marks 
less. 

8. Be well-read. Keeping abreast of the times is one of the 
important points in being successful. The editor must know 
the latest developments in state and national politics, in litera 
ture and religion. He must read the newspapers, periodicals, 
state documents and literature for a liberal education, because 
he is expected to bear aloft the torch of learning for his whole 
community. 



12 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

9. Be a business man. Many a man has failed in country 
journalism because he had no "business head." Besides being 
a collector and interpreter of news for the community, the 
country newspaperman must take care of his own business 
interests. The theorist who has no ability in money matters 
is not a success because bills must be paid. A sense of financial 
principles and economics is among the most important quali 
ties of the successful country newspaperman. 

10. Have and develop other talents. In the country town 
there are many things to be done and few that are able to do 
them, which is the reason that the man who can do something 
"out of his line" is always sought after and respected. Special 
ability in music, dramatics, athletics, organizing, and other 
branches comes in very handy to the country editor. Each 
thing done for the good of the community is one more point 
in the editor's favor. 

11. Have a knowledge of his subscribers' methods of making 
a living. The man who has spent his life in a mining com 
munity will find it difficult to run a newspaper in an agricul 
tural community because a working knowledge of the methods 
and occupations of his readers is invaluable to the editor. He 
cannot write intelligently for farmers unless he knows agricul 
ture. Getting all the news is a problem for which there is 
no solution unless the news-gatherer knows what affects the 
living conditions of those who read his paper. 

12. Have an education that will give him a command of 
the English language. Poor writing has too generally been 
the rule in country papers in the past and a study of only a 
few country newspapers today will reveal many grammatical 
errors, and examples of poor rhetoric and composition. There 
is no reason why news stories in weekly papers should not be 
as well written as those in daily papers. 

13. Cultivate originality and resourcefulness. Doing the 
same thing in the same old way with never a thought of im 
provement may show perseverance, but it does not show 
progress. The good country editor always strives to perfect 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 13 

his methods. Ideas for increasing business and securing greater 
efficiency must be constantly occurring to him, and he must be 
resourceful in planning to handle situations which arise 
unforeseen. 

14. Be a leader. Waiting for some one else to start things is 
a good way to get nothing done. Campaigns for civic better 
ment can well be engineered from the newspaper office. Those 
intangible qualities that make a man able to start a project 
f and carry it through successfully are essential qualifications 
of the country editor. 

15. Be able to cooperate. Too often the idea of leadership 
is taken to mean that anything not begun by the country editor 
should not receive his support. A real leader realizes that 
other people have some ability and he is ready and anxious at 
all times to help them. Cooperation will accomplish what is 
impossible if only one or a few are working for a project. 

16. Be tactful and courteous. Much can be accomplished 
if it is attempted in the right way and little if some one is of 
fended at the start. Every person with whom the editor comes 
in contact is entitled to courteous treatment and such treat 
ment helps build up a newspaper. 

17. Be fair and tolerant. One who deals with so many 
people as the country editor must accord each one fair and 
just treatment if he is to succeed. He must learn that other 
persons have ideas which are often as good as his and which 
must be given the consideration they deserve. He must be 
fair in everything he does, and tolerant in considering the views 
and opinions of others. 



CHAPTER II 

THE NEWS FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY WEEKLY 

The Field of the Metropolitan Daily. Daily papers are no 
longer a luxury possessed by a few. The majority of people 
living in small towns and rural communities enjoy the benefits 
of reading a paper published in a neighboring city a few hours 
after it is printed. They depend upon the metropolitan daily 
to tell them what is going on in the city and in all parts of the 
world since practically every large newspaper receives news by 
wire through some press service. Happenings are wired to the 
office a few minutes after they occur and this news is sent out 
in printed form in a remarkably short time. Good distribu 
tion facilities make it possible to disseminate news of the 
world to every village and hamlet in the country. 

Radio. The invention of radio has been perhaps the great 
est annihilator of distance between the country dweller and 
the world at large. The use of radio receiving sets makes it 
possible for the farmer and small-town resident to "listen in" 
on market reports, lectures, and programs coming from every 
city of any size. There is no isolation today as there was a 
decade ago. Modern inventions have established a marked 
association between the country resident and the rest of the 
world. 

Prediction that the Small Paper is Doomed. Recognizing 
the fact that anyone who so desires may know what has hap 
pened during the day in distant parts of the nation, individuals 
have from time to time prophesied that in a short while there 
would be no community paper. Their beliefs are based on the 
idea that in a few years at most there will be no function for 
the weekly paper to perform. They see, quite correctly, that 
the country paper cannot hope to compete with the metro 
politan daily. Equipment, location, and personnel all tend 
tp make it impossible for the small paper to get the news of 

14 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 15 

other regions before the public in time for it to be news. And 
so the passing of the weekly is predicted. 

Considering all the seeming handicaps under which the 
community paper has to be published, it would at first appear 
to be a losing proposition. There is, however, something for 
it to do, and it is something that no number of large dailies 
can ever do. It is just as important as getting the news of 
the world to the uttermost parts of it, but it deals with but 
one community. 

Community Interest. Scientists tell us that man is by na 
ture a social being. One of the strongest forces within every 
human being is the tendency to gregariousness, and it is this 
force which makes men form towns and communities. The 
person who finds delight in living aloof from his fellow men is 
considered odd. The hermit is looked upon as being "iust a 
little off." 

It would be a peculiar association indeed if men could come 
together and each one go on living as he had before. Society 
takes as much as it gives. In order to enjoy what others have 
done each one must in turn do something. Privileges are never 
found without duties, for rights would never have to be defined 
if man had nothing to do but act as he saw fit. 

It would be an equally peculiar association if men could 
band together without developing an interest in each other's 
affairs. Communication must take place and when there is 
communication there is an interchange of ideas, or at least of 
information. Self-preservation alone demands that what one 
man cannot do alone he must learn to do from some one else 
and that he must sometimes ask for help. 

If this association were among a very small group it is con 
ceivable that all communications could take place by word of 
mouth. The old New England town meetings were 1 a good 
example of the way an exchange of ideas was effected among 
the members of a small group. But when a group attains a 
greater size the difficulties of such a method are too great to 
admit of its being used. This is the situation that we find in 
every community today. There is no town, no group of people, 
so small that everyone can voice his sentiments and spread the 
information that he knows to everyone else by word of mputh. 



16 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Some means of disseminating news and ideas must be used that 
will tell a man what his neighbors are thinking and doing. 

This is the reason that a community weekly newspaper 
exists. It is the means of spreading information to the towns 
people; it is the bearer of facts and ideas concerning the things 
that affect the lives of people in that community. 

The Local Field Interested as the country dweller is in 
what men in remote parts of the state and nation are doing, 
his first interest is by nature in himself and his next great 
interest is in his close neighbors. What he is doing and what 
the men with whom he is associated are doing occupy his 
thoughts to the exclusion of what everybody else is doing 
until he has satisfied himself of local interests. 

It is very evident then that if the community paper is to 
perform any function it must be first, last, and all the time 
a purely local institution. At all times the editor must keep in 
mind the fact that his readers are his neighbors; that they are 
his greatest inspiration, and that they want to know of things 
close at hand. 

Only the very unusual, the gigantic, the outstanding news 
of the day gets into the city daily. The ordinary individual is 
not noticed unless he departs from the ordinary and orderly 
way of living. Fortunately for the small-town newspaper, 
most of the people in the world are just ordinary human beings. 
They live without attracting the world's attention; they come 
and go and are not mentioned unless it happens that they have 
achieved something that everyone the world over considers 
great. 

Yet these same men and women are accomplishing some 
thing every day in which their neighbors are interested. Every 
garden plot, every back yard, harbors activities that the people 
in a country town want to know about. There is no event too 
small to be noticed in the country paper and none too large 
to be fully covered if it is of local interest. Every time a mem 
ber of the community comes or goes, he makes interesting news 
for the townspeople. 

- The Newspaper Is More Than a Mirror. It has been said 
that the country paper should be a mirror of the home-town 
life. It should be more than this, for while everything that 
happens there should be recorded or "mirrored" in it, it should 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 17 

also be thoroughly explained. The country paper should, if 
anything, be a mirror which has power to show all sides and 
phases of things; a mere mention of what takes place is not 
satisfactory. Too often only the scantiest facts are given 
about an affair which has been an event in the life of the com 
munity. People in country towns are interested in everything 
that happens and they want the news in detail. Little things 
that are never mentioned in city papers are the essence of 
many good stories for the country weekly. 

The Threefold News Function o the Community Paper. 

So far only one phase of the country paper's news function 
has been mentioned getting all the local news. This is its 
greatest function but it is not the only one. The second thing 
the country paper can do is to get all the news of local interest 
out of a story^ which is of general interest. The third purpose it 
should have is to supply its readers with much material which 
can best be called "local features.'' Local news, the country 
paper's first service, will be considered at length in the next 
chapter. 

Second News Service Stories with a Local Angle. In the^ 
news of the day there are many stories of events happening 
miles away from the place where the country paper is pub 
lished. Since the city paper will probably be read by many 
people in the country, a mere repetition of this story will not 
be interesting to them. There is, however, much news of local 
interest to be found in the stories printed in other papers. It 
is the job of the country editor to find this news and to write 
a story for local readers that will connect up the news of 
the day in distant parts with something having a local touch. 

Let us suppose that a story appears in the metropolitan 
daily about the preparations being made in the city for "Fire 
Prevention Week." Local people in the small town or city are 
not interested in what the city is doing, but they will be in 
terested in a story appearing in the hometown paper that tells 
what was done there during Fire Prevention Week last year. 
All regulations and suggestions of fire chiefs which will affect 
the observance of Fire Prevention Week in the small town will/ 
be of vital interest to them. 

In another case a man has given a speech before the com 
mercial club of the nearest city. In that speech he has told 



18 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

of being abroad and of seeing the way in which farming opera 
tions are carried on in foreign lands. If, as is often the case, 
this man has been a state official at one time, or if he has been 
known to many of the people in this town, a story of his talk 
will be interesting to the people of the community. All of his 
speech that has any relation to local agricultural conditions 
will be worth while, and the rest of his speech will be read be 
cause he was formerly connected in some way with local 
people. 

Stories of the accomplishments of former residents usually 
come in this class of news. Boys who have grown up in the 
community and have moved away to make their fortunes often 
furnish the material for a good story with a local angle. The 
work, the fortunes, and the experiences of relatives of a local 
resident are interesting to the readers of the weekly paper be 
cause they know the local man. 

A majority of the stories appearing in daily papers will have 
some bearing on local matters. This does not mean that for 
every story in the daily the country editor can "make" one for 
his paper. If he is alive to local situations he will not have 
to make one; it will be there for him. In no case will it help 
to rewrite a story which has no local angle, and in every story 
of this kind the local feature should be played up. 

Third News Service Features, Puzzles, Helps and Hints, 
etc. The third news service that the country paper can per 
form for its readers is that of supplying them with much 
material which is neither straight local news nor general news 
with a local angle. This includes columns of helps for the 
housewife, recipes, "How to Make" columns, instructive 
puzzles and games, party suggestions, and like material. These 
"local features' 7 are essential and are of great interest to the 
majority of people in the community. They can be 1 made 
timely and when well written, keeping in mind the type of 
reader that the paper has, will be appreciated as much as the 
news story which is of local interest. 

Most of the material now being printed in country papers 
which would classify under this heading appears in the "ready- 
prints" that are used. This is not the only kind available 
even though there are many valuable suggestions in some of 
the articles. A column of "How to Make" items that includes 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 19 

a story by Henry Hanson, who lives four miles north of town, 
on "How to Make a Handy Work Bench for the Farm Tool 
Shed/' will be read and appreciated much more than an article 
telling the same thing which appears in the ready-print 
section. 

Housewives are always looking for household hints. Be 
sides those that can be obtained from local housewives, the 
editor can get many by being on the lookout for such things 
in his reading and study of other publications. Furthermore, 
he should not feel that he "has no time" to devote to figuring 
out things that will help local readers. Special news articles on 
any subject are worth while if they contain one thing that will 
be helpful to residents of the community. 

In this class will also come the stories of local interest that 
would be called "feature" stories in a daily paper. An old 
building that is being torn down may furnish the material for 
a fine local feature story. The timeliness element would find 
expression only in the fact that the building was being torn 
down. The feature may bring in the fact that the house was 
formerly owned by a wealthy rancher, or perhaps was the 
original shack of some homesteader who has since become 
very famous in the state or nation. Feature stories of all 
kinds are good reading and the small town has many things 
that deserve such stories. They will be considered at greater 
length in another chapter. 

An example of a "Hints" column follows: 

Only a Few 

Timely Hints for 
the Home Owner 

The time is at hand when the man 
of the house can well afford to de 
vote his evenings to making minor 
repairs needed before the winter season 
sets in. If the home owner does not 
have time, skill or inclination to per 
form the work himself, he should call 
in the necessary artisans to do the work 
for him. For example, he should 

Have the furnaces examined and 
cleaned and necessary repairs made. 

Have all smoke flues swept clean and 
defective parts replaced. 



20 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Have chimney tops examined above 
roof and brick work repainted and 
metal caps repaired. 

Have all roofs examined, repaired and 
repainted if necessary. 

Have all exterior painting done now 
while the weather is good and the paint 
will have a chance to dry properly. 

Have all interior painting and decorat 
ing undertaken at once. 

Plumbing carefully checked for hidden 
flaws that may cause serious trouble 
when the weather becomes cold. 

Have all general repairs and altera 
tions undertaken at once. 

By doing such work in the summer it 
can be carried out without resort to 
overtime and will be done by the me 
chanics regularly employed by your con 
tractors, whom they know to be com 
petent. 



CHAPTER III 

THE INTERESTS OF THE COUNTRY READER 

Accomplishing the Purposes of the Country Paper. Since 

the news service of the country paper to its readers is three 
fold : ( 1 ) To givejill the nejo?jpfjg^ -(2) To 

give news of things in %er jgar^^ a 

local angle, ancT'^SJ^To give n^ws^J^ fea 

tures" and helpful material for "the country andjtpwn resident; 
tliere must be a consideration oTffie lands of news that will 
give this service. Anything that can be considered as news for 
the country paper must be something in which the average 
resident of the country and town is interested. Only by giving 
him news of those persons and things with which he comes in 
contact and which have a bearing on his life can the country 
paper accomplish its purposes. 

I. LOCAL NEWS 

Interest in People. A large part of all the news appear 
ing in the country paper will necessarily be about the 
people in that community. As one woman reader said: "The 
first thing a woman looks for in the country paper is the page 
that has the items about people on it, for she wants to see what 
everybody has been doing." This is not the only section of 
the paper that has news of people in it, for most of the stories 
that appear on the front page are also written about people. 
News^ concemiiigL^^_inhabitants of the community them 
selves, what they are doingf^ 
"portance in Ccbnlffltlliity paper 7 " TKis^will 'm^de ^Xl J^sSesl, 

about certain persons, aiid (2)"Per6nailtem^^295^^I 

things 



he wants to read in the country 
paper? 

1. He wants to read about their activities. Probably 75 per 

21 



22 I ' V E S H w E D 

can you expect an understanding of the subtler values 
from the masses of India? There is so little education 
here." 

There was a pause, after which he added, "The idea 
of Gandhi is good. It is taking root in the minds of our 
thinking people. That is its value. The masses only set 
the stage for the demonstration. It is the moral resist 
ance of thinking people which tells. Gandhi is trying 
to link this resistance of thinking people with mass 
demonstrations. Then satyagraha will have its full ef 
fect/ ' 

Maiji confessed she did not understand all that. "All 
I know is that after tomorrow the bazaars are going to 
close," she said, "and I have to lay in food for two or 
three days." * 

"At least it makes you think about the struggle. But 
if your lives were normal and undisturbed, you would 
not bother." 

"Maybe," Maiji replied, "Politics are not for me. I 
admit it was wrong that they treated him so .badly in 
South Africa. I did not know about it." 

"No one knows the number of similar cases in which 
our people have been humiliated. No one cares. But 
one day you'll see a change. Often out of humiliation 
strength is born." 

Many other people spoke in the sarrie spirit. What 
they said has always been in the back of my mind al 
though many of the details I have now forgotten. But 
the spirit of these conversations I can still remember 
as an indication of the new way of thinking which had 
crept into our lives. I was conscious, even at that young 
age, that a change was taking place around us. 

Some of us wanted to move with it, others ^ere on 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 23 

activities the name of the principal parties will still be the all- 
important thing. The work that a member of the community 
happens to be doing is. interesting only because of its connec 
tion with the person. 

Social activities are perhaps best classed as matters affecting 
the family life, but all attendances at such events have news 
value mainly because of personal interest. In fact the society 
news even in the large dailies is replete with names of ho-sts 
and hostesses, honored and invited guests. 

2. He wants to read about their accomplishments. When a 
neighbor has achieved something worth while it should be the 
subject of a news story in the community newspaper. Every 
one likes to share in the glory attracted to a person he knows ; 
he likes to be there to praise and to feel that everything that 
comes to anyone in that community is really in part his. 

Election to office in local, county, state or national politics 
makes a story about the man elected. Important positions in 
trade organizations, professional societies, lodges, and clubs 
which are filled by local men will be good personal news stories. 
A prize won by a local man for expertness in any line, com 
mendation from men higher up in the business, and recognition 
of worth deserves to be chronicled in the columns of the coun 
try paper. 

An exceptional yield of wheat, a better way to do any 
thing, a successful business deal, an opportune purchase, 
taking advantage of an opportunity to accomplish things ; all 
these are interesting to townspeople when they know the party 
accomplishing them. 

The story which follows is interesting to community news 
paper readers because some one who is known to them has been 
honored for an achievement. 

(From the Greenwich (Conn.) Press) 

Clarence Manero, son of Mr. and Mrs. 
John Manero of 557 Steamboat Road, 
who learned to play golf in Greenwich 
is being congratulated by his friends on 
having qualified in the national open 
.golf championship held last week at the 
Scipto Country Club, near Columbus, 
Ohio. Manero finished next to last on 
the list, but his showing is considered 
most praiseworthy in view of the fact 
that he beat out many nationally known 



24 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

golfers who failed to get under the 
dead line. 

Manero is only twenty years old, and 
was presented with a handsome plaque 
engraved as follows: "Awarded to the 
youngest finalist, National Open Cham 
pionship, 1926." The plaque was a gift 
of the Downtown Country Club of 
Columbus. It is now on display in the 
window of Sobol's Sport Shop at 335 
Greenwich Avenue. 

3. The home life of neighbors. The Jones family having a 
siege of the whooping cough would hardly get space in a city 
daily. Yet it is worth while as news in a country paper simply 
because everyone is interested in the family life of his neigh 
bors in a country town. Readers want to know what fortunes 
and misfortunes have fallen to the lot of everyone they are 
acquainted with. Sickness and health, pleasure and business, 
births, deaths, weddings, children's affairs, and everything af 
fecting the family life of residents of the community is good 
news material for the country paper. 

4. What they are thinking. What one man thinks about a 
subject will often influence the opinions of his neighbors on 
that subject. This is especially true when he is in a position 
to know about that subject and speaks with authority. 

Opinions and comments by local citizens on all laws, ordi 
nances, customs, situations, conditions, institutions, and affairs 
concerning the community are of great interest to readers of 
the country paper. 

B.^Pgj^onffiks^-Not always will the news of a person's activ 
ity be significant enough to warrant a long story about it. As 
one country editor said: "If Pete Burns comes to town to sett 
his cream and get some groceries, you can't write a column on 
it." These numerous news happenings that occur in the coun 
try community are, nevertheless, the best news, even if they 
are small. When an item is not long enough to be run as a 
separate story with a head it is placed with other items of its 
kind in a "personal" column. Personals are news stories 
similar to larger stories and differ from them only in the 
amount of news given. They are generally about some person 
in the community, although they may chronicle some event 
without mentioning any particular individual. 

1. Advantages of Local Items. The necessity for having 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 25 

local or personal items is appreciated when it is remembered 
that most of the doings of the country town are minor events. 
Personal visits, parties and entertainments, club meetings, and 
other local happenings can sometimes be here recorded. It is 
this page that is read first. Here the townsman sees his friends 
and neighbors pass before him. It is the most interesting part 
of the country paper for him. The reason this is so is that 
these items, even though they are short, talk about men and 
women. Names are symbols that represent an individual to 
the reader, and no other part of the paper offers the oppor 
tunity of using these names to a better advantage than does 
the local column. In no other place can so much news be 
put in so small a space. 

Nothing is so rare as that species of human being who, deep 
down in his heart, "doesn't want to see his name in the paper." 
It is as natural to want other people to be interested in you as 
it is for you to be interested in them. This is where the 
personal item is most valuable. It is perfectly right for a man 
to expect his own life to be recorded there as well as his 
neighbor's. Friends are made or lost by the editor as their 
affairs are or are not mentioned in the country paper. The 
country newspaperman can give no better service to his readers 
than a comprehensive, live, local page. 

C. News Service Concerning Local Events. While it is 
gener&^^ a local story 

of an event without mentioning persons connected with it, the 
news of the event itself will often be more important than 
the personal side of it. Such things as parties, meetings, 
dances, shows and entertainments, lectures and lyceum courses, 
socials, parades, carnivals, club and lodge functions, court 
trials, accidents, church affairs, fires, civic improvements, con 
certs, celebrations, etc., are events which deserve good news 
stories. 

1. Advance News. Stories before the event takes place 
should be followed by stories of the event after it has taken 
place. There is much material about many kinds of events 
that can be run a long while before the thing actually occurs. 
It is generally the practice in country papers today to run only 
one story about a coming affair and to neglect the possibilities 



26 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

for other advance stories. Until the editor is absolutely sure 
that he has told the story from every possible angle, he should 
attempt to get a new or more complete story each issue about 
every coming event until that event has passed into history. 

D. News Service Concerning Local Institutions. Every 
townlias^^ to serve 

the community. Some of these institutions are maintained by 
the public at large and are responsible to everyone in the com 
munity. The public schools, which are maintained by taxes 
from all citizens, try to serve them all. It is impossible for 
each one who wants to know what the schools are doing to 
visit them each week, and it is the newspaper's job to get this 
news. It is not the newspaper's job to be continually praising 
the work of the schools in the news columns; such material be 
longs on the editorial page. Straight news about school affairs, 
showing the taxpayers the kind of work the school is doing, is 
what the news columns should contain. 

Libraries, public meeting houses, rest rooms maintained by 
the city, the fire department, museums, community show 
houses, halls, and all institutions that are for the general wel 
fare of the town, and are maintained by taxation or contribu 
tions, are public institutions. The townsman has a right to 
know how they are functioning and whether or not they are 
satisfying the requirements of a good institution. He wants 
first of all information on all phases of their use and activity. 

The churches are not, strictly speaking, public institutions. 
They do, however, serve the public in a commendable manner 
by keeping the spiritual life of the community at its best, and 
for this reason the public is interested in them. News stories 
of church activities need not be sermons. Too much of the 
-material run as church news in the country papers today is 
made of moralizing statements. Everyone expects to hear the 
pastor urge him to come to church and to hear him expound the 
doctrines of theology, when in church, but this is not church 
news; it is pulpit printing, and all who go to church will hear 
the same thing there. Those who do not go to church want to 
know what the church is doing and how it works. Interest 
in church work must first be aroused through information 
about its value to the community, and persuasion can come 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 27 

only when the person feels that he should be a part of such a 
worth-while institution. The newspaper is the only medium 
through which the whole community can hear of church affairs, 
and church news should contain this information in straight 
news stories. 

The way in which church news can be interestingly written 
is shown by the following extract from the Earlville (111.) 
Leader. 

At the evening service, a group of a 
dozen Epworth League, "Franklin Grove 
Institute" boosters from LaSalle held 
sway. They were: Marion Birke, Julia 
Bird, Franklin Stevens, Dan Festus, 
Wayne Caskey, Lillian Hamels, Esther 
Swanson, Charles Hosutt Jr., Sarah 
Bradley, Miss Hamerich, George Ham- 
erich and Selena Spiers. 

Rev. Lyons opened the services by 
reading, I Cor. 13, and Paul Trump of 
Polo, sang as a solo, "Spirit of God," 
by Neidlinger. He was accompanied by 
Miss Matie Walters. 

Miss Spiers, sub-district president of 
the institute, acted as the chairman of 
the evening. She outlined briefly the 
scope of the program which covers July 
12-18 and has as its aim, Christian train 
ing, service and recreation. The registra 
tion fee $2 covers tent or cottage and 
furniture and office fee. Rev. L. V. 
Sitler of Franklin Grove is registrar. 
Board may be obtained at $8 to $10 for 
the week at the cafeteria. There is no 
library fee, although the Methodist Book 
Concern has a depot on the grounds 
where books may be purchased. A doc 
tor is on the ground day and night. 
Requests for reservations should be sent 
to Warren Hutchinson, Steward, 111., 
not later than July 1. 

E. News Service Concerning Public Service Agencies. - 
This *j^^^ longer 

without street lights; electricity has made it possible for the 
small- town dweller to enjoy all the comforts of electric lights 
and power in his home. Street railway systems have been in 
stalled in many places to furnish transportation to the com 
munity. Gas has displaced the old cookstove. Rarely are 
these institutions which serve the public at large, owned by 
the public. They are privately owned, and are permitted to 



28 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

exist in the city because they are felt to be of service to all 
inhabitants. When the electric light company advances the 
rate it brings a storm of protest from users of electricity. 
When improvements are made in the physical property of these 
agencies, the benefit is widespread. The newspaper has a 
service to perform here through its news columns where the 
activities of each company should be recorded as news. The 
connection between the agency and the consumer can be es 
tablished only through the newspaper. Everybody wants to 
know about the changes in these services because they will 
affect the life of the whole community. Statements by public 
utilities officials are not news when they contain a "puff" for 
the company. Paid space should hold such material, but the 
real news about developments in the street traction system, 
gas, light and power plants, should be given the community 
through the news columns of the paper. 

An example of news about a public service agency, the 
electric light company, follows. This item will explain the 
interruption in the service in such a way that the users of 
electricity will understand that it is not due to poor service but 
to improvements which will later be beneficial to them. 

LIGHTS TO BE SHUT OFF] 
MONDAY FOR TWO DAYS 

Current for electric lights will be 
turned off Monday, May 7, and will 
not be turned on again until Wednes 
day, May 9, according to an announce 
ment of the Central Electric Company 
made last night. The current will be 
shut off at 1 A.M. Monday morning. 

The reason for this interruption in 
service, as announced by the officials of 
the company, is that the local plant will 
be improved during the two-day interval 
by having one of the old engines re 
moved and a new Diesel engine installed. 
The new engine is capable of generat 
ing enough electricity to supply all local 
consumers during the hours from 5 P.M. 
to 7 A.M. and the remaining old engine 
will be used in the future for service 
in the other hours. 

The officials of the company said that 
they regret that the current must be shut 
off on Monday as they know it will in 
convenience many housewives who use 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 29 

that day for washing. It was found to 
be impossible to get the experts of the 
Diesel engine people here at any other 
time, however, although the Central 
Company offered them an attractive 
bonus if they could come in the middle 
of the week. 

Some will perhaps wonder why the 
old engine could not be used during the 
installation of the new one, and the rea 
son it cannot is that the new engine re 
quires a different placing which will 
necessitate replacing of the common 
drive shaft. It may be possible to turn 
the current on as soon as the new engine 
is in place, but it is unlikely. 

This is the first interruption of more 
than twenty minutes ~ in the service, in 
the last two years. 



F. , J!&5mjSk3^ 

d^ Factories, stores of 

all kinds, garages, shops, offices of doctors, dentists, lawyers, 
realtors, abstractors, are private businesses and professional 
interests which serve the public. The newspaper should get 
all the news about these places and give it to the readers for 
their information. The grocery store at which a man trades is 
a part of his life; the factory in which he works is his business; 
the business places with which he deals are a necessary part 
of his world. He is as anxious to know about them as he is 
about the schools. These places are the town; they make up 
the whole community for many persons during business hours. 
It is a poor country paper that neglects to furnish its readers 
with all the news happenings about the institutions that con 
tribute to their physical life. Ask any man to tell you about 
his community and he will begin by telling you how many 
dry-goods stores there are, how many elevators there are, how 
many places of business surround the square or line the main 
street. Most of the campaigns, in country towns (and cities 
as well for that matter), are for the purpose of boosting local 
business and keeping trade at home. A new store or some 
thing new about an established place of business makes a fine 
story for the country paper; and it boosts local business, 
which is another way of saying that eventually it boosts the 
country newspaperman's business. Plenty of news about 
trade and market places should appear in every issue of the 
country paper. 



30 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

An example of industrial news follows from the Bellows 
Falls (Vt.) Times. 

PACKING HOUSE 
OPENS OCT. 1ST 



Cray Plant in North Walpole To 

Have $40,000 New Equipment 

Will Buy Hogs, Cattle and 

Fowl FromJFarmers. 

That nearby farmers will be given an 
unlimited market at top prices for 
hogs, cattle and fowl is the assurance 
given by P. L. Stickney of Albany, 
N. Y., who is moving his headquarters 
to Bellows Falls with the formation of 
a new Vermont corporation which will 
operate the Cray Packing Plant in 
North Walpole beginning about October 
1st. Mr. Stickney is in town at the 
present time supervising repairs to the 
plant and the installation this month 
of about $40,000 worth of new equip 
ment. 

The new corporation, of which S. 
J. Cray, former owner of the packing 
plant will be a director and stockholder, 
will have as a resident plant superin 
tendent J. B. Cuff of Buffalo, who is 
the son of J. J. Cuff of the Cuff Pack 
ing Co., Buffalo, and formerly general 
manager of the Jacob Dold Packing 
Co. of Buffalo. Mr. Cuff has been in 
the packing game all his life. 

^^ 
Just before an election, papers are full of announcements, by 
officials of the city government. That has been in the past 
about the only time the readers of the paper ever heard about 
governmental affairs. Election news is very important if each 
citizen is to exercise his franchise wisely, but most of the 
material heretofore printed has not been news of the inform 
ative kind. It has rather been the ideas and persuasions of 
those in office and those trying to get in office. More news 
of the election itself, where and when to vote, how to handle 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 31 

a ballot, what offices are to be filled, what the duties of these 
officers are, and actual information on the whole subject, will 
be of more value to the community than political propaganda. 
If material airing some one's views is to be printed, it should 
be in paid space and not in the news columns. 

What the city council did at its meeting will never be known 
by the majority of people if they have to get it out of the 
official proceedings of that body. They are supposed to be dry 
reading, and are passed by as having no particular interest for 
the average man. When a situation develops that does not 
suit him, the voter wonders why he never heard of it before 
and blames the municipal government for getting things in 
such horrible shape. These very acts of the council, if written 
in the form of an interesting news story, would be eagerly read 
by that same man, and he would be better informed when he 
came to cast his vote. 

The newspaper has a double duty to perform in keeping the 
public in touch with what the city administration is doing. 
It must, first, keep the public informed; and secondly, interpret 
the actions of the local government. These two obligations 
should not be confused. The news columns of the good paper 
give the reader all the news there is about a situation. The old 
idea that a paper should give "both sides" of a question is 
based upon the assumption that the actual facts cannot be 
determined. 'Quoting one official as saying one thing and an 
other as saying something that contradicts the first, does not 
help the voter to cast his ballot intelligently; it rather serves 
to confuse him. There are certain things that are facts, and 
these are what the paper should print. Before any story is 
accepted from an official the editor should do everything in 
'his power to verify the facts or supposed facts in the case. If 
the paper is Republican, the editor's first thought will be that 
news from a Republican source is true. The real facts, how 
ever, will not be printed if they are all taken from a story 
put out for political purposes. 

The kind of interesting, informative news story about com 
munity matters that can be gleaned from municipal council 
or town board proceedings is shown by the following legal 
notice and the news story that could have been written from it. 



32 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

(Legal Notice) 

PROCEEDINGS OF 

DOSEY TOWN BOARD 

The town board of Dosey met Novem 
ber 6, 1926, in regular session. All mem 
bers present. 

Road petition presented by Adolph 
Anderson. Motion mada by W, C. 
Chapman that petition be granted. 
Seconded by Andrew Kimblom. Car 
ried. 

Motion made that Adolph Anderson 
and Olaf Benson be awarded contract 
from Adolph Anderson's residence east 
to the Soo Railroad for the sum of 
$75.0(1. Seconded and carried. 

The clerk was instructed to notify 
Paul Pahos that gates be put in at 
Anderson crossing by order of the town 
board. 

Bill of Ivan Krouch presented. 
Motion by W. C. Chapman that this bill 
be tabled. Seconded by Andrew Kim 
blom. Carried. 

Motion made by W. C. Chapman that 
$150.00 fire fund be transferred to drag 
fund.^ Seconded. Carried. The clerk 
was instructed to notify treasurer the 
above amount stated. 

(Suggested News Story) 

Adolph Anderson's petition that the 
road from his residence east to the Soo 
Railroad tracks be repaired was granted 
by the Dosey town board at its regu 
lar meeting November 6. This stretch 
of road has been almost impassable in 
rainy weather during the past two years 
because of its soft surface. The con 
tract for fixing this piece of road was 
awarded to Adolph Anderson and Olaf 
Benson at a compensation of $75.00. 
The road will have the mud holes that 
are now causing difficulty filled in and 
part of the stretch will be graveled. 

Because many farmers have com 
plained of the crossing near Anderson's 
place being open so that cattle could get 
on the track, the town board ordered 
Paul Pahos to erect adequate cattle 
guards at that crossing. 

The drag fund received a $150.00 
transfer from the fire fund because the 
board believed that for the remainder 
of the year the amount remaining in 
the fire fund would be sufficient and that 
the drag fund needed replenishing. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 33 

H. News Service about Local Organizations. The country 
reader's interest in people makes him want to know the news 
about organizations in which these people play a part. The 
news of the last Rotary or Kiwanis meeting is interesting be 
cause it tells about the activities of a local organization as well 
as because it gives the names of those concerned. 

Organizations such as the community club, commercial club, 
baseball backers, fraternal bodies of all kinds, league of busi 
ness men, women's clubs, and boys' and girls' clubs furnish 
news of great interest to community-paper readers. They 
want to know what these various organizations have been 
doing, what their programs are, who the persons are that are at 
the head of the group, what the organization is doing for com 
munity betterment. When the organization has a meeting or 
arranges for any other kind of event, the readers are very much 
interested in that event. 

Local News Has Most Value. The attempt to classify 
readers' interests given in the foregoing paragraphs is of value 
only in helping the student or the country editor do his work 
better. Local news is the most powerful, the most interesting, 
the most necessary of all news for the country paper. The 
above classification is open to the same criticism that can be 
applied to all classifications, which is that some of the classes 
overlap. It is very probable, for instance, that connected with 
every event that happens in the community there will be 
several people. Municipal government news cannot be given 
without telling of the work of some persons. In the last 
analysis, every bit of news ever published is in some way con 
nected with one or more persons. It is hoped that the classi 
fication here given will help the editor cover his news field 
better because his attention will be drawn to readers' interests, 
several of which are always present in any news story. 

This outline applies only to news of purely local interest, 
that is, news of happenings in the community. Much news 
with a local angle will be interesting to local readers as well as 
much general news. The successful country paper, however, 
is not the one that prints much general news, but the one which 
is full of live local stories about persons and things in the home 
community. These local items are the only news that the city 
dailies cannot give country and small-town readers. 



CHAPTER IV 

NEWS SOURCES iisr THE COUNTRY TOWN 

Determining Sources. One country editor said that since 
his town had 1,000 inhabitants he had 1,000 sources of news. 
Probably this is overestimating the value of each individual 
in the town as a regular news source. It is a fact, however, that 
the editor can consider everyone in the town as a potential 
news source. There will be some time when each of his ac 
quaintances will know something having news value. The 
biggest problem in connection with local news gathering is the 
difficulty encountered by the average editor in judging news 
sources. Rarely, if ever, is it the case that the editor will know 
every person in his community; and it is not probable that he 
will have an equal regard for each of his townsmen. The 
tendency is for the editor to learn to depend upon a few par 
ticular friends of his and perhaps some of his wife's friends to 
help him get all the news of the town. The result is what can 
be expected, the paper is full of personals each week about the 
same people. This is not only inadequately covering the local 
field, but it is making enemies of all those people who are 
never mentioned in the paper. The writer is familiar with 
a country newspaper which has from three to ten items about 
the same family each week. These items have come to be the 
laughing-stock of the town and everybody feels that "so-and- 
so" is editing the paper. If all the items were actually good 
news, it would be different; but most of them have little news 
value and are simply reader advertisements for the man men 
tioned, who happens to have a business in the town. 

This situation arises from an agreement altogether too com 
mon in small towns, between the editor and some few business 
men, whereby the business men give the editor news items 
about all the people who trade with them during the week and 
in return for this the editor allows them to write several "ad- 
yertising news items" to help their business. This practice is 

34 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 35 

to be denounced in vigorous terms. If the country newspaper 
is to be successful it must be run on a business basis. Free 
advertising in the news columns does more to ruin the business 
than any other thing. 

The following local news and advertising items, clipped from 
two and a half columns of local news, were obviously derived 
from only one source: 

Mr. and Mrs. John Doe entertained 
Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Brown, Mr. and 
Mrs. L. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. 
Thompson, and Miss Frances at a wild 
duck dinner Tuesday evening. 

Oct. 23d is the last day for handing in 
books to be given to the hospital at 
Plymouth. If you have any books of 
fiction that you would like to donate to 
this worthy cause, kindly hand them to 
Mrs. John Doe, 

Remember that you can purchase 
your Singer sewing machine on the in 
stallment plan from us. John Doe Hard 
ware. 

We have three four-tube radios, which 
will be sold to the first one with a ten 
dollar bill, John Doe's Radio Store. 

Mr. and Mrs. John Doe spent the 
evening last Sunday at the home of 
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Peterson near Baden. 

On Monday John Doe, together with 
Art Burdick and Dick Smith, were up 
near Uptown and installed a Magnavox 
radio for Sam Jones. Mr. Smith brought 
back two Holstein cows in one of 
Wagner Bros.' trucks. 

Come in and see the new five-tube 
Crosley radio sets, in both one and three- 
dial models, at the lowest possible prices. 
John Doe's Radio Store. 

On last Saturday Edward Kuhn, Mr. 
Phillips, and John Doe erected a Moni 
tor self-oiling windmill for Joe Donne 
south of town. 

John Doe and Mr. Beekman, the 
Caloric furnace man, autoed to Seamore 
on business Thursday. 

John Doe was at Carlson on furnace 
business Wednesday. 



Need of Many Sources. ThjgM&l^^ of 

He m^fc^^to cover th^^^ f jS]ff^^ 



attiBl^^ to 

the idea that every person in town is a news source than to 



36 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

suppose that only a few are worth going to see. It is not wise 
to accept all news from persons in one business, because every 
business place has many things happening in it every week and 
all of these things that are news should be printed. Taking one 
man's word for what has happened in his competitor's business 
is sure to give an unreliable story. That competitor can be 
seen and the reliability of the news checked. Fifty news sources 
that give only one story apiece are worth far more than oae 
source that gives fifty stories. 

Testing the Reliability of News Sources. The fact that a 
man is a personal friend of the editor does not mean that 
he is a reliable news source. It is to be hoped that the editor 
will try to make personal friends of men who are dependable, 
but this is not always the case. There are few people in a 
small community that are not interested personally in any 
project carried on, but their side is not always the only side to 
the question. In stories of things affecting the community 
at large, such as school affairs, bond issues, paving and street 
improvement projects, municipal government affairs, public 
service concerns, etc., the editor must constantly be on the 
alert for the fellow with "an ax to grind." In gathering such 
news the only way the editor can be sure of getting the facts is 
to consult many sources. The Tact IJiat a man holds a re 
sponsible position in a ^Qmmunity does not make him a re- 
Ifable news spurce. The possibilities of getting all the facts 
from him may be less. Checking news by the use of many 
sources is the best way the editor has of being sure that what 
he prints is the truth. 

Rumor. The story which just seems to "grow" without any 
one really knowing its foundation, is the biggest bugbear of 
the country editor. Often everyone will accept the story as 
true, and it will be printed in the paper, only to be followed, 
the next week, by a retraction. When this is done it shows 
that the editor did not get the facts but accepted a nirrior. 
Nowfi^^^ in the mistakes in names 

found in country papers; and nowhere does it do more harm 
to the paper. A retraction never Corrects the error; it merely 
seeks to smopth over a bad mistake, $nd it always makes 
people think that the paper cannot be relied upon. To say, 
rr Rumor has it that John Jones was arrested yesterday on a 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 37 

charge of drunkenness/ 7 when the person was David Jones and 
the violator was not arrested for drunkenness, is a gross error. 
It lowers the reputation of an innocent man, even though the 
statement be retracted the following week, and it lowers the 
reputation of the newspaper. 

Making Rumor News. Rumor is one of the best aids with 
which the country editor can collect news, but it is only an 
aid. It affords the editor a chance to get the facts for a good 
news story. He can get these facts by tracing the rumor until 
he has found out what actually happened. If some one says 
a thing happened, and there is no way to check the facts, let 
the editor quote that person as saying so and the reasons he 
gave for his statement. Jiumor at best is only a means to an 
end and that end is the securing of, news ffiat tells the truth 
and all of the truth. If the story cannot be verified, the coun 
try editor will do better to leave it out altogether than to say, 
"Bi/uinbf lias It, etc." 

The Country Editor's News Run. There is often only one 
'''news run" in the country town and that is the whole town. 
Generally, too, there axe only one or two men to make this 
run stnd they must make every possible news source every week 
if the paper is to give a complete news service. This run will 
consist of every place in the town where there is a chance to 
secure a story or to hear a rumor that will help to get a story. 
If there are ten stories in the town, ten of them should be 
visited. If there are twenty-five offices in the city hall and 
^g^g^lg^^ visiting only twenty-four of them is admitting 
ffiat the paper does not get all the news, unless the twenty-fifth 
office was not in operatiqii^,, 

*" TttS^ouiitry editor's news run should be as definite and 
well planned as any city run. If the places the editor visits in 
his quest are left to chance, some source will be overlooked. 
He should have a very definite idea when he leaves the shop 
inhere he is going, and how long he can afford to spend there if 
he is to get around to all sources. A workable plan is "to visit 
all those places that can be made without an unnecessary 
waste of time in going back and forth. If the town has only 
bne business street there will be time lost in going to a place on 
one side of that street and then to a place on the other side. 
Time is' money for the country editor, and good planning in 



38 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

making the news run will save time. System in visiting news 
sources is important no matter how large or small the town is. 

Personal Sources. Individuals are the most prolific sources 
of news in the country town. Not every person in the town 
has a nose for news, and even though he hears much that 
would be news material he may not remember it when the 
editor talks to him. There are always certain persons in a 
town who have a greater opportunity to come in contact with 
people than others. There are some who seem to know every 
thing that is going on, from the birth of a baby to Mr. and 

Mrs. , to the underhand methods being employed in the 

school election. Whether they get this material through con 
versation with neighbors, a constant prying into other people's 
business, just gossip, or from personal observation, makes quite 
a difference in the reliability of their news, but it does not 
make any difference in the possibility of a news story in every 
case. The local gossip is often the best news source the editor 
has, i.e. A in giving him clues to good stories or to personals. It 
will not be out of place to say that the editor's main business 
is also to keep on "prying into other people's business" when 
that business concerns and interests the community at large. 
How else would news be found? The editor should make a 
friend of the local gossips, and get all the material from them 
he can, unless he finds by trying to verify his news that any 
one of those persons has no regard for the truth and is trying 
to discredit some one. This is often the case, but if the editor 
is alive to his responsibilities such 'stories will never see the 
printed page. 

There are many other people who have a chance to hear and 
see much news because of the nature of their businesses. These 
persons are generally quite dependable sources of news. The 
telephone operator has been lauded as one of the editor's best 
news sources in the country town. It is true that a telephone 
operator hears much that the community talks about, but she 
also hears much that the community at large has no right to 
hear about. The distinction between a man's private affairs 
and those the public has a right to know is a very nice one 
and one which many country people fail to recognize. Most 
telephone companies give their operators to understand that 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 39 

they are to tell nothing that they hear over the wires. The 
only news that the editor has a right to print that he gets from 
telephone operators is news which he has~verified by going to 
the party concerned. This is a great deal, and the possibilities 
that the editor can legitimately get from the telephone oper 
ator every week will be numerous. News of visits, travels, 
parties, and events of various kinds will be heard of through 
conversations over the wire. When checked^ they make good 
news items. 

Places as News Sources. Those places which are jisited by, 
the greatest number of people each day are 'theTbest .sources 
of news for the country paper. When people get together 
there is conversation and in it all the things of interest to those 
people. The editor will therefore find it to his advantage to 
visit these places as often as he can. The local post office is 
a fine example. There the people come to*geE tlieir mail and 
stand around while it is being distributed. Men meet who 
do not see each other every day and they talk of what they 
have been doing, what their friends have been doing, what 
they have heard, and usually express many of their own ideas 
of things. It is the one best place in the small town for the 
editor to get his fellow men's opinions on community matters. 
The postmaster will also be a good personal news source since 
he sees many people every day who have come tp town and 
generally learns what they came for without asking them. 

Visiting th^Jr^ns for the purpose of getting personals is a 
practice employed by many country editors. Here they learn 
of arrivals and departures and the supplementary news facts. 
There is no doubt that much good news is learned at the 
trains, but there is also no doubt that if there is one place 
that a person doesn't like to be queried, it is at the train. 
Furthermore, the editor can get most of this news from other 
sources in the town and do it without offending anyone. The 
old method of accosting everyone who alights from the 
"limited" and asking him all about everything, having the 
trusty notebook in hand all the time, is worn out. There are 
other and better sources of news. The editor can well afford 
to meet the trains to get all the angles he can on news, such 
news as he can get by conversation with others at the depot, 



40 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

and then can verify this news and write it at the office. If a 
reporter can't depend upon his memory for anything, he is 
not in the right business. 

If the town is a county seat, the courthouse is a good news 
source. There are many offices he^eTxTwhich people from the 
whole county come to transact business. The conversational 
possibilities are also great since men meet who have not seen 
each other for a long time. Most courthouses in country towns 
are gathering places at certain times of the year when many 
meetings are held there. There is also a vast amount of news 
that can be gleaned from documents kept on file at the court 
house offices. When court is in session the editor should, of 
course, be present or have some capable person there to get 
the court news. 

All gathering places, such as club rooms, billiard parlors, 
some barber shops, some garages everywhere that people 
come together for common exchange of ideas and for fellow 
ship are good news sources. 

"Things" Which Are News Sources. Persons and places are 
news sources, but there are certain things which will also 
furnish the editor with much news. Documents of all kinds 
will often furnish the editor with news material. The records 
of the city council, the comijiunity association, civic organiza 
tions, lodges, clubs, etc., will be included here. The old files 
of the newspapers are one of the best sources of feature news. 
The school or public library contains many current books and 
publications which the editor may review for his readers or in 
which he may find stories of local interest. Exchanges are a 
good source of news and will be discussed in detail later. 

Care should be taken that the document used as reference 
is reliable. The files of the paper may be so considered but 
may be checked by the memory of old-time residents or by 
comparison with other documents if any doubt arises. Docu 
ments of lodges, councils, etc., can be checked by officials and 
sometimes by comparison with other documents. Books and 
papers in the library can be checked against each other. 

The following list of news sources will probably not include 
all found in some towns but will suggest many more 
possibilities. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 41 

County Judge: News of marriage licenses and marriages, 
probates of estate, wills, visitors transacting business, mothers' 
pensions, magistrate court cases, interpretations of laws. 

Clerk of Court: Court proceedings documents, cases in 
court, naturalization papers, visitors on business. 

Auditor's Office: Hunting and dog licenses, tax records, 
bids, reports of county commissioners' meetings and business, 
election records, visitors, all county business such as roads, 
bridges, county farm. 

Treasurer's Office: Taxes paid and unpaid, expenditures 
of county, problems of collecting taxes, helps to taxpayers in 
sending in taxes. 

Register of Deeds: Transfers of property, mortgages, ab 
stracts of title with transfer, visitors. 

Coroner: Accidents, sudden deaths, murders, suicides, 
funeral arrangements since the coroner is a practicing doctor, 
general county health news. 

Sheriff: Arrests, prohibition activities, general condition 
of county as to, lawlessness, occupants of jail, details of crime 
apprehension, inspection of dance halls and dances (in some 
states). 

County Farm Advisers: General farm news, helps and 
hints to farmers, news of particular problems of farmers, 
scientific agricultural news. 

County Superintendent of Schools: General news of 
schools of county, teachers' examinations, teachers' meetings 
and institutes, -travels of county superintendent, inspections. 

All Offices: Personals about the people employed, personals 
about people doing business there. 

Post Office: Personals from the postmaster on people who 
have come in during the week, business of mail order houses, 
new postal laws and rates, instructions for insuring mail de 
livery, changes in personnel, items from conversation of by 
standers, opinions of local people on affairs. 

Schools: Personals of teachers, projects of various grades, 
housing conditions, alumni news, organizations such as school 
orchestras, glee clubs, etc., sport news of all school athletic 
teams, night school news, attendance records, school paper. 

Barber Shop -.Personals of those coming to town, visitors 
in the trade, personals of personnel, number of 



women 



42 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

customers, bobbed hair tendencies, changes in equipment or 
building. 

Billiard Parlors: Personals of visitors, exhibitions, pool 
tournaments, bowling leagues and tournaments, improve 
ments, sport news, checker and chess tournaments. 

Attorneys' Offices: Legal business, visitors, court news, 
interpretations of laws and ordinances, notary public business. 

Hotels: Guests, traveling men, tourist news, improve 
ments, .number of guests during the week and states from 
which they came, personals from conversation with hotel 
keeper. 

Stores: Personals of personnel, visitors and customers from 
out of town, trend of buying, general prices paid for produce, 
accidents, improvements. 

Abstractor's Office: Abstracts of title and visitors on busi 
ness. Personals. 

Elevators: General prices paid for all grains, number of 
men selling grain, quality of grain being sold, amount, number 
of threshing rigs from which grain comes and their owners, etc., 
farm news, personals. 

Doctors' Offices: Deaths, births, general health, visits to 
sick, personals of visitors, operations, physical examinations, 
epidemics, health suggestions. 

Magistrates: Violations of ordinances, marriages, trials, 
fines, sentences. 

Clergymen: Marriages, funerals, church announcements, 
church parties and socials, meetings in churches, special lec 
tures, rallies, revivals, evangelistic meetings, Sunday school 
news, bazaars, rummage sales, summer conferences and en 
campments. 

Tourist Parks: Stories of interesting people camped there, 
number of people using the tourist park, condition of the park, 
condition of roads used by tourists, news of other communities 
in which tourists have camped, needed improvements or those 
made, stories of local interest of tourists. 

Depot: Train news, changes in time-table, changes in 
fares or traveling conditions, personals of arrivals and de 
partures, improvements in depot, news from conversations, 
produce shipped, merchandise shipped in. 

Chairman of Board of Health : Sanitation and hygiene con- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 43 

ditions, better health campaigns, clean-up week, disposal of 
garbage, guards against disease, hints on personal sanitation, 
disposal of ash heaps and slop piles, problems of those keeping 
cattle, horses, chickens, hogs, inside the city limits. 

City Council: New ordinances, minutes of meeting, pav 
ing projects, street improvements, park improvements, regu 
lations on public service franchises, elections, municipal taxes, 
town additions. 

Chief of Police: Violators of ordinances, arrests of speeders 
and parkers, helps in preventing crime, news of the night 
watchman, police calls. 

Fire Chief: Fire calls, firemen's balls, carnivals, corn roasts, 
clam bakes, fire prevention, fire fighting apparatus, personnel 
of fire force, how to put in fire call. 

Telephone Operator: Local news such as visits, travels, 
proposed parties, dances, meetings, advance notice on arrivals. 

City Water Works: Condition of plant, equipment or im 
provements needed, water supply, regulations governing use 
of water, hints at conservation in times of drought, pumping 
hours, sewer improvements, water analysis. 

Lumber Yards: Amount of lumber sold, new houses being 
built, lumber going to country buyers, kinds of lumber for 
different purposes, building in general, personals of lumber 
buyers, sales of tar paper, roofing paper, etc., in preparation 
for winter. 

Garages: Number of cars sold, number sold to country 
buyers, number to city buyers, kind of cars sold, delivery 
problems, personals of customers, news from conversations, 
changes in models, result of changes on car sales, new models, 
accidents necessitating repair work, road trips, livery trips, 
road conditions, best routes to neighboring towns. 

Rural Agents: Farm news, road news and improvements, 
country personals, meetings, school activities, parties, dances, 
socials. 

Coal and Ice Dealer: Coal supply, delivery problems, 
preparation for winter, how many buy in summer for winter 
supply, kinds of fuels used most, locality from which fuel 
supply is derived. 

Public Service Utilities: New rate regulations, improve 
ments in service, stoppage for repairs, imprpvements in equip- 



44 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

ment, new houses wired, number of electrical appliances in 
use in homes, new appliances, advice to gas users, their side to 
public utilities controversies, franchises. 

Non-Public Institutions (Such as factories, flour mills, etc.) : 
Personals of personnel, accidents, new equipment, improve 
ments, amount and distribution of production, amount of raw 
material used and where it is obtained. 

School Board: School taxes, bond issues, needed buildings 
and equipment, laws pertaining to school children, minutes of 
board meetings, school elections, elections of teachers for com 
ing year, salaries, expenses of schools, promotions of teachers, 
new courses provided for such as manual training, physical 
education courses and domestic science, changes in old courses. 

Presidents of Lodges: Fraternal functions such as dances, 
parties, meetings, minutes of last meeting, new members 
initiated, campaigns sponsored, lodge dinners, arrangements 
for meeting place, purchase of lodge rooms or building, con 
ventions and conferences. 

Community Organizations: Functions held or to be held 
in community halls, finances of community associations, pur 
poses of same, shows coming or past in community show 
houses, plans for building or purchase by community associa 
tions, election of officers, minutes of meeting of association. 

Commercial Club: Minutes of meetings, campaigns for 
civic welfare, booster advertising campaigns, events sponsored, 
out of town speakers, plans for meetings, plans to bring new 
industries to town. 

Restaurants: Personals of out-of-town visitors, changes in 
equipment or service, banquets and parties served. 

Meat Markets: Personals of visitors, out-of-town buyers, 
how much meat is sold in town, how much in country, how 
much to other towns, where stock is purchased, general condi 
tions and prices in buying stock, inspection of meats, sanitary 
meat handling. 

Contractor's Office: General building conditions, new 
houses going up, repair supply of building material, trends in 
cost of building. 

Radio Dealers: Latest development in radio construction, 
new stations heard, long-distance records, new radio services, 
hints for radio lovers, radio for the farm, radio programs that 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 45 

can be received by local people, new radios installed, radio 
problems answered. 

President of Ladies' Clubs: Society news, personals of 
members, plans, meetings, campaigns for civic betterment, 
social studies and papers on same. 

Photo Studio: Personals of customers, personals of out-of- 
town people who came to have pictures taken, examples of 
good amateur photography, photo clubs^ hints to amateur 
photographers. 

Hospitals: News of patients' condition, arrivals and dis 
missals, accidents, operations, improvements in service or 
equipment, number of inmates, personals on patients from 
out of town. 

Public Libraries and Reading Rooms: New books, rules 
and regulations for use of books, tendencies in modern readers, 
need of more library facilities, number using library, number 
of newspapers coming to library, how to use books, book 
reviews. 

Assessor's Office: Township and county statistics, per 
sonals, valuation of crops and farm property, variations in 
values of property. 

Recognized Political Leaders: Political news of all kinds, 
voting situations, number of voters registered. 

All Supervisors: Of roads, institutions. News about what 
the person supervises. 

Auctioneers: Sale news, personals. 

Theaters: Programs, favorite films, coming events, prices, 
new developments in moviedom, improvements in buildings 
or equipment. 



CHAPTER V 

COLLECTING LOCAL NEWS 

On the Street. Because most country editors must attend 
to the business of the newspaper, they feel that they have 
little time to devote to collecting news on the street. The 
amount of news that can be secured by the editor's personal 
observation on the street is worth all the time it takes. In 
country towns, every street corner is the meeting place for 
groups of people who stop to pass the time of day. Chance 
conversations with friends that the editor will have on the 
street will give him many news angles. Once outside the 
shop and the possibilities for news stories are many. 

When Mr. Brown stops to say "Hello" to the editor, that is 
just the beginning of the conversation. The next thing he 
will say may be that he has just heard from his son who is 
located in the next state and that the boy will be home for a 
visit the first of the week. That is a story. The editor should 
not leave Mr. Brown until he has all the facts concerning the 
boy's stay in town, where he has been working, where he will 
spend the rest of his vacation, and when he expects to leave the 
city. 

The next thing that the editor will see worth a news story 
may be a car accident, a load of furniture being moved, streets 
being repaired, or what not. Each one is worth a story when 
all the facts have been secured. Most editors spend enough 
time talking to people to get all the news in the town, but they 
often fail to remember that they are out to get news and not 
to be entertained. More time can be profitably spent collect 
ing news on the street than is now devoted to it, but the editor 
must have his eyes open for news all the time. 

The Need for Friendliness. An editor who is "sour on the 
world'' and who tries to be as aloof as possible from his fellow 
men, has a poor chance to get news from personal sources. If 
the city reporter finds it to his advantage to have friends on 

46 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 47 

his run, how much more important is it for the country editor, 
who must associate with these people practically every day. 
Make friends of everybody that you can and you will find that 
your problem of getting the news is no longer a problem. 
These friends will remember you from week to week; they will 
want to see their friends mentioned in the paper, and they 
will be ready for your visit with all the news they have been 
able to get. Confidence is given only to one who has showed 
that he is worthy of it. No one tells his troubles and his joys 
to a stranger or to anyone that hasn't time to say a kind word 
in the regular operation of his business. Sincerity of purpose 
and amiability in conversation are necessary if the editor is 
to have any personal news sources of value. 

Helps in News Gathering. City reporters learned long ago 
that everyone on their beats could help them in gathering 
news if they could be induced to remember what happens, and 
to give the facts to the reporter when he comes around. The 
country editor has an advantage over the city reporter in that 
all the people of the town know him and know that he runs a 
newspaper. His friends can be used to help in gathering local 
news. .JQiSJbas^^ was as follows: 

Twenty or more persons located in the courthouse, stores, 
offices, etc., were supplied with a personal scratch pad and a 
pencil which were kept in a certain place within convenient 
reach. These friends were asked to jot down everything that 
was news that happened in their places. Twice a week the 
editor collected these notes and wrote them up for the paper. 
There is no doubt that many things of interest never were 
written on the pads, but the editor secured many items in this 
w^y^jh^t^^Ld. not have been found otherwise. 

Another editor printed several cards, saying, "Tell it to the 
News" and posted them in conspicuous places about town. 
Reminders like these help in covering the local field and any 
thing that brings in an item is worth doing. Other cards used 
to help get local items may have such suggestions on them as 
"Where are you going? Call up the News and tell us about 
it" ; "How can we print everything that happens if you don't 
let us in on it?"; "Is that so? Somebody else might want to 
know about it. Phone the News and see it in the paper this 
week." 



48 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 



A paragraph or a three-line reader in the paper, saying, "The 
Press wants to know about all your parties. Help us make a 
good newspaper by telling us of the happenings you know 




PPRECIATES your assistance in obtaining the 
news of the community. Every fact that 
informs, interests or pleases is news; the more 
,. people it interests, the more valuable it is. 

A news item should, if possible, answer the questions: 
who, where, what, when and why? Read the list ^of 
suggestions. If it reminds you of an item, please jot 
it down and give it to The Plaindealer. 



WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT 



Accidents 

Advertising 

Auto Trips 

Amusements 

Anniversaries 

Annual Meetings 

Balls, Dances 

Basket Ball 

Band activities 

Births 

Birthday Parties 

Board Meetings 

Building Notes 

Burglaries 

Business Changes 

Card Parties 

Chamber of Commerce 

Church Matters 

Coming Events 

Crops, Yields 

Deaths 

Dedications 

Entertainments 

Factories 

Fairs, Bazaars 

Farm Conditions 

Fires 

Former Residents 

Holiday Visitors 



Hospital Notes 

Improvements 

Installations 

Lectures 

Live Stock 

Local Clubs 

Lodge Doings 

Marriages 

New Firms 

Obituaries 

Parties 

Personal Items 

Picnics 

Pioneer History 

Politics 

Public Meetings 

Radio Notes 

Real Estate 

Receptions 

Removals 

Reunions 

School Matters 

Sickness 

Social Affairs 

Sporting Notes 

Trade Comments 

Travel Notes 

Want Ads 

Weather 



One of the helps that the Chatsworth (111.) Plaindealer uses 
in collecting local news is this reminder card which is given to 
certain members of the community. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 49 

about, etc./' will make it easier for the editor to fill the local 
page._ These requests will not do the work of news gathering 
alone, but they will help the editor in finding out about the 
things that will make good news stories or personal items when 
he has secured all the news facts. 

Blanks may be given to the doctors, preachers, and magis 
trates upon which they can record the facts concerning 
marriages, births, deaths, etc., that will later be amplified into 
news stories by the editor. 

Collecting News Through Conversation. "What do you 
know that's news today?" is the exact question the editor 
should not begin his conversation with if he expects to find any 
news. Rarely is a person found who, if asked if he knows any 
news, will be able to tell the editor about a single important 
thing. Most people have too many things to think of in their 
own business to worry about the editor's most important func 
tion. Even when they have intended to remember something 
for him, when confronted with a definite request for it, they 
forget everything they had in mind. A conversation beginning 
with anything but the exact subject of news is to be desired. 
Remarks about the weather may lead to other remarks that 
hold much news value. "Terrible storm we had last night, 
wasn't it?" from the editor may provoke a complete recital 
from Mr. Brown of the damage the storm did to his farm, to 
his neighbor's house, and the many evidences of the storm 
which he saw while on the road to town. 

After all, it is the editor's business to be interested in what 
the other man is interested in, which is his business. The 
human mind tends to hold the thought that the person wants 
to hold. The editor wants to know what the other man is 
thinking about, for that is the substance of a news story. 
The other party thinks of many things but "news" does not 
associate itself readily with anything in his mind. There are, 
furthermore, many reasons for catching the person who is the 
source off his guard. When he talks freely as in ordinary con 
versation he gives the facts as they are in his mind, before he 
has a chance to think whether or not he should make just that 
statement. After he thinks it over he is much more likely to 
tell what he thinks he ought to say for business or personal 
reasons. If the word "news" does not associate itself with any- 



50 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

thing in his mind, he can only reply that he can think of noth 
ing. The weather, a local situation, any general remark will 
call to his mind a number of things in which he is interested. 
From the variety of incidents and situations that he talks about 
because he is interested in them the editor can get several 
clues to news stories. If a specific question is used to open the 
conversation, the association of ideas in the person's mind will 
be narrowed to the few things that he happens; to know about 
that question. 

Conversation vs. Interview. There is much difference be 
tween getting news through friendly conversation on the street 
and getting it through an interview. In the latter case some 
thing very definite is sought and the question must be specific. 
When all the news possible is the aim in mind a more general 
flow of conversation is better. 

Getting people in a small town to talk is a simple matter 
when the editor talks to them as a friend. If he has the air 
of being a busy newspaperman in his everyday conversation 
with friends, he will get little information. The country town 
is different from the city in this respect. The city reporter 
who is a stranger to the country people will find it more dif 
ficult to get news facts from them than he will to get facts from 
people in the city. In the city everyone is used to seeing 
strangers ; in fact acquaintances are rare. In the country town 
it is the opposite and a stranger is regarded with something 
not far from suspicion until he has become acquainted with 
the townspeople. There is an element of disfavor that can 
be overcome only by establishing friendly relations. This 
situation is hard to appreciate until one has actually lived and 
worked in several country towns and experienced it. Coun 
try people are very friendly when they feel that the news- 
gatherer to whom they are talking is one of them. 

Planning the Conversation. It is the editor's business to 
direct this conversation in any direction only when he has dis 
covered a news angle that he feels is worth tracing up. Until 
that angle is discovered, and sometimes it will only be after 
several minutes of conversation, he can best enjoy a friendly, 
ordinary, easy-going talk with a friend. Even when a news 
angle is discovered, the editor must usually avoid appearing 
to be transformed into an interviewer. Direct questions which 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 51 

will bring out what the editor wants to know may be used in 
conversation on the street, but only when the editor is actually 
interested in what he is talking about. Furthermore, these 
questions ^ should always appear to arise out of the preceding 
conversation and not seem to be devised for a definite pur 
pose. Nothing is more irritating to the country person than to 
feel that some subtle force is at work on him. The pleasure is 
all taken out of the conversation by such a feeling and when 
the process is no longer pleasurable to him he has no interest 
in it. He does not feel that he owes the editor anything. 

Getting the Facts. Keeping in mind the fact that you are 
the editor of a country newspaper, what facts will you find in 
the following casual conversation which will furnish clues for 
news items or complete stories? The following is an actual 
conversation with the names of the parties changed. The 
editor meets Art Graven, manager of the local baseball team on 
his way to the post office in the morning. 

"Morning, Art. Where to?" 

"Have to go down to see how Joe is this morning. I doubt 
if he'll be able to play with us Sunday." 

"You don't say. What happened to him?" 

"We were practicing last night and you know where that old 
post sticks up out in left field? Well, Joe was after a high one 
and he fell backwards over that. Hurt his back some I guess." 

"Tough luck. Who will take his place?" 

"For this Sunday's game with Creighton we can get Jim 
Peters from Hoople. He's good. Bobby Brown is pretty 
young but we can use him, too, if we have to. That would 
save us some money and we need all we have." 

"Didn't the subscription go over?" 

"Yes, it went pretty well, but we haven't had the crowds 
at the games that we should have had. They don't back up 
the team, and we have won all but one game this season. I 
can't be here Sunday, either." 

"How's that?" 

"I just got word from my father in Weston that my brother 
Dick is to arrive there from Oregon and can only stay a week. 
I won't be able to see him if I don't go Sunday. He's been out 
there working for the Terrence Valley Fruit Company for four 
years. I'll have to trot along now. So long ! " 



52 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

The stories which were written as a direct and indirect re 
sult of this conversation follow: 

No. 1. 

Joe Hplley, who deals in real estate 
for a living and plays baseball with the 
local team for pastime, was injured last 
Tuesday evening when he fell over an 
old post in the left field of the baseball 
diamond. The old post has been stick 
ing up in a dangerous position all sum 
mer, but it is so far out that no one 
ever expected to see a ball knocked out 
to it. One of the men who was batting 
"flies" to the outfield in Tuesday eve 
ning's practice was forced to come nearly 
to third base in order to get a returned 
ball and batted one from there. t It came 
in Joe's direction and in running back 
wards with his eyes on the ball he did 
not notice that he was approaching the 
post. He suffered a sprained ankle and 
injuries to his back which will not per 
mit him to play baseball the rest of the 
summer. 

Joe has played baseball with the local 
team for the past five years and has 
come to be relied upon as one of the 
main standbys in a fast game. Manager 
Craven feels that his loss will make a 
material difference in the strength of 
the team. 

No. 2. 

Subscriptions totaling nearly $900 have 
been received to date by the secretary 
of the local baseball association and 
more are expected. The subscriptions 
ranged in amount from $1 to $100, every 
business place in town being represented 
on the list of subscribers. According to 
Manager Art Craven, this amount of 
money will not be sufficient to run the 
team for the entire season unless the 
crowds are better at the coming games 
than they have been at the games that 
have already been played. Bad weather 
accounts for the poor crowds at two of 
the games but local people have not 
backed the team as those who are spon 
soring baseball wish they would. Man 
ager Craven believes that, with fair- 
sized crowds at the rest of the games, 
the association will come through the 
season with good financial success. 

No. 3. 

Jim Peters, one of the baseball players 
of Hoople and a man who has been in 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 53 

action on the local diamond many times, 
has been engaged to play Sundays' game 
here with the local team against Creigh- 
ton. Peters is an all-round baseball 
player and will be worked at several 
different positions. He will probably 
play a field position if things go 
smoothly and may be used to twirl a few 
if he is needed. Peters is coming to 
play Sundays' game in the place of Joe 
Holley who was injured in a practice 
session last Tuesday evening. Bobby 
Brown, a local boy, will play part of the 
game. 

No. 4. 

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Craven and two 
sons leave early Sunday morning for 
Weston, where they will visit until 
Monday noon with Mr. Craven's parents 
and his brother Richard. Richard 
Craven has been employed by the 
Terrence Valley Fruit Growers Associa 
tion in Oregon for the past four years 
and this is his first visit home in that 
time. He has only a month's vacation, 
ten days of which will be spent at the 
home of his father from where he will 
go to visit a sister and another brother 
living in Colorado. 

Collecting Personals. Local items or "personal" items do 
not offer the difficulty of checking reliability that stories affect 
ing the whole community do. Yet they are often only rumors 
at the start. If the one from whom the personal is received 
knows exactly what happened from personal contact with the 
subject of the item, or from personal observation, the editor's 
job is considerably lightened. If he says only that he "heard 
so and so" the editor must ask other people about the same 
thing until he gets several accounts that check. 

Rdativety more time must be spent collecting personal far. 
the^counlry p^eFIKan* |^^g^.jg^|g e material for the larger 

n0ws 

pajger anJ nothing u readers 

M> &J^ items ar, of great impQL- 

tlmce they are a^ the cause of much intensive work in the 

^yay^Pt^liwi^lxe .i3cS^ A;mfsp: 

take in the lopal colurrma will , be noticed before any story on 
the front '"*"' 



54 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Getting the News of Local Functions. Perhaps it is the 
multifariousness of the country editor's duties that keeps him 
from getting news of events first hand; perhaps it is because 
he has decided that he can get news easier from his friends. 
Whatever the cause, the country editor does not attend all the 
meetings that he could; he does not get the news first hand 
that he could get. There are few meetings in the country town 
that the editor could not attend if he wished. There are still 
fewer that some member of the staff could not attend. The 
editor will always make it a point to see that the meeting of 
his lodge is recorded fully, but he will forget to attend a meet 
ing of the local band members and their backers. City papers 
send a reporter to "cover" all important events, and ag a re 
sult the news they get is more accurate and is more complete. 
If the community association holds a meeting in the town, the 
editor should consider it his privilege as well as his right to 
be present and learn what takes plase. If the Mothers 7 Club 
meets, it will be perhaps impossible and unnecessary for the 
editor to attend the meeting, but some one should be there 
representing the paper. Ofttimes the editor's wife does it very 
well. If the Republican party holds a caucus in the court 
house the editor should be there, even though he is a Demo 
crat. The writer worked on a newspaper for a political organi 
zation for three years during which time he attended meetings 
of the parties fighting the organization for which he worked. 
Once the members of an organization find that the minutes 
of their meeting will be reported correctly and with due regard 
for the rights of all, the editor will find no difficulty in gaining 
admission to their sessions. 

Meetings of religious organizations other than the one to 
which the editor belongs can also be covered. This is not so 
easily done in the country town. It is seldom, however, that 
the editor is refused admission to a public meeting of another 
religious organization. When secret sessions are held, if the 
general public is affected, the news item will give all the facts 
and information that the editor can get about the meeting from 
reliable sources. 

Representatives of the Press. The editor can't be a member 
of the local chapter of the W. R. C.; he can't be affiliated with 
an organization to which men are not allowed; often he can't 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 55 

attend meetings such as those of women's clubs; but he can 
always arrange to have the minutes and proceedings of that 
meeting accurately recorded. Every organization should be 
encouraged to have a press representative. Most women's 
clubs today have some one officially delegated as the press 
reporter or correspondent who writes the news of that organ 
ization for the local paper. If there is no such person in the 
organization at present, the editor can see the president of the 
group and make arrangements to have some one so appointed. 
He can generally secure some one in the club who knows some 
thing of writing for publication, or some one who at least can 
accurately report all the essential news facts. More often the 
problem is not to get enough news from these organizations, 
but to persuade them that much of the proceedings is not news 
for the general public. Never will the notes be just as the 
editor wants them. The news will one week be too scanty, the 
next week too plentiful, sometimes full of nonessentials, and 
sometimes lacking in sufficient news facts. Whatever the re 
sult of getting news through a regular press correspondent, it 
will be much better than trusting to a conversation with some 
member who happens to be a friend of the editor, but who 
takes no particular note of what goes on at the meeting. It has 
the added advantage of being a regular service, and generally 
a fairly satisfactory one, both to the editor and the readers. 
Town press correspondents can be aided in the preparation 
of their material by suggestions just as the country corre 
spondents are, and the editor, of course, reserves the right to 
copy-read their contributions. If this is not understood at the 
start there will be no end to the misunderstandings that come 
about later. Instructions as to what is the office style, what 
the paper will and will not print, news values, etc,, is a part 
of each correspondent's instructions in town or country. 



CHAPTER VI 

NEWS WRITING FOB THE COUNTRY PAPER 

IT is not the purpose of this book to attempt to teach the 
fundamentals of writing news stories. That subject has been 
\reated very competently by other writers and if the student 
is not familiar with the fundamentals of news writing he is 
advised to get this knowledge before beginning the study of 
country journalism. This chapter will treat only of those 
phases of news writing which are peculiar to the country paper 
and will try to show the differences between writing news for 
a city daily and for a country newspaper. 

The Different Types of Readers. News in the city paper is 
written for a class of readers, or for many classes of readers, 
who have little or nothing in common. They are always busy 
and must read their papers in a few minutes a day while on the 
road to work or in the evening after work. For this reason the 
news in the city daily must be very concise and as brief as 
possible. Only the main facts in any story are read by the 
majority; the rest of the story goes unnoticed, which is the 
reason that the lead or the beginning of the story has become 
so important in city jour&alism. The most important thing 
in the whole story must come first and it must be so worded 
that a reader can get the gist of the news by reading only the 
first paragraph. This necessity has brought forth the "sum 
mary" type of lead, which is the whole story in brief. The city 
paper could not be well written with any other type of lead, 
for all of the facts could not be put forward in such concise 
manner. The most striking or unusual feature of the story is 
played up in city journalism in order that the interest of the 
reader be aroused immediately. This striking feature may be 
any one of several things: the name, place, time, cause, re 
sult, event, or significant circumstance, whichever will catch 
the eye of the reader the quickest and hold his interest the 
longest. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 57 

In country journalism many of the circumstances are dif 
ferent. The readers of the country paper have much in com 
mon, where the city readers have little. The country people 
generally know most of the persons about whom the news is 
written and that is their chief interest. They all belong to one 
community and anything that concerns that community affects 
them and they are interested in knowing about it. They are 
more interested in knowing who the person was who found a 
treasure than they are in the treasure itself, but they want to 
know about that also. Furthermore, the readers of the coun 
try paper are not in a constant rush as city people are, but, on 
the contrary, they read their paper in their leisure time and 
they have enough time so that they read all of it, every word 
of it, a every word in the news stories and all of the ads. This 
condition affects the way news stories are written in the coun 
try papers. It makes it unwise to begin with the striking 
thing when that thing is certainly not the most interesting 
thing to country readers. All of the important features of a 
story must be included, but they do not have to be crowded 
into the summary lead as in the city daily. 

The Lead in the Country Paper. It should not be thought 
that any kind of lead will do for a story in a country paper; 
every lead must be well written and full of news. The dif 
ference in the lead in the country paper and that in the city 
paper lies in the ia^r^_emphasis more than in choice of 
material. While the story in the city paper features the most 
striking thing because it is the most interesting to a group of 
people with mixed interests, the lead in the country paper 
features the thing which is the most interesting to a group with 
common interests. When you meet an old friend the first thing 
you speak of after you have inquired concerning each other's 
health is your mutual friends, the people you have known 
before. When a country reader reads a news story of some 
happening, the first thing he wants to know is not, "What 
peculiar circumstance makes this story different from all 
others?" but rather, "Who is the person to whom this hap 
pened; was it a friend of mine?" After his curiosity is satis 
fied concerning the person in the story he will want to know 
all about how it happened, but this is of secondary interest. 

Perhaps a farmer was injured while plowing his field be- 



58 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

cause some part of the plow accidentally came loose and caught 
him in the leg. This is unusual and would be the feature 
of the lead if judged by city news value standards. To the 
men and women who know this person, however, the most 
important thing in that story will be the name of the injured 
man. They do not read stories of crime, accidents, etc., be 
cause of their interest in the thing itself but because they 
want to know what is happening to the persons they have as 
friends and neighbors. If you are not convinced of this, ask a 
country reader what he reads first; and he will tell you the 
personal items, so that he may see what the rest of the com 
munity has been, doing. 

The lead in the country paper is therefore different from 
that in the city paper because it must tell more of the person 
in the story and less of the unusual features of the happening. 
The lead must be complete just as it is in any city paper, but 
the emphasis placed on different parts of the story is much 
different. 

Playing Up Names. Because of this interest that country 
readers have in their fellow men, the lead in the country paper 
very often features the name of the person to whom the news 
happened. Names are the source of all news in the small 
town, and they are the best means for catching the eye of 
the country reader, and keeping his interest until the story 
is entirely read. When names are not played up the story 
loses its flavor for country readers, no matter how well the 
rest of the story is written. Little they care about getting the 
facts in a concise and clear way if they do not know the person 
in the story or some one who does know him intimately. 

The following leads of local news stories were clipped from 
several community newspapers. Notice the great number of 
persons mentioned; names are featured more often than any 
thing else. The fact that the new automobile tags are out is 
not interesting to local readers, but the fact that motorists in 
the county are getting them is strong. local news. Notice the 
way in which the name of the town is frequently played up 
to attract and interest the local reader. The little phrase "just 
south of town" is a powerful interest holder, and the country 
editor knows it. "People of Jefferson County" is more impor 
tant in a local story than all the facts and figures about the 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 59 

paving project. "On Main Street in Brockway" gets the inter 
est of every local reader who knows where Main Street is. The 
unusual circumstance about the way a man broke his leg is of 
secondary importance,, with the man's name taking the place 
of prominence. Even a fire, the kind that the city reporter 
would be sure to write up in the words "Fire destroyed/ 7 is 
not the chief thing when the local fire company played an 
active part in the happening. Although no one was injured 
and the cars little damaged, the accident happening to a local 
young woman was good local news with her name featured. 
The obituary lead tells local readers at the beginning that it 
was "Tom" who died. It is he "automobile population of 
Logan County" that interests local readers. 

These leads are here inserted just as they appeared. Some 
have a touch of comment or color in them, but they all show 
the way country editors play up the thing that is of greatest 
local importance. 

Judge and Mrs. Harry E. Newman, 
and family left Lakewoqd Friday for 
Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania, where they 
have taken a cottage for the balance of 
the summer, where Judge Newman will 
recuperate from his recent illness. 

Queen Anne's county automobile own 
ers this week received the forms to be 
used in making application for the new 
1926 license tags. 

Another indication that Bellows Falls 
has turned the corner and is about to 
show the wide, wide world, is to be found 
in the fact that real money, quite a bit of 
it, is dribbling steadily into the hands 
of Everett L. Clark, secretary of the 
Bellows Falls Chamber of Commerce, as 
the result of a, careful canvass that is 
being made this week of the business 
interests, professional and retail men of 
the community. 



The big irrigated ranch just south of 
town, known as the Milner ranch, of 
800 acres, all well watered, has been 
bought by a colony of Nebraska farmers 
who will sub-divide the big place, cutting 
it into 20 and 40-acre tracts, placing it 
under intensive cultivation, and making 
a number of improvements. 



60 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

The people of Jefferson county have 
in mind taking part in the paving pro 
gram for the upper Snake River valley, 
and paying across that county from the 
Bonneville to the Madison county line, 
a distance of seven miles. 

The contract for the bridge over the 
Toby on Main Street in Brockway has 
been let to the Ferris Engineering Co., 
of Pittsburgh, Pa., contingent on the 
plans being approved by the Waterways 
Commission. 

John Harnett of Fifth Avenue while 
at work on the state road construction 
job near Keating had the misfortune to 
break his leg near the ankle. 

Splendid work by the Community Fire 
Company, Millington, assisted by the 
Good Will Fire Company, Centreville, 
and the Chestertown Fire Department, 
prevented the destruction by fire of 
Crumpton last Wednesday morning. 

A Ford coupe driven by Miss Neta 
McFee, county home demonstration 
agent here, was badly damaged Monday 
afternoon in Jackson when it was struck 
by a Lincoln machine driven by an em 
ploye of the McCuan Motor Co., of 
Jackson. Miss McFee's car received a 
bent fender and axle and a blown out 
tire in the collision. No one was 
injured. 



W. P. Medlin, familiarly called "Tom" 
among his many friends and acquaint 
ances, and one of the best known and 
prominent citizens of this city, died sud 
denly at his home yesterday morning 
from a stroke of apoplexy. He was 52 
years old. The entire town was shocked 
and grieved to learn of his death. 

In behalf of the 6,700 automobile pop 
ulation of Logan county, the Logan 
Chamber of Commerce has petitioned 
the County court for co-operation in 
having the West Virginia State JRoad 
Commission arrange to have the automo 
bile license tags for 1927 and there 
after issued locally to save the expense, 
time^ and trouble of automobile owners 
making a trip to Charleston for same. 

Featuring the Local Angle. Things that happen closest to 
home make the best news for the country paper, but very 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 61 

often something happens miles away which affects local read 
ers. The lead of the story in the country paper must then 
make the reader see the part of that distant happening that 
interests him. This is done by playing up the local angle of 
the story. Whereas in the city paper the incident would- be 
given because of its inherent interest for all people, in the 
local paper the story must be written for the readers in that 
community. 

A bank is held up in a town twenty-five miles from the one 
the paper is located in, but there is reason to believe that the 
job was done by a band of robbers who broke into the local 
bank some weeks before. What would the local editor feature 
in his story? The good lead for the country paper in such a 
case would be something like this: "Bank robbers, believed by 
Sheriff Brown to be the same bunch that held up the State 
Bank of this city three weeks ago ? forced the employees of the 
Ryborg State Bank to stand with arms above their heads while 
the thieves looted the safe and cash drawer." All general news 
that can be given a local angle will be stronger for the country 
paper than it would be if given for its own worth. 

The way in which a story of general interest, clipped from a 
city daily, can be made interesting to country readers by feat 
uring the local angle is shown by this story from the Liberty 
(N. Y.) Register. 

ALERTNESS OF GUARD 
PREVENTS ESCAPE OF 
MAN FROM SING SING 

Alfred Molitor, Formerly of Lib 
erty, Sees through Cleverly 
Constructed Dummy 



Alfred Molitor, of Liberty, a guard 
at Sing Sing prison, has redeemed him 
self in the eyes of prison officials for a 
moment of carelessness some time ago, 
according to an article which appeared 
in the Herald Tribune last Saturday 
morning. His redemption came through 
his discovery of a clever plot to escape 



62 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

from the prison, according to the story. 

The story, as told in the dispatch to 
the city paper, follows: 

Sing Sing Prison, Aug. 13 George 
Peterson, twenty-eight years old, me 
chanical engineer and burglar, attempted 
to escape from here to-night by planting 
a dummy in his cell, but Keeper Alfred 
Molitor, hoaxed once before and docked 
fifteen days 7 pay as a result was too 
vigilant. His vigilance earned him a 
week's vacation with pay. 

"The keepers were making the "supper 
count," when Molitor passed Peterson's 
cell. He noticed a life-like figure reclin 
ing on the cot and started to pass, but 
returned and called out. There was no 
reply, and he entered the cell, discover 
ing the dummy. The inclosure was 
searched and Peterson was found on the 
powerhouse roof, where he had huddled 
in a dark corner. 

The passage of a bill by the State legislature will not cause 
country readers any concern until they know that they will be 
seriously affected by the new law. A bill was passed which 
provided for aid to farmers and it received no notice when the 
general news fact was run ; but when it was stated in the lead 
of a story the following week that local farmers could get 
help by applying to the local bank, the story was eagerly read. 
A new tax law is simply "another law" until the fact that it 
will cause residents of the community to pay an increase is 
told to them in the newspaper story. The local application is 
the important thing for all stories in the country paper. 

Making a Local Angle. Sometimes a news story is re 
ceived which is not of itself connected with anything of local 
interest or importance but which, nevertheless, has some sig 
nificance for local readers. The editor wants to run the story 
because it reminds him of a local occurrence or because it is 
similar to something that has happened locally. His lead will 
in that case make known the connection of the story with the 
local thing. Perhaps farmers in a distant community have 
found a way to keep down the grasshoppers, and the local 
farming community is seriously bothered with this pest. The 
way in which other farmers have killed pests will be good 
news for farmers in the local community if the facts are 
brought to their attention. The local angle in such a story is 
real even though it is less obvious than in some other stories. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 63 

It is said that for every story in the city paper there could 
be a similar story in the country paper which would be of local 
interest. This is perhaps stretching a point, for there are 
stories in the city paper which ought not to have any counter 
part in the country paper. It is true, however, that many 
stories in the city papers will suggest stories for country read 
ers and that the significant points in a city paper story can 
often be taken for a story in the country paper. In all such 
cases the story is made possible by the local application of the 
news. When points of local interest can be gleaned from 
other stories the feature of the story should not be the general 
facts but the local application of these facts. 

The Chronological Story. An examination of many coun 
try papers will reveal the fact that many of the news stories 
in those papers are written in chronological order that is, 
the way the events occurred. This method has been quite gen 
erally discarded by the city daily because it takes too much 
time, and often the thing of most importance is placed so near 
the end of the story that the rapid reader fails to get it. Coun 
try papers have been criticized for using the chronological 
method because it does not conform to the style of city jour 
nalism. Unless a better reason than this can be found for 
doing away with the chronological method of writing stories, 
country papers can still use it successfully. The reason many 
men in country journalism have stopped using it is that it 
often leads to a long, disconnected tale which does not give 
the facts concisely. When it becomes a space waster, the 
chronological method is a poor one, but if rightly used it is 
story-telling in its most entertaining phase. 

An example follows of a story told chronologically in which 
too many minor details are given and too much space is 
wasted: 

While John Thompson was coming in 
from his farm which is about three miles 
north of town, last Saturday night, he 
saw something which made his hair stand 
on end and he says that if he had been 
coming home from town instead of going 
in, the boys- would never have believed 
his story. Along the road which comes 
from his place there is a bunch of low 
brush just about a mile from town and 
while passing this brush the lights of his 



64 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

car lit upon a part that moved too fast 
to be caused by the gentle breeze which 
was blowing from the west. John said 
he thought it might be a deer as several 
have been seen in this part of the woods 
so he stopped his car and got out to look 
around. When he approached the bushes 
that he had seen move he stopped and 
shouted. What was his surprise when a 
bobcat leaped out and dashed across the 
road. 

It is obvious that many of the things told in the above 
story are unnecessary details and that the whole incident 
could be more forcefully told by narrating only the impor 
tant facts. An example of a story written in chronological 
order stating only the important facts follows : 

JOHN SMITH IS KILLED 
BY TRAIN AT STARKER 

Attempt to Board Moving 

Freight Proves Fatal 

to Local Boy 

John Smith, eighteen, son of Mr. and 
Mrs. E. C. Smith of this city, left here 
Wednesday with his brother Edward for 
Ohio, where they expected to find work. 
They stopped at Starker Thursday where 
they intended to visit another brother, 
James, and his family. While they were 
waiting for a fast eastbound freight train 
to pass a crossing in Starker, John at 
tempted to get aboard the train. Al 
though Edward stopped his brother at 
the first attempt, John succeeded in 
making another trial which proved 
fatal. As he grabbed the hand bar on 
a freight car and tried to swing himself 
onto the car he slipped under the wheels 
and was instantly killed. 

Edward immediately secured help but 
there was no chance to save John's life. 
The body was shipped here yesterday 
and will be interred in the Protestant 
cemetery east of town tomorrow. Funeral 
services will be held at the Presbyterian 
church at two o'clock tomorrow after 
noon. The Rev. T. S. Brown will con 
duct the services. 

Care in Using the Chronological Method. When the chron 
ological order method is used, care must be taken that the 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 65 

news facts of the story are not held back until numerous un 
essential details are given. The narrative must start at the 
beginning with the first important fact and continue through 
to the end in a straightforward manner. The name or names 
will always have a place in the beginning of every story written 
for a country paper no matter what the structure of the story 
may be. The facts which make the story of local interest 
must also be there. In the above example the names and the 
address immediately make a local reader anxious to read the 
rest of the story. 

There were many things about the boys' trip up to the time 
of waiting for the freight train to pass that could have been 
put into that story, but they had nothing to do with the news 
break itself and so are better left out. One of the biggest 
criticisms against the use of the chronological method of writ 
ing a news story is that most of the stories tell so many things 
only remotely connected with the news break. It is often the 
case that the preliminary remarks and explanations occupy 
much more space than the news facts. This is not only wast 
ing space but also tiring the reader without informing him. 
Facts which do not advance the action of the story should be 
omitted. 

Attention to Detail. In the city daily where space is worth 
many dollars an inch very little of it can be taken up with the 
details of some happening of minor importance. Only the 
biggest stories are printed with full details, and the smaller 
stories are merely paragraphs containing the barest facts. 
While space is worth money in the country paper, it can be 
made to pay the editor if his news stories give the news in more 
detail than a larger paper would. Country readers are fortu 
nately among the most curious folks in the world and the 
country paper must satisfy this curiosity if it is to be success 
ful. Because of the close association of people in a small com 
munity, everybody wants to know not simply the main facts 
about a happening, but all there is to know; and they feel 
that they have been cheated if they are not told. This fact 
makes it necessary for the stories in country papers to carry 
many more details than would be tolerated in the city paper. 

When a man falls off a ladder and breaks his leg the country 



66 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

paper not only carries the announcement of his accident and 
the injury done him but also all of the minor facts telling 
how the accident came about. It is not sufficient to state that 
the man was hurt and to stop there because the readers know 
him and will want to know how he was hurt, where he now is, 
and how he is getting along. Perhaps you have smiled at the 
news item that ends up by saying that some one "is doing as 
well as can be expected" but that line tells his friends a great 
deal about him. If he is in a dangerous condition they want 
to know that fact. Unimportant details are only those in 
which the readers of the paper would not be interested, for that 
is the test of what should go into the news story in the small 
paper. 

Writing the Complete Story. The news behind the news is 
often the most interesting although it takes time and energy 
to get it. Instead of complaining that nothing happens in the 
small community about which news stories can be written, the 
editor may well devote some time to getting all of the facts 
about the things that do happen. Generally he will find that 
there is plenty of news if it is all written. A farmers' institute 
was written up by one editor in the following short story. He 
didn't begin to scratch the surface of the event and so lost 
much of the news that he could have had because he stopped 
before he had completed the story. 

FARMERS INSTITUTE 

The Polk County Farmers Institute 
was held in this city on Thursday, Fri 
day, and Saturday of last week. The 
meetings were all held in the farmers 
room of the court house except the en 
tertainment which was given in the 
community hall. Several speakers from 
various parts of the country were on the 
program as well as the county agent of 
this county and several men from the 
state University. 

A number of contests of interest to 
farmers were held in connection with 
the institute. 

Another editor with a better sense of news values discov 
ered that the farmers' institute was a big thing for his com 
munity and wrote it up at some length. Yet he didn't "pad" 
his story just for the sake of making news, because he found 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 67 

enough facts about the event to make a long story. The first 
editor failed to get the news and the participants in the event 
felt that the editor was not awake to his possibilities. The 
second editor knew news when it happened and was quick to 
take every advantage of it. As a consequence he wrote a com 
plete story which was appreciated by the farmers for its com 
pleteness and was read with interest by his subscribers. 

Other Examples o Failure to Get all the News. Each of 
the following brief paragraphs or announcements concerns a 
happening or event which would make a longer story. 

BOY HURT IN AUTO SPILL 

Carlisle "Curley" Washechek, was cut 
and bruised on the head Thursday morn 
ing in an automobile wreck a mile south 
of town. Ben Brooks was driving. The 
road was full of ruts, and perhaps too 
much speed was the cause. 

The editor wrote the paragraph above without attempting 
to find out all the news facts. This accident received more 
than half a column in another paper. 

C. J. Ashlock returned from the hos 
pital Monday. He is much better. 

"He is much better/' is the way in which the editor takes 
leave of a man who was the victim of an insane person's pistol 
shot and who was narrowly saved from death. There is more 
news in such a case. 

INDIANA PICNIC 

If you are from Indiana, come to 
Lakeside Resort on Sunday, July 25th. 
Bring all the family and your lunch, and 
have a real outing. Coffee free. 

A picnic to include all of the former residents of an entire 
state, is usually a bigger event than this brief notice would 
indicate. 

The first frost of the season is re 
ported for the morning of September 
14th, Some places were not touched 
while others were hit hard. Gardens in 
Barton seemed to be unhurt. 

The first frost of the season furnishes material for some of 
the best weather stories of the year. In this same community 



68 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

there was much garden stuff impaired, as the editor would 
have learned if he had investigated. 

Padding News Stories. The opposite of the writer who 
fails to get all of the news in his story is the one who inserts 
much material which is irrelevant and uninteresting in order 
to make his story longer. One method is as bad as the other. 
There is enough news if it is all secured and there is no need 
for padding a story with much matter that will take up the 
readers' time without conveying any new information to them 
or helping to make old facts better understood. Much of the 
material that is very evident padding is in the nature of edi 
torial comment and will be considered in another chapter. 
Some of the padding is useless statements which do not aim to 
influence anyone but which are just expressions of something 
already said. 

The timely subject of the news is not found in the following 
story until half a column of rambling musings is read. If the 
writer had taken the facts from the material and had written 
an historical feature story, it would have been interesting, but 
no one likes to wade through a mass of material not on the 
subject to get a little piece of news. This method of padding 
news stories, by beginning with paragraphs of introductory 
remarks that are very loosely connected with the subject of 
the news, is disconcerting to the reader. 

LEE-BARBER FAMI 
LIES HOLD REUNION 

^ As one motors through certain por 
tions of the Pine Belt in Ocean County, 
New Jersey, there can be noticed in 
numerous places tracts of land measur 
ing from five to one hundred acres that 
were, fifty years ago, homes of families 
who enjoyed a satisfactory degree of 
prosperity. 

Some seventy years ago about the 
time the New Jersey Southern railroad 
was being promoted the New York and 
Philadelphia papers did much to boost 
the property on either side of the new 
enterprise as most wonderful sites for 
inexpensive farm homes that could be 
made to produce fruit, berries and vege 
tables as well as grains of all kind, 
which could reach the city markets at 
a cheap freight over the new route. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 69 

Many persons, who owned property in 

the nearby states of New York, Penn 
sylvania and some New Englanders were 

attracted by such glowing prospects as 

appeared in the advertising mediums, 

resolved to dispose of their old homes 

and pioneer to the Jersey Pines where 

conditions were most inducing. 
Among these newcomers were Ralph 

Lee and Hannah Barber, his wife, who 

for a number of years resided on a 

very productive farm in Bucks County, 

Pennsylvania. 

They found ready sale at a good price 

for their homestead and reserving the 

necessary stock, furniture and other 

equipment for the home of new oppor 
tunity they, over seventy years ago, 

located near where the above school 

building now stands. 

For about twenty years the place pro 
duced abundant crops and was the scene 
of very busy activities especially during 

the berry, fruit and vegetable season. 

Much of this produce was shipped to 
the city from Bricksburg as the station 
prior to the Lakewood name, was 
called. 

During the time Mr. Lee occupied the 
farm he not only was deeply interested 
in farming, but also in community im 
provement. It was mainly through his 
efforts that the public school which still 
bears his name was established. Prior 
to that time pupils were obliged to walk 
a great distance to the Old Garrison 
school house not far from the Irish Mills. 
Over fifty years after the passing of 
the owner, the place reverted to new 
ownership and since then gradually ^ re 
ceded to its present form of desolation. 
Yet, to those who were born there, there 
are some familiar trees, the old pumps 
and the grapevine. 

On Saturday, August 7, 1926, the Lee- 
Barber family held a Reunion in the 
pleasant grove in front of the Leesville 
School-house. 

Out of a possible 54 members of that 
union 38 persons embraced the pleasant 
opportunity to visit the scenes of many 
former happy events. 

Importance of Good Grammar. It is not the purpose of this 
discussion to attempt to show all of the errors in grammar that 
are made in the "country press. It should be sufficient to draw 
the student's attention to the fact that there are many gram 
matical mistakes in country papers which .could easily be 



70 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

avoided. The use of slang phrases and vulgarisms is as much 
out of place in the country paper as in any other. Failure to 
have an antecedent for each relative pronoun, use of the wrong 
verb form, long, wordy sentences, omission of prepositions 
and articles, and the inclusion of several unrelated thoughts 
in one sentence are some of the most frequent mistakes. 

Notice the large number of grammatical errors in the fol 
lowing story which was clipped from a country weekly. 

BEST RAIN IN THREE YEARS 

The downpour Sunday afternoon was 
the best rain visiting this section of 
the universe in three years. It has rained 
a good many times, but generally came 
in a form of a mist, and only one or 
two rains in that length of time that 
made a half inch or better. The near 
est to the one Sunday, was the rain in 
June that gave us 1.10 inches. The Sun 
day rain came like one of the old timers 
and for thirty-five minutes dashed to the 
ground and foamed. There was not 
much wind with the rain, but one par 
ticular feature of the storm was the hail. 
It hailed continually during the rain. 
Not hard, but still considerable hail fell. 
Even when the main storm was over 
and just scattering drops of rain falling, 
scattering hailstones also fell. If the 
wind had been high, this country would 
have been mowed with the hail. A 1.41 
inch rain fell Sunday afternoon and with 
Saturday night's sprinkle we register 1.75. 

No rain to speak of at Chamberlain. 
Three and a half inches of rain reported 
over part of Plummer township. The 
Craft boys in Pleasant Grove reported a 
two inch rain. About five miles south 
the Pierce boys and in that neighbor 
hood, reported a five inch rain, and hail 
with a strong wind, which mowed the 
crops and vegetation to the ground. At 
Con Kaish's farm, 3 miles west, two or 
more inches of rain was reported. A 
heavy rain with hail was reported at 
Garni Valley. 

Attempts at Cleverness. Country papers are noted for the 
many attempts at cleverness that are found in th^ir news 
columns. Some writers try to see how many clever sayings 
and witty remarks they can crowd into each personal item, 
or story, whether the situation has anything humorous in 
it or not. Besides the possibility of offending the person 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 71 

about which the item is written, there is danger that in trying 
to be funny in writing news the writer will only make himself 
laughed at by the readers. When there is something humor 
ous to write about, by all means take advantage of it, for 
good humor is always appreciated, but beware of itrying to 
make something or some one appear ridiculous. The best 
-humor for a newspaper is that which is natural and makes no 
one embarrassed. It is far better to stick to a plain state 
ment of facts than to make a bad job trying to be funny. 
There is too much danger that the readers will not laugh with 
you but at you. An example of attempted cleverness follows: 

A little bird brought news to the 
Graphic this morning that John Van 
Bockern and Miss Nellie Harper were 
married at Mitchell yesterday, but we 
cannot vouch for the truth of it. Any 
way, if they were not they are going to 
be mighty sudden, and we are taking 
this opportunity to wish the young 
couple all the happiness in the world, 
for they fully deserve it. 

Trite and Coined Expressions. Writing the same kind of 
local news week after week gets to be a mechanical job and 
leads the editor sometimes to resort to the use of the same 
expressions that he has used many times before. These ex 
pressions are easy to use since they are "always good" and 
their use becomes a habit if the editor does not take pains to 
get new, bright, and vivid words and phrases. In spite of all he 
can do to keep himself from using trite words and phrases the 
editor will find one cropping up now and then because they 
have been used so often and seem to express just what he 
wants to say. These trite expressions detract from the value 
of the news for they convey no new; information and most of 
the time are superfluous to the actual news facts. 

When one word, which has been a perfectly good word but 
much used, seems to be becoming trite, it is a good plan to 
avoid using that word for a week or a month until other words 
have been found to express the same thought. This "don't 
use" method of preventing words and phrases from becoming 
trite is a particularly good one for country correspondents and 
can be used profitably by the editor. Some shops have a plac 
ard posted up in plain view which has on it the word or words 



72 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 



that shall not be used during a certain period of time. When 
new words have been found to express the same meaning, the 
old word or phrase will not be needed. 

It would be impossible to list all of the trite expressions 
found in country papers but some of the many will be found 
in the following group. All of these words and phrases have 
been taken from news stories in country papers. 



accompanied by 

acid test 

actual photographs 

affixed signature 

aired their troubles 

along the line of 

angry mob 

any way, shape, or form 

appeared on the scene 

appropriate exercises 

beggars description 

beyond peradventure of a doubt 

bids fair to become 

blushing bride 

bolt from the clear sky 

breakneck speed 

breathless silence 

brute force 

burly negro 

burning issue 

busy marts of trade 

California weather 

came to a head 

capable young man 

checkered career 

cheered to the echo 

city bastile 

city fathers 

clutches of the law 

community is saddened 

contracting parties 

cool as a cucumber 

crisp $5 bill 

crying need 

Dame Fashion 

Dan Cupid 

daring robber 

dark horse 

dastardly deed 

death car 

delicious refreshments 

denizens of the deep 

devouring element 

divine passion 

doing as well as can be expected 

downy couch 

dull, sickening thud 

dusky damsel 

elegantly gowned 



entertained lavishly 

facile pen 

fair sex 

fatal noose 

feature (as noun or verb) 

few well chosen words 

finny tribe 

floral offerings 

foeman worthy of his steel 

foregone conclusion 

fought like a tiger 

fragrant Havana 

gala attire 

giant pachyderm 

goes without saying 

gone to his reward 

good-natured crowd 

good time is assured all 

good time was had- by all 

grand old man 

great beyond 

grim reaper 

hard earned coin 

head over heels 

heart of the business section 

Herculean efforts 

high dudgeon. 

high noon 

honored with 

hotly contested 

hurled into eternity 

immaculate linen 

incontrovertible fact 

in durance vile 

infuriated animal 

is to be congratulated 

Jupiter Pluvius 

kind and loving 

land-office business 

large and enthusiastic audience 

last but not least 

last sad rites 

leave no stone unturned 

led to the Hymeneal altar 

light collation 

like rats in a trap 

limped into port 

long years 

loom up 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 



73 



luscious bivalve 

madly in love 

marriage was consummated 

milady 

minions of the law 

miraculous escape 

mob violence 

mooted question 

much interest was manifested 

musical circles 

mystery car 

natty suit 

neat sum 

neck of the woods 

never in the history of 

news leaked out 

noble work 

Old Sol 

on the sick list 

one of the best 

one of the most unique 

our noble pioneers 

painfully cut 

pale as death 

pass into history 

passed away 

passed on 

pillar of the church 

pool of blood 

poor little tots 

popular citizen 

present incumbent 

present day and generation 

presided at the punch bowl 

probe 

prominent business man 

promising young man 

psychological moment 

rash act 

received an ovation 

red letter day 

rendered a solo 

rooted to the spot 

royally entertained 

sable hearse 

sad rites 

sea of upturned faces 

select few 

sensational failure 



she tripped down the stairs 

signified his intention 

small but appreciative audience 

smile that won't come off 

smoking revolver 

social event of the season 

solemn black 

solon 

sorrowing widow 

speculation was rife 

spent the day 

spirited away 

staged (except in theater) 

steeled his nerve 

stern reality 

Sundayed 

swathed in bandages 

sweet child 

talented authoress 

the light fantastic 

theory exploded 

this broad land of ours 

this fair city 

this noble city 

this world's goods 

tidy sum 

tiny tots 

to the bitter end 

tonsorial parlor 

took things into his own hands 

toothsome viands 

tripped the light fantastic 

turned turtle 

typical Westerner 

under existing circumstances 

undercurrent of excitement 

unexpected occurrence 

union was blessed with children 

vale of tears 

venerable old man 

well-known clubman 

went to her final rest 

whipped out a gun 

white as a sheet 

will be long remembered 

will be missed by one and all 

wished her many more of them 

wonderful repast 

worked like Trojans 



CHAPTER VII 

BIG NEWS IN THE COUNTRY COMMUNITY 

LOCAL news has been found to be the first essential of the 
country newspaper, and an analysis of any number of country 
newspapers will show that there are certain kinds of local 
news that seem to be the foundation of the local service. 
In considering news stories for the front page of the country 
paper, several kinds of stories appear to have a place that 
is sure and certain. 

.^feto^^e^^-fe the city paper an obituary is run in small 
typeln an obscure part of the paper and must be paid for just 
as any kind of advertising. In the country paper the practice 
is diametrically opposed to this. Some one has said that a per 
son hears of a man only three times in his life: namely, when 
he is born, married, and buried. If such be the case it adds 
to the importance of the obituary. A death in a small town 
is an event. The person who dies was known to many of the 
residents of the town and had many friends there who were 
interested in him. It is not the fact that people like to hear 
of ; the death of a friend that makes the obituary such a big 
story in the smaller community, but rather that they wish 
that friend's passing to be recorded as a part of the history 
of the community and indirectly a part of the history of their 
own lives. 

A death occurs infrequently enough in a smaller community 
to be unusual. In the city where many die each day, news 
paper readers get used to reading of deaths and their interest 
is not held by a story of such frequent happening. Then too, 
in the city there is seldom any acquaintance with the person 
who dies, which, if there were, would make the story of 
interest to the average reader. 

The spirit of neighborliness in a small town makes everyone 
interested in everyone else. Whether the person who died was 
a particular friend of the man who lives a block up the street 

74 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 75 

does not matter so much, for he was a friend to some one else 
who was known to both. Interest in the community, in the 
people who have lived there and devoted their lives to building 
up the community, makes the obituary a big story in the small 
town newspaper. 

It is a common heritage that men think only of the good 
things of a man's life after he has died. This feeling of rever 
ence toward the dead makes the obituary of greater interest. 
Most country people like to feel that the neighbor who has 
died has been appreciated, and they want to see him spoken 
of creditably in the instrument that records the life happen 
ings of the community. This has led to many violations of 
journalistic laws in the country press, and the old idea that 
an obituary should contain praises of the departed is still held 
in many places. 

Writing the Obituary. Very often the pastor of the church 
to which the deceased person belonged writes the obituary. 
When the pastor understands writing for newspaper publica 
tion, this practice is a very good one; but too often he does not 
understand what constitutes news and injects a great deal of 
his own ideas and the comments of neighbors and friends into 
the obituary. In justice it must be said that he usually has all 
the facts necessary, so that the event is completely covered. 
Very often, too, he has an understanding of the person's life 
and his value to the community which makes it possible for 
him to write sympathetically, though frequently with less 
judiciousness than he should, 

First of all, the editor, if he is to write an obituary, should 
have all the facts concerning the person's life and death before 
him. He must write a short history of the person's life as well 
as the facts about his death. It is not sufficient to say that 
the man was born in such a year, lived here for the past ten 
years, and is survived by a wife and so many children. One 
must know something of what the man did for a living, the 
various positions that he held, and what success he attained 
in his calling. One must have an idea of the man's character 
and the esteem in which he was held by those who knew him, 
must know the man's personal history since coming to the 
town in which he died and the achievements that were big 
events in his life. If possible the facts concerning the man's 



76 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

boyhood and his education should be a part of the obituary. 
His family will be mentioned as his survivors, but no elaborate 
and heartrending passage need be used to say that his wife 
and children are still living. The editor needs to know where 
the funeral services were held ; who the officiating member of 
the clergy was, and when and where the burial took place. 
When there are a number of relatives and old friends from 
out of town attending the funeral this information is a part 
of the obituary. It is customary with many newspapers to 
carry an account of the funeral ceremony describing the serv 
ices and procession in detail and commenting upon the flora] 
offerings. When such an account is a statement of facts only 
it adds interest to the obituary, but when it becomes an expres 
sion of the writer's idea as to what an elaborate and fitting 
funeral ceremony ought to be, it is objectionable. 

There still are some newspapers that use obituaries filled 
with praise for the deceased, and editorial comment in the 
form of glowing terms applied to his life and work. Editorial 
comment in news stories is not infrequent, but there is more 
comment in the average obituary in the small- town newspaper 
than in all the news stories. It has never been proved that 
this praise of a dead person is objectionable from the reader's 
standpoint, but it is frowned upon by editors of the better 
newspapers because it does not present the news in a fair, un 
biased manner. In all probability there is no harm done by it, 
but also there is little good accomplished. If the paper has a 
policy of presenting fair, uncolored news in other stories, it 
should make an effort to do the same in obituaries. Yet in 
an analysis of one hundred country newspapers of the United 
States, made by the writer in 1926, editorial comment was 
found in the obituaries of papers whose news stories were 
entirely free from it. There still seems to be a vestige of the 
idea that the least an editor can do after a person is dead is 
to give him a certain amount of praise in his obituary. 

Words and Phrases to Avoid. Variations of "She was a 
kind and loving mother" occur in all of the obituaries of 
women which contain editorial comment of any kind. It has 
been suggested that no doubt the editor had first-hand infor 
mation and that the statement is true. Perhaps it is, but it is 
an expression of opinion and has been used so much that it has 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 77 

become a joke to the reader. "Leaves to mourn his loss/' and 
"Is survived by a sorrowing wife" were also found in many 
obituaries. An expression of sorrow is generally found in the 
obituary containing comment as well as some such statement 
as "The Press joins with the many friends in extending sym 
pathy to the bereaved ones." All of the words and phrases 
used to express the sorrow of the community and friends can 
not be given for they are too numerous. The same rules apply 
to editorial comment in obituaries that apply to news stories. 
The obituary is a news story, just as the record of any other 
happening is a news story, and should be written essentially as 
other stories are written. This does not mean that the obit 
uary should not have a tone which suggests dignity and an 
appreciation of the seriousness of the occasion. It should 
record sympathetically the passing of a friend and neighbor, 
but all this can be done without making the story read like a 
chapter from a melodrama or loading it with trite, worn-out 
words and phrases that are put in just because the editor 
thinks he must praise the dead. An obituary is a complete, 
short history of the dead person's life and an accurate, unbiased 
report of his death and burial. Flowery language and wordy 
sentences are to be avoided. Often an attempt at being ora 
torical is responsible for writing that cannot be read without 
provoking mirth and disgust. 

When a person has died it is not necessary to try to cover 
up that fact by saying that "he passed away" or "departed 
this life." Most newspapers of good standing today prefer 
the use of the word "die" to any paraphrase. References to a 
woman's work in the church are used by many, and are not 
objectionable when they are statements of fact. Actually, the 
only rule an editor needs in writing an obituary for the coun 
try paper, if he will follow it rigidly, is the one he follows in 
the rest of his work: "Record what happens, completely, 
fairly, and sympathetically, making sure that nothing is told 
that is not fact." _ y 

Use of Poetry in Obituaries. Some country newspapers still 
permit the use of poetry in the body or at the end of an obit 
uary. This is a relic brought down from the age when the 
editor inserted his own ideas and comment anywhere and 



78 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

everywhere in the newspaper. None of the country news 
papers investigated by the writer in 1925-6 that were finan 
cially sound and doing a paying business, allowed such a 
practice. The city newspapers permit it in some cases but it 
is run as paid advertising. Most of this verse is very homely 
and of a consolatory nature. It is often ludicrous and adds 
nothing to the well-written obituary. In all cases it is an 
injection of editorial comment; and even when well written 
serves only to bring forth more tears where many have already 
fallen. The tendency today in the best country journalism is 
to end the obituary when the facts have all been used and to 
suffix no poetry or comment when the story has been told. 
The following introductory passage was taken from an 
obituary appearing in a country newspaper in December, 1926. 
It shows the use of numerous trite phrases and the insertion 
of much editorial comment. Names have been changed. 

This week it becomes our sad duty 
to record the passing of one of our 
town's pioneer business men and a be 
loved citizen, John Doe, who passed to 
the Great Beyond Wednesday night at 
about 10 o'clock, following a long ill 
ness from cancer. His passing was not 
entirely unexpected, but his death comes 
as a sad blow to the community in which 
he has made his home the past 26 years. 
"Jack/' as he was familiarly known, was 
69 years of age at the time of his pass 
ing from this mortal sphere, and had 
not the dread disease gained such a firm 
hold he would have spent many more 
useful years. But He who is Father of 
all, and is all-wise, knoweth best, and 
we, His children abide with Him and 
His will, confident that he who lives an 
honest, upright life and departs this 
world goes to another world where all 
is perfect and sadness and sorrow is 
unknown. 

The obituary which follows shows the kind of interesting 
news story that a country editor can get about a death and the 
way in which it can be fairly and sympathetically written 
without the loss of dignity and seriousness. This example 
was taken from one of the very few country newspapers that 
can be found in the United States which have news free from 
editorial comment. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 79 

(From the Carrington Independent, Carrington, N. D.) 

HENRY DEXTER 
PIONEER FARMER 
PASSES AT EIGHTY 

Henry B. Dexter, Pioneer homesteader 
who on Nov. 13 was 80 years old, died 
late Wednesday evening at the home of 
his daughter Mrs. P. E, Puckett, of this 
city, where he had been staying since 
his retirement from active work. 

Funeral services are set tentatively for 
Sunday afternoon^ pending the arrival 
of relatives. The services will be con 
ducted from the Congregational church. 

Henry Dexter was born Nov. 13, 1849 
in Holland where he spent the early part 
of his life. He was married at the age 
of 28 years to Miss Elsie Bush; and the 
couple came to America in 1879, stopping 
first at New York, 'and going to Chat- 
field, Minn. They came to North 
Dakota in 1899, taking a homestead 14 
miles west of Carrington near the Hawk's 
Nest. Mrs. Dexter died in 1908 and in 
1912, Mr. Dexter sold the homestead. ^ 

He returned to Holland, married again, 
but in 1917 was forced to separate from 
his wife and return to America on ac 
count of the war. 

Six children who survive are: Mrs. 
D. W. O'Connell of Ray; Mrs. C. T. 
Boyd, Straubille, N. D., Francis Dexter 
of Mink, Mont., and Mrs. Puckett of 
this city. 

Twenty-two grandchildren and eight 
great-grandchildren also survive Mr. 
Dexter. 

Stories of weddings are nearly as fre 



quently found in the country papers as are obituaries. Be 
cause marriage is one of the main events in a person's life, 
the wedding story has a right to an important place in a coun 
try paper. Since it is important it should be well written. 
The first essential of a well written wedding story in the coun 
try paper is that it be^caSiBMe. I* 1 the city dailies little 
mention is made of the ordinary wedding and much space in 
the society columns is given only to stories of those people 



80 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

who in the small town would be known as the "400." Fortu 
nately for all concerned, the society of the small town does 
not have so many cliques and classes as in the city, and when 
a marriage takes place the chances are that the bride and 
bridegroom have many friends in the community who would 
like to see a good story of the affair. The ordinary wedding 
gets perhaps a few lines or no mention at all in the city daily, 
but in the country paper many wedding stories run more than 
a column. In order to write such a story the editor must have 
all of the facts at his disposal. 

It is not necessary to give a complete history of the con 
tracting parties in a wedding story as it is in an obituary, for 
most of the citizens of the town are acquainted with the figures 
in the wedding and know much of their history. Generally 
they are relatively young people who have lived most if not 
all of their lives in that community. It is necessary, however, 
to know many facts about the main characters. Their ;naoieSL 
are, of course, of most importance since names are the chief 
element of local news. Above all, the names in a wedding 
story must be right. Nothing is so irritating as to find that 
you have married off the wrong man or woman in the wedding 
story. 

Other facts necessary for the wedding story are those con 
nected with the life of the bride and groom and with the cere 
mony. The place of residence is important as well as the 
place where the couple will reside after they are at home to 
their friends. The history of either party before coming to the 
town is not so important as higjif,e,in Jthat L town, and in this 
paragraph a brief but complete summary can fee made. If 
the man has figured prominently in the affairs of the town, 
either political or economic, that fact is important in the wed 
ding story. It is not necessary to insert editorial comment to 
make readers see the necessary facts. The bride's identity is 
one of the important things concerning her because old friends 
will not recognize her by her new name unless they know 
who she was before her marriage. 

Not every wedding will make as good a news story as the 
one which has an elaborate ceremony, but the simple wedding 
should not go unnoticed. Too often the editor waits for the 
wedding with frills so that he can write a flowery story of the 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 81 

incidentals. When such a large ceremony is part of the wed 
ding it will be included in the story after making sure that 
the details are correct. In writing of the ceremony there are 
so many minor details that are considered of great importance 
that one is likely to forget some. The decorations, guests, 
friends and relatives who were present, the flowers, the dinner, 
the wedding program, and all the rest are important parts of 
the wedding story. The social and political importance of the 
guests who attend a wedding is generally considered of great 
interest and this fact is usually played up considerably in the 
story. 

The likelihood of offending some one by omitting something 
considered important by him is very great in -writing a wedding 
story for the country paper. The facts of the wedding are 
best obtained from the contracting parties themselves, or, if 
this is not possible, from the parents of the bride. There is 
no need to worry about their leaving anything out and the 
information will be complete, if not entirely usable. Still 
greater is the danger of making enemies by writing one wed 
ding up at length and giving another only scant attention. 
Every effort should be made to get all the news there is con 
cerning the affair and to use all of this news that can possibly 
be included in the story. There is no danger of making it too 
long; the complete, well- written wedding story makes many 
strong friends. It is obvious that irrelevant facts should^ not 
be included even though they are part of the information given 
to the editor. Personal gossip such as the financial affairs of 
the bride or groom should be omitted and only those facts 
included that the public has a right to know. Private affairs 
are not a legitimate part of a wedding story. 

Nothing is so offensive to an intelligent reader as a wishy- 
washy wedding story in which the writer has tried to be clever 
and has been only laughable. One editor who could not get 
the facts first hand used a letter from the bride as the wedding 
story. You can imagine the bride's consternation when she 
read: "I was attired in a blue georgette dress/' etc. ^Needless 
to say, the editor made many enemies by such an action. The 
rules governing the writing of other news stories apply with 
the same force to the writing of wedding stories, and nowhere 
does poor form become so noticeable. Puns and jokes are 



82 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

clearly out of place in a wedding story and the tone of the 
whole article should be one of seriousness as the occasion is 
itself. Whether or not the editor feels that a wedding is a com 
mon occurrence to be rather lightly regarded, he should re 
member that it is a big event in the lives of the couple being 
married. 

The elaborate church wedding demands a complete write- 
up and the way in which the story can be interestingly and 
completely written without the use of comment and opinion is 
shown by the following story from the Hartford (Conn.) 
Times. 

Miss Helen McLanahan, daughter of 
Mrs. George Xavier McLanahan of New- 
Haven, and Ellery S. Husted of Peeks- 
kill, N. Y., were married Monday after 
noon at 4:30 in Center church, New 
Haven. The church was decorated with 
pink roses. Two columns, entwined with 
pink roses and maidenhair fern stood 
at either side of an archway of roses 
on the church altar, a low screen of roses 
being across the entire front of the altar. 
Palms and ferns served as a background. 
The pews on the aisle were marked by 
small bouquets > of pink^ roses and 
maidenhair fern tied with pink tulle and 
placed at every fourth pew. Just before 
the wedding party entered the church, 
the ushers enclosed the pews with white 
tulle and over the white carpet laid an 
other one for the bride and her attend 
ants. The Rev. Dr. Charles Woods, 
pastor of the Church of the Covenant, 
Washington, D. C., which the McLana 
han family attends when living in their 
Q street home in Washington, assisted by 
the Rev. Oscar E. Maurer, pastor of the 
church, performed the ceremony, using 
the single ring service. 

The ten ushers preceded the bride up 
the aisle to the altar, and included Mr. 
Husted's three brothers, James W. 
Husted, Jr., Yale 1918; John G. W. 
Husted of Forest Street, Hartford, Yale 
1920; and Robert Husted, and the fol 
lowing classmates of the bridegroom: 
James P. Hendrick of New York; 
Walter Donahue of Seattle, Wash. ; Ed 
ward C. Smith, Jr., of Rye, N. Y.; John 
L. O'Brien of West Chazy, N. Y.; John 
Brooks of Bethel; Charles P. Stone, Jr., 
of Washington, D. C.; Stuart Symington 
of Baltimore, and Francis Comstock of 
New Haven, Miss Louise McLanahan, 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 83 

younger sister of the bride, who made 
her debut in Washington last season, was 
maid of honor. Mrs. William Stevenson. 
of New York, the former Miss Eleanor 
Bumstead of New Haven, was matron 
of honor. The bridesmaids included 
Miss Helen Curtis and Miss Cornelia 
Curtis of New York, cousins of the 
bride; Miss Eugenie Edmunds of St. 
Louis, Mo.; Miss Maude Smith of New 
York, and Miss Mary Nettleton of New 
Haven, who took the place of Misa 
Deborah Dixon of Baltimore, Md., who 
was suddenly taken ill. The bride entered 
the church with her brother, Duer 
McLanahan, Yale 1923, who gave her in 
marriage. She wore a white satin, 
princess model gown with a deep flounce 
of silver lace on the skirt, the sleeveless 
gown being studded with rhinestones and 
pearls. From her shoulders hung a court 
train of mousseline embroidered in pearls 
and rhinestones in a lily pattern, out 
lined in silver threads. Over this long 
train hung the tulle veil, which was ar-, 
ranged from a close-fitting cap of Burano 
lace which had been on her mother's 
wedding gown. She carried a shower 
bouquet of orchids and lilies-of-the- 
valley. 

At the altar, the bride was met by 
Mr. Husted and his best man, his 
brother, David R. Husted, also of the 
class of 1923 Yale. All of the bride's 
attendants were dressed alike in soft 
Nile green georgette made with full cir 
cular skirts trimmed with irregular band 
ings of gold braid, the long-waisted 
blouses finished at the neckline in back 
with a small bow with long streamers. 
The sleeves were long and tight, banded 
irregularly with the gold braid and made 
with frill cuffs which fell over the wrist. 
They wore picture hats of pale green 
horsehair with a cluster of roses droop 
ing off the right side. Their slippers 
were of gold kid, and they carried large 
bouquets of yellow Coolidge roses, with 
a scattering of blue sweet peas and blue 
Queen Anne's lace, and tied with heavy 
gold cloth ribbon. A large reception fol 
lowed on the grounds surrounding Mrs. 
McLanahan's home on Whitney Avenue. 
The natural beauty of the gardens lent 
a perfect background to the scene. In a 
large marquee there was a long table 
where the bridal party sat, rambler roses 
and maidenhair ferns outlining the table. 
The guests sat at small round tables 
placed outside the marquee, their deco- 



84 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

rations consisting of vases of spring 
flowers. 

A string orchestra played throughout 
the reception and later for dancing. 
Mrs. McLanahan, assisting in receiving 
the guests, wore a pale gray embroidered 
chiffon ensemble, with gown and cape 
matching, and a large horsehair hat of 
gray. Her corsage was of lavender 
orchids. Mr. and Mrs. Husted sailed 
this week for a European wedding trip. 
The bride is a graduate of Rosemary 
Hall, and was graduated with honors 
from Oxford University. Several seasons 
ago she was introduced to society in 
Washington. Mr. Husted, who was 
voted the most popular man of the class 
of 1923 at Yale, is now attending the 
Yale School of Fine Arts, department 
of architecture. Until he completes his 
course he and his bride will make their 
home in New Haven. Both Mr. and 
Mrs. Husted have been frequent visitors 
in Hartford. 



^r-An analysis of the front page of one hundred 
weekly newspapers published in 1926 revealed the fact that 
school news of some sort was a part of more than three-fourths 
of those pages. This shows clearly the importance of school 
news for the country paper. For practically every issue of 
the community paper, particularly every issue during the 
school term, there will be good, live school news that deserves 
front-page space. Some of the weeklies analyzed carried two 
or more columns of school news, which shows that there is an 
abundance of good school news if the editor wishes to get it. 
Many of the papers had a regular department of school news 
in addition to the stories that were important enough to be 
placed on the front page. 

Why School News Is Important. In the country community 
school news is of great importance because it is packed with 
local interest. The school system in the smaller community 
is one of the community's biggest institutions. In the very 
small communities, and to a certain extent in the larger ones 
also, practically everything that goes on during the school 
term is in some way connected with the school. The basket 
ball games are most frequently between the high school team 
and other high school teams and this athletic news is more 
interesting to readers of the community paper than is the big 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 85 

story of the baseball scandal in remote regions. The many en 
tertainments which the school sponsors, such as musicales, 
literary society programs, parent-teachers entertainment fea 
tures, home-talent plays and lyceum courses, make up a large 
part of the town's life. Very often the school will bring men 
to the community who are nationally known and whom local 
people would be able to hear in no other way. 

At special seasons of the year such as Thanksgiving, Christ 
mas, Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays, Easter, and Me 
morial Day, the schools have a large part in the exercises to 
commemorate the occasions. These various exercises are at 
tended by many if not most of the townspeople and make good 
news stories. 

Interest of All Taxpayers. Practically every taxpayer in 
the community is vitally interested in what the schools are 
doing because he is helping to support the schools. The 
amount of money that goes for school support is very often 
larger than that devoted to any other institution that the tax 
payers support. It is only natural that a man will want to 
know what is being done with his money and will be interested 
in the results the schools are getting. Whether he has any 
children in school or not, he is interested from the financial 
standpoint. It is true that some taxpayers are more interested 
in trying to find a way to cut down on the school's appropria 
tion, but others, because of this opposition, are that much 
more anxious that the school's good work be allowed to 
continue. 

Parents' Interest in Their Children. There is nothing in 
which average, honest parents are more interested than their 
children. No matter where people live, how good or how 
poor their circumstances, no matter what their education or 
abilities, no matter what their ideas or creeds, they always 
believe in their children. This is such a well-understood 
human trait that no one would question its existence. The 
school teacher knows how strong this feeling is because he 
has listened numerous times to Mrs. So-and-so tell what "an 
unusual child" little Roland or little Pete is, and may even 
have been confronted by an irate parent who thought that his 
or her boy or girl was not getting fair treatment. Business 
men in all lines of work realize the strength of this parental 



86 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

feeling and have learned the value of appealing to parents 
through their children. Recently, country editors have started 
to use the same idea and their subscription lists have increased 
accordingly. 

All news about children has a great appeal, but the news of 
the child in school has a greater appeal than most other kinds. 
The reason is that in school the child comes in contact with 
other children and begins to take an active part in life which 
teaches him the laws and privileges of society. Parents want 
to see how their children are adapting themselves, what ac 
complishments they are making, how they are succeeding in 
this school life which is a step toward the real one. If a father 
can't resist telling his friend about the cute thing the little 
baby does, how much harder is it for him to keep from telling 
about the honor that has just come to his son in high school. 
The activities of school life have a different significance for 
parents than the antics of the young child, and this significance 
is greater because of the association and competition which 
school life affords. 

Getting School News. Organizing news-gathering forces, 
always limited, to get all the school news has been a serious 
problem with some country editors. The system of visiting 
the school on certain days of the week and trying to get the 
news from teachers has been tried and sometimes proved a suc 
cess. If the teachers are trained to remember things of news 
interest that are going on or happen in their classes, this 
method will give good results. Very often it happens that the 
teacher has no "nose for news" and remembers nothing of 
interest, and then the editor must get his news from some 
other source. 

Another method that has been tried, sometimes with suc 
cess, is to have some student in each room or each high school 
class act as a reporter for the town paper and send in all the 
items of interest that he finds during the week. This works 
successfully with those students who are far enough advanced 
to realize the relative importance of happenings. It gives 
poor results in the rooms filled with smaller children. 

By far the best method country publishers have hit upon 
to get school news is the use of a section of the community 
paper for school news only. The school chooses a name for 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 87 

its section of the paper and writes its news as if it were putting 
out a real paper. Generally there is a regular organized staff 
with reporters who have certain beats to cover. This relieves 
the editor of a great deal of work and gives more complete 
news. It has the added advantage of exciting much interest 
among the students and making them work harder. They feel 
that this section of the paper belongs to them and they must 
make good to merit praise. Unless one has "been there" he 
cannot realize how the student feels who is successful in get 
ting his material printed. It is the thrill that comes once in a 
lifetime, but it can come every week. The editor usually re 
serves the right to edit the school copy so that it conforms 
to his paper's style, and generally there is a teacher in charge 
of the school organization of reporters. If this teacher is a 
good critic, the editor will have little to do. 

When the high school publishes a paper of its own the editor 
can get much of his news from the same staff that handles 
the school publication. Sometimes it is necessary to explain 
in detail to these students just why the same news in both 
papers will be a help to each of them. Even then the school 
staff may refuse to cooperate with the local editor and he 
must make other arrangements for his news-gathering. 

It is sometimes possible to get one high school student who 
is a live wire and a satisfactory writer to act as school reporter 
for the community paper. Most of the news can be secured 
through him and with the editor's assistance he will be able 
to cover adequately everything of news value. This reporter 
is paid for his services and also gets considerable honor from 
his position. 

Kinds of School News. While the editor with a real sense 
of news values will need little to tell him the things about 
school that make good news stories, a few suggestions as to 
the various kinds of school news that can be secured may 
prove helpful. At some time there will be news about: 

The building: new buildings, plans, additions or improve 
ments, need for larger quarters, need for more equipment, ad 
ditions to equipment, repairs of all kinds. 

Teachers: features on past experience and training, appoint 
ments, salaries, need for more teachers, teaching conditions. 

Activities: programs, societies, bands and orchestras, boys' 



88 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

and girls 3 clubs, athletic organizations, work of various rooms, 
exhibits, lyceum courses, plays, preparation for graduation 
and graduation exercises, projects. 

General: honor roll, scholarship, attendance, disciplinary 
measures, regulations, administration, books, parent-teachers 
organizations. 

.CljUcLcente 1 Organizations. Connected with the school are 
many organizations exclusively for children, and their activi 
ties make very good news. Among these organizations may 
be mentioned the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Girl Reserves, Camp 
Fire Girls, Four Square Club, Boy Pioneers, Boys' and Girls 7 
Project Clubs, Cooking Club, and numerous others. These 
groups have regular programs outlined for their work and 
accomplish many things of interest to parents. Meetings are 
usually held regularly and business of interest both to parents 
and children transacted. Although these organizations are 
strictly for boys and girls, yet what they do is of interest to 
the parents. Viewed in the light of doing something of endur 
ing worth and judged by the standard applied to groups of 
adults, these activities may not seem to the editor to be very 
important. The interest of parents in them, however, is in 
no way proportional to the seriousness of the results but 
rather to the number of children they have in the groups. 
This fact must not be lost sight of because it is the reason that 
news of all children's activities is so important, particularly 
in the small community. 

School Sport News^-All sport news is interesting and the 
sports events. In fact, most of the sport 



news that the country paper carries, except in the summer 
baseball season, will be about school athletics. Beginning in 
the fall with football or outdoor basketball, and lasting 
through the school term with basketball, baseball, track and 
other sports, there will be all kinds of sport news connected 
with school athletics. 

The way in which this news will be secured will depend upon 
the editor and the arrangements he makes. Some have found 
it advisable to send a man with the high school team when it 
makes a trip, particularly one on which several games will be 
played. There will be little difficulty in getting the news of 
events in the town because the editor can and should attend 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 89 

them. Other editors have found it possible to have one boy on 
each team in every kind of sport act as a reporter for the 
paper and give the editor the main facts upon the return of 
the team from another town. 

If there is the cooperation between the editor and the coach 
that there can and should be, there will be no trouble in get 
ting sport news connected with the school. Some coaches are 
paid a certain inch rate for all the sport news they give the 
paper. Others are content to write the stories for no pay, to 
be sure that sport news is fairly and completely presented. It 
means a great deal to a coach to have stories of his team's ac 
tivities and games carefully, accurately, and sympathetically 
written, and he is very anxious to cooperate with the editor 
in helping to get this done. The editor can help the coach a 
great deal and the coach can in turn do the editor many a good 
turn. Such cooperation between editor and coach assures 
local readers of all the sport news about all events and insures 
them of an intelligent interpretation of the results. This ar 
rangement will not lead to a domination of the sport news by 
the coach, unless the editor is afraid to assert himself. Many 
country editors are using such a system of getting sport news 
with good success. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE COMMUNITY PAPER'S NEWS POLICY 

"All the News That's Fit to Print." This is the slogan of 
several newspapers in the United States whose editors realize 
that in order to publish the right kind of newspaper they must 
exercise carefully a well-defined critical function. Perhaps 
there are still some editors who believe that "anything that 
the Lord lets happen is good enough to be published/ 7 but at 
least in country journalism these editors are very few. The 
difference between news that is fit to print and news that needs 
to be printed is also very great. There are times when the 
country editor gets a story which, while it will not cause any 
great furor in the community, is, nevertheless, very poor mate 
rial for him to publish. 

Country editors, that is, the best of them ; have come to the 
conclusion that the best slogan for the country paper is "All 
the news that ought to be printed/' or, in other words, the 
news which is of a constructive nature. One who reads the city 
papers every day can hardly reconcile this idea with the prac 
tice of some city dailies which print anything and everything 
that happens, being careful only to omit any news that would 
injure some one who is a power in the group of "higher ups." 
In this, as in many other things, there is a wide difference 
..beiween country journalism and city journalism. 
/ Country and City Contrasted. The reason that a country 
editor does not print much news of the kind carried by city 
papers is that he is dealing with a different class of people 
^Hnder widely different conditions. You are not shocked when 
yoUf^ead in your city daily that some person whom you have 
n^ver heard of has been arrested on a charge of stealing. You 
fare used to seeing such accounts and you read them out of 
curiosity, just to know what has been going on. What is your 
feeling, however, if you read in the little country paper that 
an old friend of yours has been arrested on a charge of steal- 

90 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 91 

ing? You are immediately affected because the man is a friend 
of yours. "There must be some mistake/ 3 you say, and you 
are very anxious to have the arrested man proved innocent. 
The difference lies in the extent of your interest, in the degree 
to which the two accounts affect you. 

In the city, a crime is just so much news, no matter who 
committed it, and very few persons are affected by the publish 
ing of the news. In the country, a crime of any kind is a ca 
lamity, not only for the man who is accused of committing it 
but for all his relatives, for all his friends and ultimately for 
the entire community. Very few persons are affected in the 
city simply because very few know the man or any of his 
friends. 

The man who violates the law in a big city is tried, pays his 
fine or does his time in jail and then goes to another part of the 
city to start up in business again or to make his living as he 
did before. The man who violates a law in the country com 
munity is an outcast for the rest of his life as far as that com 
munity is concerned. Will it help to broadcast his mistakes 
and misfortunes and to lower him still more in the eyes of his 
former friends? Unless you have lived in a country commun 
ity you cannot imagine the harm that can be done by destruc 
tive writing about some individual. Least of all can you 
imagine the heartaches, the misery and grief that parading a 
man's misfortunes can cause to his friends in his community. 
The damage that can be done to a man's family by giving 
publicity to his mistakes in the country paper can never be 
repaired. Such a story can do no good and hurts everyone in 
that community. 

The Herington (Kansas) Sun treats news of crime and mis 
demeanors in a way that will not necessarily expose the offend 
ers to ridicule but will serve to warn others that the law is 
enforced. 

A Herington man was accused of using 
boisterous and profane language on the 
street Sunday night in such a manner 
as to annoy and offend passers-by, many 
of whom were going home from church. 
Judge Schuyler finally convinced him 
that ten dollars would be about right, or, 
he could make big ones into little ones. 
He paid. 



92 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

The Sympathetic Attitude. What Does It Mean? -"Sym- 
pathetic" is one of the most used and least understood words 
in the language. To some persons it means lending whatever 
aid they can in helping those who are much less fortunate than 
themselves, that is, those who are "all in, down, and out." To 
others, no one is ever out although he may be down and they 
are sympathetic when they help that person to help himself. 
To some, sympathetic means looking out for the best interests 
of those who are the most powerful, who have the most money 
and the most "pull" in that community. To some, sympa 
thetic really means hypocrisy, the wearing of a long face when 
misfortune hits some one with whom they are not in the least 
concerned. These in the latter class, the hypocrites, are dead 
wood in the community structure ; they are weeds in the com 
munity garden. 

To the constructive community editor, sympathetic means 
doing the kind deed and saying the kind word to help everyone 
he can in every way he can. It means recording in his little 
history of the community those thoughts, words, and deeds 
which go to make the community a better place and to help 
members of the community to be the best possible citizens. 
Sympathy, to this ideal editor, is the key to the door which 
opens upon happiness. It is his guiding principle of life. 

In determining what stories should be printed in a country 
paper and the way in which stories are to be written, a sym 
pathetic attitude of mind will guide the country editor. In 
stead of saying that John Smith closed his place of business 
Saturday because he found that it was a total failure, the sym 
pathetic country editor will record only the facts and will say 
that John Smith closed his business because he thought he 
had better prospects somewhere else. 

Below are two stories about the same happening. Which 
one is written sympathetically, and which will do more good? 

Mr. and Mrs. John Doe, who came 
to this city with the idea of making 
quick money in the restaurant business 
some five years ago, have sold their 
place of business and have given up the 
work as a bad job. Expenses were so 
great, according to Mr. Doe, that there 
was no money to be made in this par 
ticular community. Things have gone 
from bad to worse, especially in the 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM ' 93 

last year because several other restau 
rants have opened up and the competi 
tion has been much keener. Lately the 
restaurant has been frequented by char 
acters of questionable worth and the 
place has been under the suspicion of 
members of the police force. A party 
will be given for Mr. and Mrs. Doe by 
some friends on Thursday night as they 
leave Friday morning for Minneapolis 
where Mr. Doe is to be employed as 
manager of one of Kirby's restaurants. 

Friends of Mr. and Mrs. John Doe, 
who for the past five years have 9perated 
the Cozy restaurant in our city, will 
give them a farewell party Thursday 
evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. 
John Smith. Mr. Doe has sold his place 
of business and leaves to become the 
manager of one of Kirby's restaurants 
in Minneapolis. The Kirby restaurants 
are a national institution known all over 
the country. Mr. Doe formerly worked 
for the Kirby company before coming 
to this city. 

Mr. and Mrs. Doe came here five 
years ago from Thomtown and upon 
taking over the old Cozy restaurant, had 
it repaired and made into an up-to-date 
eating house. Mr. Doe believes that 
since several restaurants have been 
established here during the past year or 
two he will d9 better, in a business way, 
in Minneapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Doe will 
leave for their new^ home in the big 
city on Friday morning. 

The editor had the same set of facts with which to write 
each story but the way he used those facts made a world of 
difference. In this case the reputation of the man would 
have suffered only in the memory of those who remained be 
hind, but if that man should have ever wanted to come back 
to the local community he would not have found very much of 
a welcome or many friends, had the first story been run. 

Lastly, and most important, running the first story cannot 
possibly help a single person in the community nor the com 
munity itself. It is full of bile and bitter, mean statements. 
Even the fact that the place has been under the suspicion of 
the police, although true, is near-libelous material. It will 
not help anyone to say these words, and the paper has no right 
to cast reflection on anyone until something is definitely found 
in violation of the law. Taking everything into consideration, 



94 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

the story written by the sympathetic editor who knows that 
he can't do any good by stating distasteful facts, is far better 
for all concerned. 

The Community Betterment Policy. Every story that ap 
pears in the country paper either adds to the value of the 
community or detracts from it. Be it ever so little difference 
that a two-line local makes, nevertheless it does make a dif 
ference. Since the editor is the proprietor of a community 
institution, he is interested in making that community a good 
place to live in and a good place for his business. If he is wise 
he will do all in his power, which is much, to make readers 
think that the community is up and coming, that it is pros 
perous and that it is peopled with the best men and women. 

To do this the editor does not have to load his stories with 
editorial comment,, nor does he have to fabricate material. 
All he needs to do is to choose his news with the evident idea 
in mind of doing the most good to the greatest number in 
his community. It takes a long time to overcome the effects 
of one article which attempts to show everyone that the com 
munity is a veritable graveyard, or a nest of criminals. On 
the other hand, a well-written account of the good things 
which happen in that community will make p'eople proud that 
it is their home, and when they are in that mood everyone is 
happy and prosperous. 

On the editorial page, the wise country editor calls the com 
munity's attention to the good things that have happened in 
the community. He tells the readers about one of their neigh 
bors who has achieved something which is worth while or 
about a man who has done noble work. He also calls readers' 
attention to the fact that right here in the local community 
are business men who deserve and need the support of local 
buyers. Every chance the editor gets to boost local business 
men, local institutions, and all home-town folks, he does it 
because it means a happy, prosperous community. 

Since the editor has a page upon which he can place his 
comment, and since he believes in giving news facts free from 
comment, he exercises his critical judgment in determining 
what kind of news will benefit the community. Any news 
which will be to the detriment of the town and community 
is clearly not good news for anyone. The country editor be- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 95 

lieves that by choosing his news so that he prints only that 
which in the end makes for community betterment, he is 
fulfilling the function of a good news recorder for the country 
community. 

Private Affairs. Just What Is Private? Although gossip 
flows, freely in a country town, the editor who makes a prac 
tice of printing everything he hears is sure to be sorry. 
The subjects of the gossip in the small town range anywhere 
from what John Brown spent his last pay check for to the mari 
tal troubles of Mr. and Mrs. John Doe. The gossipy person 
knows no limits, respects no one's opinion, and has no concep 
tion of what the right of privacy is. As long as the topic is 
interesting to the gossip he will talk about it in any manner 
that pleases him. 

The country editor must realize that there are certain things 
which the readers of his paper have no right to know about. 
For instance, as long as John Brown does not do anything that 
affects the rest of the residents in the community he may 
spend his last pay check as he pleases, and the way he spends 
it should not be told in the paper. What Mr. Smith thinks 
or says in private "about some one else has no place as a story 
in the country paper, even if Mr. Smith should want it printed 
there, which is very improbable unless it is complimentary. 
These things are simply not matters for publication as they 
concern only private parties and in no way affect the public 
at large. 

The marital troubles of members of the community are no 
one's business but their own until they become public by some 
violation of law or some public step. In the story which is 
to follow, under "Bad Taste in News Writing/' the fact that 
a man proposed to a woman and married her a very short time 
afterward is his own business; it did not affect the public in 
any way and was therefore a private matter which should 
never have seen the printed page. So insatiable is some per 
sons' curiosity that they cannot recognize anything as private. 
Besides showing very poor taste, such material is generally 
exceedingly libelous because it may injure a man's reputation. 
Bad Taste in News Writing. What possible interest any 
one could have in satirizing a woman's life after she is dead, is 



96 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

hard for an ordinary person with human compassion to realize. 
Saying the unkind word is bad enough when a person is alive, 
but to say it after death, is little and inhuman. In the story 
which follows some one has tried to publish all he could of that 
which would hurt everyone connected with the person who 
died. Bad taste in news writing for the country paper could not 
be more clearly demonstrated than in this atrocious article. It 
is nothing less than barbarous in its content and primitive in 
its style. What affairs are private if many of those mentioned 
in this story are not? What can a person do or say in this 
life that will not be forced on readers of the country paper if 
such stories are allowed to be published? 

Anything shows bad taste in news writing that offends read 
ers and makes them feel ashamed of the editor who would 
permit such material to be run. No one, surely, with any 
real community spirit in him, or any sense of shame for that 
matter, can read this story and not feel ashamed for the one 
who wrote it. The story contains all the faults that can be 
found in stories in country papers: it is full of comment; it 
parades all the private affairs of the individual; it satirizes and 
seeks to shame a person who is now dead; it is libelous and 
attempts to ruin a man and his business; it exhibits the poor 
est taste in choice of material and in style that could appear. 
This story appeared in a country paper in 1926, 

FANNIE ALLEN 

PASSES AWAY IN 

JACKSONVILLE 



Mrs. Fannie (Allen) Brunaugh, "belle" 
of Griggsyille during her girlhood days, 
died destitute and alone at the state 
hospital in Jacksonville early Friday 
morning. Many middle-aged Griggsville 
and Pittsfield people remember her as 
a ^ charming hostess and lavish enter 
tainer. An undertaker notified of her 
death did not take charge until he learned 
that if relatives refused to pay the funeral 
expenses the county, was liable. Mrs. 
Brunaugh's remains were taken to 
Griggsville. Interment was on the lot 
of her father, the late Robert Allen. 

Mrs. Brunaugh was 56 years old. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 97 

She seems to have become aged and 
disappointed with life soon after going 
broke a year or more ago. She had con 
siderable money from her father's estate. 
In January 1926, she married H. B. Brun 
augh of Pike Station. She was his third 
wife and their acquaintance was brief. 
She advertised for a job as housekeeper 
and Brunaugh made her an offer, going 
over to Griggsville to make the deal 
and take her home. Enroute he sug 
gested marriage and they went to Hanni 
bal, married, and then began housekeep 
ing at Pike Station. He and his brother, 
W. W. Brunaugh make a scant living in 
the grocery business there and Mrs. 
Brunaugh, who liked good clothes, got 
very few new dresses. Things went from 
bad to worse and seven months after the 
marriage she came to Pittsfield in a 
dazed condition. She wandered about 
town three days early in August and the 
matter was called to the attention of 
the state's attorney. Mr. Johnston 
phoned Brunaugh, who showed up a few 
days later, when he learned that she had 
been taken to the county farm. Finally 
he signed a petition to have her sub 
jected to an insanity inquisition, and 
she was placed in the state hospital. 
Mrs. Brunaugh at no time found fault 
with her husband saying only that he 
was unkind. Although sick in mind she 
seemed to understand that she had no 
grounds for a divorce. She had been in 
the hospital about .one month and had 
at no time shown improvement. 

The husband was notified of her 
death Friday and left his home at Pike 
Station at once expecting to reach 
Griggsville in time for the funeral. On 
arriving in Pittsfield late Friday night he 
learned that the roads were bad and 
decided to wait and go over on the 
morning train. Because 2200 feet of 
track was under water the train did not 
run to Maysville. He stayed at the 
depot and took the first bus out at 11 
a. m., reaching Maysville at noon. No 
main line trains went through east and 
at 3 o'clock he was still there. He did 
not walk the 3-mile stretch to Griggs 
ville. The funeral was to have been 
held Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock but 
was for some reason postponed until 
Monday. 

Treatment of Juvenile Delinquency News. It has become a 
policy within recent years, even with many city newspapers, 



98 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

to treat news of juvenile delinquency cases in a manner dif 
ferent from that employed when adults are concerned. Edi 
tors have realized that to publish indiscriminately the accounts 
of wrongdoing by children instead of helping to make matters 
right, serves only as a suggestion to other immature minds. 
When one considers that many young boys who have been 
found guilty of crimes have confessed that they "saw 'em do it 
in the movies" and were thus led to attempt something they 
knew to be unlawful, the carefulness needed in the handling 
of juvenile delinquency news becomes apparent. Not only is 
there grave danger in printing a story about a child criminal 
that others will be led by the love of fame and publicity to 
attempt the same thing, but there is also much danger of doing 
other damage that can never be repaired. Knowing that these 
dangers exist, therefore, many editors have come to treat 
juvenile delinquency news with great care. 

The editor can do much good by publishing the news of 
petty crimes in such a manner that those who might be led 
to attempt such crimes will be warned that they can only 
come to grief by doing so. A child is quick to learn. If he is 
so impressed by the account in the local paper of something 
wrong that he can imagine himself being punished should he 
try the same thing, you may rest assured that he will not try it. 
If, on the other hand, he cannot see the wrong in the action 
but sees only the notoriety brought to the culprit he will be 
very likely to want that notoriety himself. 

Editors have sought for a way to present news of juvenile 
delinquency which would impress children with the fact that 
punishment, grief, and disgrace inevitably follow wrongdoing 
and at the same time would not make the child an outcast 
from his comrades and would not bring disgrace to his parents. 
The method of handling news of juvenile delinquency most in 
use among country papers today is that of giving the bare 
facts of the news that concern the public at large and omitting 
the names or any statements that would point out individ 
uals. This is the best method now known from the stand 
point of trying to do the greatest good to the greatest number. 

The following story is an example of the kind that can do 
much harm to the child, to his parents, and to the community 
at large. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 99 

LOCAL BOYS ARRESTED 

Two of our local boys, John Doe 
and Richard Roe, were taken up by the 
juvenile delinquency authorities last 
Saturday on a charge of breaking into 
the candy warehouse of Spear & Gross, 
merchants. It is reported that these 
boys have committed other minor crimes 
and misdemeanors during the past three 
months and recently have become quite 
daring. They will be brought before 
the juvenile court which meets this week 
and will be given a hearing. Their par 
ents have been notified to report with 
the boys on Thursday morning. If the 
boys are found to have done what au 
thorities suspect them of, they will be 
sent to the State Reform School until 
they are eighteen years old. They are 
now a little more than thirteen years 
old. 

The above story, besides containing many suppositions not 
at all founded upon the facts at hand, is the kind that can 
only cause many persons a great deal of grief. The way in 
which such news can be constructively handled is shown by the 
following write-up of the same happening. 

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY NEWS 

Two 13-year old boys of this city were 
taken in charge by juvenile delinquency 
authorities last Saturday and will be 
given a hearing before Judge Harker on 
Thursday morning. The boys are alleged 
to have entered the candy warehouse of 
Spear & Gross, merchants, and to have 
committed several other violations of 
the law. The^ authorities state that all 
boys who persist in wrong-doing will be 
severely punished. 

Suppression of News. The question whether an editor 
should suppress all facts in connection with something un 
favorable to members of the community will have to be de 
cided with each individual case in mind. Some editors believe 
in publishing only that news which is definitely boosting the 
community, and in suppressing everything which would give 
the community or any member of it a bad, name. They believe 
this to be the best policy since the news of misdeeds will 
travel fast enough in the small community without being 
printed. Unless they see that some positive good will come of 



100 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

publishing the news, they do not print it. This would seem 
to be the wisest policy to follow in all cases and will decide 
for the editor what to print and what to ignore. Suppression 
in such cases, of the facts that would add misery to woe seems 
justified. 

There is one type of suppression of news facts, however, 
that has nothing to recommend it. That is the suppression 
of news which would put some one in a bad light who is a 
power in the community. Money is a great wedge with which 
men can often gain entrance to the royal class which "can do 
no wrong." If it is wrong for one member of the community to 
get drunk and disturb the peace, it should be equally wrong 
for another. There is no defense for the article which tells of 
several men doing wrong and omits mention of some persons 
who did as much or more but who are privileged characters. 

In a certain instance three men in a country town were 
arrested for cattle stealing. Two were day laborers who had 
been hired for the job and the third was a man of considerable 
wealth and prominence in the community. The two laborers 
were put in jail because they couldn't put up a big enough 
bond, and the brains of the combination went free under bond. 
The following article is similar to the one that appeared in the 
country paper. 

John Doe, and Richard Roe, two well- 
known citizens of Milton, are lodged in 
the county bastile where they will be 
held until they are tried before the dis 
trict court, as they failed to furnish 
bond. They were arrested on a charge 
of stealing more than 100 head of cattle 
from several farmers in the Cat Creek 
district. 

It is obvious that money and influence were responsible for 
the suppression of the news facts about the third man ar 
rested. The only fair policy to follow in such cases is either to 
suppress all facts or none, provided that the editor doesn't 
think it right to give the news facts without names. If any 
facts should have been suppressed those concerning the misfor 
tune and mistake of the poor men should certainly have been 
left put. The amount of harm that could have been done to 
the individual of wealth and power was very slight compared 
to the ruin that could have been brought to his colleagues. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 101 

Unfortunately, to some editors the thought of offending any 
one who is influential is so fearful that they will do many 
things against their better judgment to keep that person's 
favor. 

Publicity News. Although this subject is considered under 
"Copyreading" it is closely connected with news policy. Every 
country editor receives reams of typewritten and printed copy 
both through the mail and from the local agents of national 
companies which is publicity material for those companies. 
What shall the editor do with this material? Much of it has 
considerable news value, but all of it is intended to further 
the interests of the firm which sent it out. There are two 
extreme policies that may be followed and one which lies be 
tween the extremes. 

Some editors follow a strict rule that all such copy shall 
be thrown into the waste basket. The reasons for this rule are 
that very little of the material has news of strong local inter 
est, and the editor feels that he is giving away space that 
should be paid for. Others feel that all such material is good 
time copy, and use it indiscriminately wherever it will fit. 
These editors believe that even if the copy is publicity mate 
rial it has news value and is very handy when some "filler" is 
needed. 

The more common practice, and what would seem to be 
the more reasonable one, is carefully to edit all such public 
ity material, and if sufficient news of strong local interest is 
found in the copy to make it worth publishing in a community 
paper it is published. There are times when a story sent out 
by an automobile concern, let us say, has news in it about a 
change in models for the coming year. Local readers will be 
interested in these facts because some of them may be con 
sidering buying a new car. In such a case the editor will pick 
out the facts that he knows will interest local readers and make 
a story with those facts. All of the padding that is in the 
original copy is deleted because it has little or no interest 
for readers of the community paper. 

Agricultural news is treated in much the same way. Those 
tests, experiments, observations, and schemes that are of in 
terest to local farmers are used, and the vast amount of mate 
rial which cannot apply to local conditions is thrown away. 



102 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Most editors try to connect the agricultural college copy with 
something of strong local interest whenever this is possible. 

Movie Publicity. In this connection must be considered the 
publicity material that is brought in by the manager of the 
local movie theaters. It is an accepted fact that most readers 
of the community paper want to know what the characteristics 
of the coming production are, but it is also generally known 
that much of the material put out by movie publicity agents 
is padding and comment. Some editors have established the 
rule of limiting stories about coming productions to the bare 
facts, cutting out all editorial words and phrases which try to 
get the reader to attend the show. Unless the one who writes 
the story has seen the movie he doesn't know whether it is 
worth recommending or not, and yet many editors take the 
movie agent's word that the picture is wonderful. The safest 
policy is that of giving all the straight news facts about the 
play, such as the name, the actors and actresses, time, place, 
and a brief summary. The urging to attend belongs in a 
paid advertisement. 

The following story illustrates very clearly the kind of pub 
licity sent out by movie publicity agents and often run in 
country papers. The facts of local interest can all be written 
in one short paragraph. 

IBANEZ' "TORRENT" IS 

A GREAT PICTURE 



Tangled motives tangled as life itself, 
and indeed the picture is life mark one 
of the most astounding plots ever given 
the screen, and make one of the most 
remarkable departures from the usual 
type of picture seen in years, in the 
great Cosmopolitan production of 
"Ibanez' Torrent." 

It is sure entertainment but enter 
tainment of so new a type that it 
makes one gasp at its sheer original 
ity. It has pathos, drama, spectacle, 
thrills all blended into a whole that 
holds one enthralled, and, as is the 
case with a really great work of art, 
one realizes, when it is over, that one 
has learned a great truth. 

Vincente Blasco Ibanez, author of 
"The Four Horsemen," has given the 
world a screen classic in "The Tor- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 103 

rent," and Ricardo Cortez, who plays 
its hero, has shown the world a new 
Cortez, a romantic hero who can also 
prove himself a peer of character 
actors. It is the American debut, too, 
of Greta Garbo, the brilliant Swedish 
star, and a more glittering opportu 
nity could not have been afforded her. 

"The Torrent," which will be shown 
at the Community theatre, Saturday, 
Nov. 27th, is indeed a different type 
of picture. It lays a foundation by a 
sketch of the popular rumors and pop 
ular scandals in the life of an opera 
star and then goes below the surface. 
It is the heart croy of every actress 
who basks in the public gaze and 
sometimes shrinks under public cen 
sure only too often undeserved. It is 
great because it is wonderfully told, 
wonderfully acted and because it is 
true. 

Technically, it has everything; the 
drama of broken hearts and misunder 
standings ; the thrills of a vast - storm 
that sweeps the countryside before it; 
daring rescues, delicate comedy situa 
tions everything that entertains. 

Ricardo Cortez has a Spanish role 
of a new type as the young statesman 
and Miss Garbo is a vivid and colorful 
prima donna. Gertrude Olmsted is 
beautiful as the Spanish wife, and 
Arthur Edmund Carew, as the sinister 
"Salvatti," is a commandingly realistic 
character. Tully Marshall, as the dour 
"Don Andreas/' has a role on a par with 
his "Merry Widow" success. Others 
with adequate parts are Martha Mattox, 
Lucy Beaumont, Edward Connelly, Lu- 
cien Littlefield, Mack Swain, and Lillian 
Leighton. Monta Bell's direction was 
superb. 

Admission 10 and 25c. 

Taking the facts out of the above exaggerated editorial mass 
of words, the story may be rewritten for country newspaper 
readers in this way: 

IBANEZ' "TORRENT" TO 

BE SHOWN HERE SATURDAY 

"The Torrent," the moving picture 
production that will be shown at the 
community Theater Saturday, Nov. 27, 
was written by Vicente Blasco Ibanez, 
author of "The Four Horsemen of the 
Apocalypse." Ricardo Cortez will play 
the part of the hero and Greta Garbo, 



104 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Swedish star, will make her American 
debut as the prima donna. Gertrude 
Olmstead is the Spanish wife, Arthur 
Edmund Carew is "Calvatti" the sinister 
villain, and Tully Marshall, who was a 
success in "The Merry Widow," will play 
the part of "Don Andreas." 

Other actors and actresses in the pic 
ture are Martha Mattox, Lucy Beau 
mont, Edward Connelly, m Lucien Little- 
field, Mack Swain, and Lillian Leighton. 
Monta Bell directed the making of the 
picture. 

"The Torrent" is a picture dealing 
with the popular rumors and scandals in 
the life of an opera star and shows that 
many of these rumors are not founded 
upon fact. The heart of the actress, her 
real life, and how she feels and acts, are 
shown as the action progresses. 

"Suggestive" or Shopping News. There are certain local 
news stories which are so similar to free advertising that they 
would do very well for the copy of an advertisement. This is 
the kind of news which is full of suggestions concerning the 
use of certain products. A reader has a right to know where 
he can get the best bargain in food stuffs or clothing, but it is 
the advertisers' business to inform him of these facts. 
Every advertisement, if properly written, will contain much 
newsy material, but it is advertising and not straight news. 
When Johnson and Company, grocers, get in a fresh carload 
of apples, this is news to the residents of the town. Should 
the editor then run a news story telling the people that John 
son and Company have a carload of fresh apples and that they 
are selling very reasonably? Obviously, this is advertising 
copy and not news material. If Johnson and Company want 
the people to know about their products they may tell them 
through an advertisement of some kind. The editor's duty to 
his readers does not include the writing of advertising news 
stories. 

It has been said that a reader should get this matter so that 
he may be wisely guided in his purchases. If this is true, 
should the editor write in favor of all the products advertised 
in his paper or just a few? If he neglects some, he will make 
enemies; if he writes on all of them he will fill his paper with 
out getting the local news. Unless the news value of a given 
thing is great enough to give it place in the news columns 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 105 

without using advertising material, it is not a subject for a 
news story. It is very well to say that householders should 
know where to buy the paint and other things they need to 
clean up and repair with, but it is not the editor's place to 
tell them where to get it. His feature stories are for the pur 
pose of giving general information and inspiration on the sub 
jects of cleaning up and painting, not to draw attention to one 
merchant or one product. He writes to arouse interest in the 
entire subject so that his town will look well and be clean. 
If this helps the local merchants, and it should do so, he has 
helped them in a legitimate manner, not by making his news 
columns receptacles for advertising. 

These suggestive news stories are here considered because 
it has been advocated that the editor should write such news 
to supplement advertising. When news concerns a subject 
similar to something in a paid advertisement, that news may 
be placed next to the advertisement. No attempt should be 
made to "make" suggestive news which must of necessity be 
part advertising. There will be enough local news to draw 
attention to the advertisements if the local field is well cov 
ered and the association of similar news and advertising is 
made a rule of make-up. 



CHAPTER IX 

THE USE OP EDITORIAL COMMENT IN NEWS STORIES 

CERTAIN country editors have long contended that the use of 
editorial "flowers" and "puffs" in writing news stories was an 
aid to the paper commercially, and that the paper that used 
uncolored or "flat" news would not be as financially successful 
as the one using news with "harmless" comment. Believing 
that the student of country journalism should have some 
scientific knowledge about this question on which to base his 
judgment, the writer in 1926 made a study of one hundred 
American weekly newspapers to determine: (1) What kind of 
comment was being used in news stories, and (2) Whether the 
use of this comment was an aid to the paper commercially. 

The one hundred papers, representing forty-three states and 
ranging in size from four pages to twenty pages, were thor 
oughly read through and each piece of editorial comment or 
opinion in news stories was marked and the total amount in 
each paper measured by the column inch. The comment and 
opinion was classified according to its purpose, or in other 
words, according to what it did, and all adjectives and adverbs 
used in an editorial sense were counted. By arranging the 
statistics showing the per cent of local news with comment 
and the number of inches of advertising of various kinds that 
each paper contained, it was possible to draw some conclusions 
in regard to the financial success of the papers. 

Three examples of editorial comment found in news stories 
in these papers follow: 

Chester Munspn returned Wednesday 
and will remain 'at home for the winter. 
Chester is a good man for the Markville 
band and we are glad to have him back 
again. 

This community is saddened by the 
death of Oliver Davis, better known as 
"Bogie." He passed away at the Au- 
drain hospital at five o'clock on Mon- 

10ft 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 107 

day, August 31st. He will be greatly 
missed by one and all. 

They come high, these jovial ones, 
who know little of the theory of public 
economics, yet by sheer nerve make a 
blithe assurance pass for practical wis 
dom. 

The primary is the first move in the 
citizens' course of public education. 
Where all pay the bills it is only com 
mon prudence to see to it that the right 
people contract them. Think it over. 

Many more examples could be given but they are similar to 
these in tone and content. 

Classification o Comment in News Stories. Since each 
piece of comment was different in wording from every other 
piece of comment it was impossible to classify comment ac 
cording to the words used. The classification was therefore 
made according to purpose rather than word content; for in 
stance, it was possible and reasonable to place together all of 
the examples of comment that did a certain thing, such as 
praising a local living man or a local institution. * This classi 
fication was for the purpose of determining what the comment 
did rather than what it actually said. 

There were in the one hundred papers analyzed, 2,166 ex 
amples of editorial comment in the news columns. This means 
only that various types of editorial comment occurred that 
number of times. Sometimes the comment was a word, some 
times a phrase, sometimes a clause, and in 107 instances it 
consisted of entire articles which were editorial in tone and 
content. These articles were therefore such complete editor 
ials that no part of them could be set aside as news free from 
editorial comment* 

A better idea of the classification of comment can be gained 
by an account of what the "average" paper, if there were such 
a thing, would contain. This average was determined by the 
frequency of occurrence of different kinds of comment. The 
"average" paper would contain: 

1. Two or three reflections or afterthoughts by the editor. 

2. Two or three paragraphs of reader advertising, not la 

beled, in the news columns. 

3. Comment in praise of a local living man, twice. 



108 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

4. Comment expressing opinion for the public or some part 

of it, once or twice. 

5. More than one editorial sentence or paragraph. 

6. More than one article entirely editorial in tone and con 

tent. 

7. Generally one piece of comment drawing a conclusion or 

making an assumption. 

8. One or two pieces of comment either: 

a. In praise of local musicians, singers, dancers, etc., or 

b. Giving advice, suggestions, or commands to do 

something. 

9. One or two pieces of comment either : 

a. In praise of a local living woman, or 

b. Predicting success for some one or something. 

10. One either: 

a. In praise of a local institution, or 

b. In praise of a local meeting, dance, and Hke subjects. 

11. Generally one either: 

a. In praise of the country, county, roads, climate, or 

b. In praise of men or women in obituaries. 

12. Generally one either: 

a. In praise of a dinner, banquet, or eats of some kind, 

or 

b. In praise of a home-talent play, theatrical or pag 

eant. 

13. One either: 

a. In praise of a party, social gathering, and like sub 

jects, or 

b. In praise of a program, or 

c. In praise of a sermon or talk. 

14. One either : 

a. Expressing regret or disappointment, or 

b. Giving praise and congratulations in wedding stor 

ies, or 

c. In praise of a sport, game, and like subjects. 

15. One either: 

a. Expressing welcome or pleasure, or 

b. Urging the public to attend something, or 

c. In praise of flowers, decorations, or 

d. In praise of gifts, and like subjects. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 109 

16. One either: 

a. Wishing success to friends or to those who leave, or 

b. In praise of young people or children, or 

c. Expressing and extending sympathy. 

17. One either: 

a. Of adverse or destructive criticism to some one or 

something, or 

b. In praise of a dress or wedding gown, or 

c. In praise of a non-local man, or 

d. In praise of horses, cows, or other domesticated 

animals. 

18. One example of comment on some miscellaneous subject 

not in this classification. 

The average paper would therefore have various kinds of 
comment appearing in its news columns more than twenty-one 
times. The various kinds of comment might all occur in one 
long story, or they might be scattered throughout the paper 
in twenty-one different stories and briefs. 

A word count was made using only the examples of news 
with editorial comment to determine how many times certain 
adjectives and adverbs were used in an editorial sense. When 
ever these words appeared in quotations or in any other 
sense they were not counted. Adjectives and adverbs were 
used in an editorial sense 1,134 times in the one hundred 
papers. This makes a seemingly low average of about eleven 
per paper but it also shows that much of the comment encoun 
tered consisted of more than single words. Many of the ad 
jectives here classified were also used editorially in phrases, 
clauses, sentences, and paragraphs of comment. 

Adverbs and Adjectives Used in Editorial Comment. The 
adjectives and adverbs used in editorial comment follow in 
the order of the frequency of their use: 

Good, best, better, excellent, beautiful, fine, finest, interest 
ing, lovely, loving, pleasant, pleasantly, successful, success 
fully, enjoyable, beloved, splendid, greatest, happy, respected, 
well-known, great (success), attractive, delightful, exceptional, 
delicious, esteemed, great, kind, efficient, charming, biggest, 
real, noble, marvelous, popular, influential, nice, inspiring, 



110 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

prettiest, entertaining, pretty, dainty, faithful, prominent, 
bountiful, honored, genial, sumptuous, fast, all-star, leading, 
royally, fascinating, accomplished, bright, devoted, bounteous, 
talented, high class, worthy, poor, malicious, competent, ten 
der, ideal, encouraging, artistic, loyal, brilliant, atrocious, 
gifted, energetic, cleanest, strong, remarkable, foremost, like 
able, appealing, progressive, first-class, sterling. 

The ( following words were used less frequently than those 
given above: 

Grand, indulgent, able, prosperous, modest, comely, supe 
rior, magnificent, outstanding, generous, skillful, honest, up 
right, livest, expert, best-posted, good-natured, good-hearted, 
tastily, inimitably, important, enterprising, amiable, hustler, 
handsome, gracious, intellectual, charitable, highest-calibred, 
gorgeous, palatial, up-and-coming, up-to-date. 

This list of words which were used in editorial comment is 
here given to act as a help to the student in writing news for 
country papers. Unless the kind of comment now being used 
is known, one who writes for a country paper cannot be sure 
that his stories are free from comment. 

Smaller Papers Have Higher Per Cents of Local News with 
Comment. A comparison of the per cents of local news with 
comment, made with all the newspapers, showed no consistent 
tendency for either large or small papers to have higher per 
cents of local news with comment. When the extremes were 
ignored and only the six-, eight-, ten-, twelve-, and fourteen- 
page papers compared, it was found that there was a consis 
tent tendency for smaller papers to have a larger per cent of 
local news with comment. This can be accounted for by the 
fact that not enough papers were in the extremely large and 
extremely small groups to find a true average for those groups. 
Comparison of Amounts of Foreign Advertising. A com 
parison of the amounts of foreign advertising carried, that is, 
advertising which had the signature of an out-of-town dealer 
such as a catalog house or a merchant in another town, showed 
that the twenty-five papers having the highest per cents of 
local news with editorial comment had the most foreign adver 
tising. If advertising which takes money out of the town were 
used as a measure of financial success, then the papers with the 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 111 

highest per cents of local news with comment must be con 
sidered the most successful. 

Comparison o Amounts o National Advertising. A com 
parison of the amounts of advertising of a national product 
over a local dealer's signature showed that the twenty-five 
papers having the lowest per cents of local news with com 
ment had the most national advertising. If the amount of 
national advertising carried be taken as a measure of financial 
success, the papers having the lowest per cents of local news 
with editorial comment must be considered the most success 
ful. This result is exactly the opposite of the comparison 
using the amount of foreign advertising as a measure of finan 
cial success. 

Comparison of Amounts of All Display Advertising. A 
comparison of the amounts of all display advertising carried 
showed that the twenty-five papers having the lowest per 
cents of local news with comment had the most display adver 
tising. Using the amount of display advertising as a measure 
of financial success, the papers having the lowest per cents of 
local news with comment must be considered the most success 
ful. This result is the exact opposite of the comparison using 
foreign advertising as a measure of financial success and is in 
agreement with the comparison using national advertising as a 
measure of financial success. 

Comparison o Amounts o All Kinds o Advertising. A 
comparison of the total amounts of advertising of all kinds, 
foreign, national, and local display, legal, classified, profes 
sional and reader, showed that the twenty-five papers having 
the lowest per cents of local news with editorial comment had 
the most advertising of all kinds. If the amount of advertis 
ing of all kinds be taken as a measure of financial success, the 
papers having the lowest per cents of local news with editorial 
comment must be considered the most successful. This result 
is the exact opposite of the result of the comparison of foreign 
advertising and is in agreement with the result of the compari 
son of national advertising and that using all display adver 
tising. 

Placed in tabular form, the results of these comparisons 
using various kinds of advertising as measures of financial 
success are: 



112 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Foreign National All display All kinds of 

Advertising Advertising Advertising Advertising 

SjgSSSit'Sd... 727 in. less less less 

more 

25 papers low 1,096 in. 3,583 in. 4,297 in. 

in comment had... less more more more 

From these results it would appear that the amount of for 
eign advertising carried was not a direct measure of financial 
success but rather an inverse measure. It would also -appear 
that the papers which are most successful in getting advertis 
ing of other kinds either print only certain kinds of foreign 
advertising, such as that of a concern which has no local coun 
terpart, or else do not attempt to solicit advertising which will 
take money out of the town. This is a reasonable conclusion 
since these papers are successful in getting enough national 
and local advertising, and their editors may feel that it is 
against the good of the community to accept advertising which 
takes money out of the town. 

From these results it would appear that the most successful 
papers commercially or financially are those which have less 
local news with editorial comment. It may also be said con 
versely, that a paper which has local news free from editorial 
comment will be more likely to get all kinds of advertising 
except foreign, and usually does not solicit this type because 
the editor does not believe in helping to take money out of 
the local community. 

Whatever else can be said in favor of the use of editorial 
comment in local news stories, it cannot be said that its use 
is an aid to the paper in getting more advertising and there 
fore in increasing the financial revenue. On the contrary, the 
results of this study indicate that using editorial comment in 
local news stories is poor business and that it simply does 
not pay. 



CHAPTER X 

COUNTRY CORRESPONDENCE 

The Need for Country Correspondence. In country com 
munities newspapers are rarely found that can do a profitable 
business by dealing only with the residents of the town. It is 
very important that all of the news in the town be gathered, 
but most country towns are dependent upon the surrounding 
country life for their existence. When the farmers cease to 
make a town their trading center and cease to be interested 
in it, that town is going backward. Farmers like to read about 
the affairs of the town, but they are more interested in the 
people who make up their own country community. Every 
community is really made up of a number of smaller communi 
ties in which the neighbors visit among themselves. This is 
not meant to include other surrounding towns, but groups of 
people living in the country around the town in which the 
newspaper is situated. These people feel that they should 
hear about their own activities fully as much as about their 
friends in the city. They have their own meetings, clubs, and 
interests. If the paper fails to get news of these things, they 
stop subscribing. Thus it will be seen that some sort of news 
service must be provided that will get the news from the sur 
rounding country communities and make it a part of the 
community newspaper. 

Value o Country Correspondence. One country editor said 
that every time a new name appeared in the country items he 
had found a prospect for a new subscriber and generally had 
the subscriber already sold. Whether this situation is true or 
not, the fact is that country correspondence is the best way in 
which to secure country subscribers, and is practically the only 
way to hold them. 

Circulation is not the only thing, however, that is benefited 
by country news notes. Advertising from distant parts of the 
county is brought in and this revenue added to the regular 

113 



114 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

business of the town. Many country people are interested in 
business operations in neighboring towns and will be in 
fluential in sending ads from these concerns to the paper that 
they think is best. Classified advertising from farmers is an 
other source of income that is materially increased by a cor 
respondence service. Papers attempting to give county service 
will get advertising from points hitherto considered out of 
their territory because of the interest people in that part of 
the county take in the news that tells of people they know. 

Still another benefit derived from a good country cor 
respondence service is the possibility of securing national 
advertising. National advertisers consider not only how many 
papers a shop sends out but also what their distribution is. 
The paper that covers its territory well although it does not 
send any great number of papers into each locality, will be a 
better medium for national advertising than one which has a 
large circulation with most of its subscribers within the city 
limits. The fact that papers go into practically every com 
munity around the town will be a good argument for the 
editor when soliciting national advertising. There are also 
many products that can be sold only to country residents,, 
which means that the paper which has a large circulation in 
town and none in the country is a poor medium in which to 
advertise these products. Farm machinery and products for 
the farm home are good illustrations of things that cannot be 
sold without getting the advertising direct to the country 
readers. Verily, the benefits of country correspondence are 
legion- 
Country Reporter Not Always Practicable. Perhaps, if the 
country newspaper could afford it, a regular reporter to gather 
the news notes from each country community would be a 
profitable addition. Such a reporter could make it his busi 
ness to spend part of his time in each locality and would no 
doubt write the news in a better way than it is now written. 
To have such a reporter is almost impossible because the aver 
age country newspaper staff does not include a man who can 
afford to do this and nothing else. The biggest problem 
in every country shop is keeping down expenses. Every added 
employee adds to the cost of putting out the paper. The ex- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 115 

pense involved would prevent this method from being used in 
a large majority of offices. 

Resident Correspondents Needed. What the paper needs is 
some person who is a part of each community, some one who 
is one of the people of whom he writes, to send to the paper 
each week an account of the news happenings in his locality. 
This person will be there every day and will know practically 
everything that is happening. He will have access to all meet 
ings and can get the facts at first hand. He will be interested 
in the community school and in the roads of his neighborhood. 
He will have the interest of his neighbors at heart, and will 
try to make his community appear to be the best one in which 
to live. This attitude is absolutely necessary if he is to record 
sympathetically what happens there. He will know the peo 
ple of whom he writes and will be more accurate in statements 
of names and circumstances. He will be a better judge of news 
values in his community than an outsider would, and lastly 
he will be a dependable judge of news sources. All of these 
qualifications make for better country news service in the com 
munity paper. 

Permanent Gorrespondents Needed. Good news service can 
be given country communities only when the person who 
writes the news is there all of the time. A correspondent who 
is well educated and writes well, but who is in the community 
only part of the year is not as great an asset to the paper as a 
poorer correspondent who is there the year 'round. Nothing 
rouses the wrath of country people so much as to find that 
their activities are being noticed only once in a while or only 
at certain seasons of the year. They want to see news items 
in the paper every week, and when these notes appear without 
regularity they feel that the newspaper cannot be dependable. 

Good English a Necessity. The correspondent must be 
able to write good, readable news. It is likely that almost 
any one of the residents of that community will know what is 
going on, but not every one will be able to write the report so 
that it is understandable when printed. If items appear that 
are a mess of words and do not give the reader a knowledge 
of what happened, the country readers are sure to feel, as one 
of them once remarked, that "There are two things about this 



116 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

place that whoever writes those notes doesn't know: what's 
going on here and how to say it." 

Correspondents Must Have a Nose for News. The ability to 
know when a thing is news, to find news when it does not 
appear of its own accord, is necessary for the good country 
correspondent. Initiative is required in finding the mate 
rial for the weekly items. Many persons in the community 
who are well fitted for the job in other respects do not possess 
this quality of scenting news material. No one can stay at 
home all the time and learn of all events in the community 
through the people who come to visit, or worse, by "listening 
in" on the country telephone line. Too often this is the only 
method of gathering news employed by the country corre 
spondent. 

Correspondents Must Be Able to Co-operate with the Editor. 
The writer of country items must realize at all times that 
the editor is the man who runs the paper. There has been 
many a heated argument and long-lasting enmity caused by 
the editor's trying to make the correspondent understand that 
he could improve his items. It should be made clear to the 
person picked to write country items that he must co-operate 
with the editor to make this news service as good as it can be. 
When the editor sees fit to delete some of his material the 
correspondent must realize that it is for the best interests of 
all concerned. Too often this understanding is conveyed to 
the writer long after he has been sending in items that have 
been accepted. It should be the understanding before the 
correspondent begins his service. 

Choosing a Correspondent. All of the qualifications men 
tioned above are hard to find in one individual in each com 
munity, but if the editor investigates the situation a little he 
will nearly always be able to find a person who will qualify. 
School teachers may make admirable news-gatherers when 
they are in the community. During the summer vacation the 
editor is confronted with a difficult situation. No correspon 
dent likes to "fill in" and to be considered valuable only when 
someone else is not available. For this reason school teachers 
do not make the best country correspondents. It has been 
suggested that since they are outsiders they will be unpreju 
diced in local controversies. The disadvantage of not know- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 117 

ing members of the community as one would who lives there 
permanently, will generally offset this seeming advantage. 
Teachers are just as likely to give the benefit of the doubt to 
those who are "nice" to them as the native writer would 
be to give it to his friends. There is no doubt, however, that 
the teacher hears almost everything that is current in the 
community, through the school children. She is at any rate 
a valuable source of news for the correspondent. 

Preachers, mail carriers, rural storekeepers, meat sellers, the 
county "Watkins" man, the president of the country lodge, 
and many others have been tried as correspondents. There 
are advantages and disadvantages in each case. The best cor 
respondents that the writer is familiar with are women who 
have been school teachers but who have married local men 
and are now residents of the community. They have all of 
the above qualifications, usually, and are easy to keep inter 
ested in the work. They are usually fairly well educated, can 
write accurately and clearly, are permanent, are more fair- 
minded than one born and reared in the community, are inter 
ested in what goes on, for they are used to more activity than 
the country affords, and will take a suggestion kindly when 
they are shown that the editor is really trying to help them. 

The woman who has been away to school as a girl and has 
later married and settled in the community is another prospect 
for a good correspondent. There is no rule for determining 
who will be the best person to write the country news in any 
certain community. The editor will always have to look the 
situation over carefully and choose his representative with 
care. 

Copy-reading Correspondence. Journalistic style is not an 
easy thing to learn without instruction and sometimes the 
best correspondent will fail to use good sentences, construct 
good leads, and choose his words with care. With a number 
of poor writers on the list the need for carefully reading all 
correspondence and correcting it before it is put in type is 
greater. Office style should prevail in correspondence as well 
as in all other news and disagreements in capitalization, punc 
tuation, name styles, figures, expressions, etc., must be cor 
rected. Trite, worn-out words and phrases, old maxims and 
wise sayings, and moss-covered jokes, are things to be watched 



118 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

for in editing correspondence. Long, poorly constructed sen 
tences are also often found. The writer is familiar with sev 
eral country shops in which the machine operator is expected 
to word correctly all correspondence as he sets it. Sometimes 
he does a good job of it; more often he misses a majority of 
the mistakes. Copy-reading the correspondence is a job for 
the editor and needs to be as carefully done as copy-reading 
of other news. Most country correspondence is written in 
longhand, which at best is not easy to read. The editor will 
find it a profitable practice to go carefully over all country 
correspondence and by the use of certain standard marks make 
the items more readable. This takes a responsibility off the 
linotype operator's shoulders and speeds up production con 
siderably, since it requires much of the operator's time to figure 
out just what the correspondent meant to say. The following 
practices will aid materially in the ease with which correspon 
dence copy can be handled. 

(1) See that all i's are dotted and that no e's are made 
like i's. 

(2) Overscore all ris and underscore all rfs. These are 
easily confused. 

(3) Separate all words that are run together. Many writers 
forget to space words in longhand and the operator often runs 
them together subconsciously. Use the straight up and down 
mark to separate them. 

(4) Cross out or erase all handwriting flourishes. These 
only serve to mix up the operator. 

(5) Print all proper names, making each letter distinct. 

(6) Use small letters in preference to capitals to secure the 
maximum legibility. 

(7) If lines are crowded at the bottom of the page, write 
them over on another sheet of paper and paste it to the first 
part. 

(8) Number all pages of copy consecutively so that the op 
erator will have no difficulty in finding the one that comes 
next. 

(9) See that every paragraph is indented at least half an 
inch and make some kind of a mark (such as an L tipped to 
the left) to show that a paragraph begins there. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 119 

(10) If a piece of paper must be attached to a sheet of copy, 
use paste. Paper clips and pins come loose and there is trouble 
finding the place to make the insert. 

What Is News in the Country. The kinds of news which the 
country correspondent can be on the lookout for are essentially 
those that the editor finds in the town. There will be much 
news which is strictly personal. Names will appear in nine 
out of ten items. The visits and activities of members of the 
community will be recorded. Births, deaths, marriages, meet 
ings, events, accidents, fires, and other things that are news 
in the city will also be news in the country. The substance 
of many items may appear trivial to the town or city reader 
but it is important for the country reader because it affects 
his life. Township and school district elections and politics 
will furnish material for good country correspondence. Situa 
tions and conditions peculiar to the country, such as keeping 
the roads clear in winter, community get-togethers, etc,, offer 
an added possibility for news. 

The country correspondent can be trained to gather farm 
news. He will know what the farmers are interested in; he 
will have daily contact with them and will find out what they 
are doing that will interest their neighbors. Besides saying 
that "John Brown is hauling hay to fill his barn this week/' 
the correspondent can get many facts about what John Brown 
does with his silage, how much plowing he has done, how many 
head of cattle he will keep through the' winter, and other 
information interesting to neighboring farmers. This side 
of country correspondence has been sadly neglected in the past. 
Most of the items have told of visits and where this and that 
family "Sundayed." Urge correspondents to write farm news, 
and when they do send in a good farm story give it the promi 
nence it deserves. If it is a front page story it can profitably 
be taken out of the correspondence column and given a suit 
able head. A difference in the rate paid for such news will 
bring to light much news that has hitherto been buried in a 
two-liner. 

The correspondent will not remember to look for all the dif 
ferent kinds of farm news unless he is furnished with a list of 
them. The material on news sources on a farm given in an- 



120 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

other chapter will furnish the correspondent with a suggestive 
list of things he can write about. All farm news is news that 
the country correspondent can get, with the exception of "agri 
cultural copy" from schools and local farm advisers. 

An event occurring in the country will perhaps rate not more 
than a 'few lines in the town paper, judged by the standard of 
what is news in the town, but it is probably worth much more 
in the country items. Many weddings are written up in a few 
sentences in the town news, but often a wedding in the country 
is one of the biggest events of the year. The family plans for 
it for months and all the neighbors look forward to it as a big 
celebration and it does take the form of a big celebration. 
Some of the weddings held in a farming community in North 
Dakota last for three days and there is more excitement there 
than there is in Chicago when the biggest convention is in ses 
sion. Such affairs may not be worth much as news for the 
town people, but they are worth good stories for country 
readers. The point here is that news values differ with the 
locality for which they are written. Proximity plays an impor 
tant part just as it does in all news, but there is also a differ 
ence in the standards for judging news. Country news should 
be written as fully as the event will justify in the interest it 
has jor country readers. 

Helping the Correspondent. Most people dislike to be 
"told" how to do things, and country correspondents are no 
exceptions to the rule. When the editor attempts to dictate 
methods and demand results from them there is a rebellion fos 
tered that will eventually lead to trouble and the loss of loyal 
service. Everything that is jsaid or done to better the service 
of the correspondents should be in the nature of a suggestion. 
Some of these "suggestions" will be pretty strong, it is true, 
but any "encouraging with brickbats" that is done does not 
accomplish much. 

Various methods have been tried to make correspondents 
more able to write news notes well. School sessions con 
ducted at a group meeting of all the correspondents of the 
paper for several days have sometimes proved beneficial. It 
is hard work to get these people together, however, and they 
usually resent the thought that they have to be "educated." 
Some papers try this one day every month or at longer interr 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 121 

vals. When the means of transportation make it possible to 
get the group together it is a good opportunity for the editor 
to explain their work to them and to show them the reason 
that good writing is necessary. The idea of helping them 
should always be emphasized. 

A feature of the work of the St. James (Minn.) Plaindealer, 
is the annual entertainment at the newspaper's office at which 
correspondents get actual training in writing and handling 
the news matter. The 1925 gathering was held late in October. 
J. Harold Curtis says of it: 

We issued a special edition of the 
Plaindealer in the evening while the cor 
respondents were in our office. They 
were interested in viewing the mechani 
cal work of getting out a newspaper. We 
had all the equipment in the office run 
ning, which included the Model 8 Lino 
type, our jobbers, the caster and news 
paper press. 

The correspondents were first taken to 
a movie show, after which W. P. Kirk- 
wood, editor of publications at the Uni 
versity Farm, University of Minnesota, 
gave a talk on "What is News?" They 
were then brought over to the Plain- 
dealer office to see the plant in opera 
tion. A lunch of pumpkin pie and 
coffee was served at the office. 

Developing a Working Spirit. Those business concerns 
prosper most in which the employee is made to feel that he is 
a part of the business. The editor will do well to remember 
this in developing a good spirit among the people who write 
his country correspondence. They should be considered as 
members of the staff of the paper and accorded as good treat 
ment as if they were in the office. Witticisms on the work 
of any of them means the ruination of -the service. Nothing 
can be allowed to go into the paper that will reflect discredit 
on the news writer. It is a weekly occurrence to receive some 
item that, if printed, would make people think the correspon 
dent exceedingly ignorant. The reputation of the paper de 
pends to no small degree upon the reputation of the corre 
spondents. 

The editor should urge all correspondents to visit the office as 
often as possible. If they trade in town, as most of them do, 
a visit to the office every week can be made a part of their 



122 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

trips to town. They will get to know the office force, and a 
personal touch will be established that will make them more 
interested in being a part of that organization. 

When it is not possible to have correspondents visit the 
office, the editor can find time to visit them once in a while. 
In a day, the editor can cover most of his territory and see 
each correspondent for a few minutes, but even if the circuit 
takes a week it is an investment well worth while. Ideas can 
be exchanged on the way the service is being handled. The 
editor can get an idea of peculiarities of situations and he can 
see the handicaps under which certain writers have to get and 
deliver their material. Helpful suggestions can be given per 
sonally, and when thus given they are much more likely to 
bear fruit. 

Remembrance cards, blotters, books, greetings at Christmas, 
Thanksgiving, and holidays, and sometimes a correspondent's 
bulletin each month, serve to let the correspondent know that 
the office is interested in him. No opportunity should be lost 
for making the bond of friendship between the correspondent 
and the editor stronger. A good spirit makes a good worker. 

In any scheme of training correspondents the paper must 
stand the expense, and naturally the best scheme will be the 
one that gives the biggest return for the smallest investment. 

Personal letters are another means of helping the corre 
spondent. This method is usually quite successful, for the 
correspondent feels that the editor really has an' interest in 
him when he writes him personally. 

Folders or single-page leaflets sent out once a month are 
often used. They contain, besides suggestions, a list of errors 
found in country correspondence during the month, that should 
be avoided in the future. 

Since prevention is better than cure, the best way to keep 
correspondents from making many mistakes is to give them 
instructions about the things to avoid in writing news. This 
can be done by compiling in neat form the suggestions that 
the editor has to make on getting the news, news sources, news 
values, writing the news, style, grammar, expressions, prepara 
tion of copy, press time, etc., and sending it to all corre 
spondents. This will serve as a handbook for them and the 
sting of personal criticism and "laying down the law" will be 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 123 

entirely absent. The Piatt County Republican, published at 
Monticello, Illinois, has used this method with remarkable 
success. They have issued a booklet, the Handbook for Cor 
respondents, that is attractive and contains the directions and 
information that they think their correspondents should know. 
The contents of this booklet follow : 

Introduction 

This little booklet is calculated to be of assistance to our corps 
of country correspondents in the gathering and preparation of 
news items. It is not always the easiest thing in the world to 
know just how to go about gathering news items or how to 
handle them after they are secured, and it is with a view to assist 
ing you in this important work that we have prepared this little 
booklet. Read it carefully and then keep it for reference and 
we are sure you will find it an invaluable help in the preparation 
of your copy for the paper. (Signed, The Editor) 

Getting and Writing the News 
Legibility and "Style" 

Write only on one side of the sheet. Don't be afraid to use 
plenty of paper when your supply is gone, we'll send you more. 

Write each item as a separate paragraph and leave plenty of 
space between paragraphs. 

Leave plenty of margin on all sides of the sheet and don't 
crowd your lines together. Don't use a hard pencil. If you use 
a typewriter, always write your copy double-spaced. 

Write plainly just as plainly as you possibly can. 

If a proper name is in any way odd, spell it in hand-printed 
capitals, thus : SMYTHE. Be careful to spell every person's 
name correctly and use care in getting the initials right. 

Always put "Miss" or "Mrs." before the name of a lady; but 
don't put "Mr." before a man's name in a personal item. 

Head each set of items with the name of your community, your 
own name and the date of mailing. 

Watch our columns for style in capitalization. The tendency of 
the average writer is to capitalize too much. 

Don't begin a sentence with figures. 

Don't abbreviate the names of the days of the week. 

It is not necessary to write the name of this state after towns 
or cities in this commonwealth. Where the community men 
tioned, however, is an obscure one, it is well to designate in what 
county it is situated. 

Remember that when you write "tomorrow" in an item it 
always means the day following date of publication, not the day 
after the item was written. 

Questions to Answer 

Who? W hat? "When? Where? Why? How? 

Every printed news item should answer, ^ so far as they can 
be asked concerning it, any or all of these six questions. 

To illustrate: If an accident has happened, the item should 
tell to whom, of what kind, when, where, why and how it 
happened. Give all the details. 

Judgment to be Exercised 

It is impossible, to lay down hard and fast rules concerning news 
giving. For instance, always to give all the details would be to 



124 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

make a paper's news columns ridiculous. In some instances it is 
sufficient simply to state a fact. In others it is exceedingly aggra 
vating to have a fact just barely stated. 

To illustrate: If Charlie Jones has the measles, it is enough 
to say that "Charlie, the little son of William Jones, has the 
measles." If, however, he has it in an especially malignant 
form, or in some other unusual way, the particulars should be 
given. 

On the other hand, if William Jones' house burns down, all the 
details should be given. Tell what kind of house it was, where 
located, when the fire occurred, how it caught, who discovered it 
and how, what was done to put it out, what was lost and what 
was saved, how much insurance there was all the particulars. 
If there was anything especially exciting about the fire, tell of it, 
and don't neglect to tell to what neighbor's home Mrs. Jones and 
the little children were taken for the time being, where the family 
is to reside temporarily and what Mr. Jones' plans are for the 
future. 

Thoroughness and Accuracy 

First, get the news; get all there is to get. Next, get it cor 
rectly. 

Nothing so disgusts a paper's readers as to feel that it cannot 
be relied upon. Casual rumor is not a safe thing to depend on. 
It may be correct, but it is more than likely not to be. Rumor, 
though, is often a good basis to start on, but the information 
should be "run down 7 ' and verified or corrected. Rumor generally 
mixes matters. 

The best way to get news correct is to go to the persons chiefly 
concerned. Rightly approached and assured of a correct pub 
lication, most persons will gladly give all the information they 
can. Now and then a contrary person may be met with. If a 
judge of human nature, you will soon learn how either to ap 
proach or avoid such. The information wanted can almost always 
be easily obtained from some one else. But never make a 
promise to withhold news, just because some one who likes to 
be peculiar asks you to do so. Where an apparently plausible 
reason for not publishing an item is given, submit the facts to the 
editor, and let him assume the responsibility for publishing or 
withholding. 

Trifles versus Trivialities 

The little things in the way of news items count. But a dis 
tinction should be made between trifles and trivialities. Things 
should not be written merely to fill space or "make a showing" 
in inches. 

To illustrate : If John Drummer is a traveling man, who spends 
his Sundays at home, it is not news to remark that "John Drum 
mer spent Sunday with his family." But if John Drummer's trips 
are of long and irregular duration, then his home-coming is a 
matter of importance as a news item. But it will be better, even 
then, to anticipate than to record, or to say that "John Drummer 
will reach home next Tuesday ," than to say that "he was at home 
for a few^days." He^may have friends who would like to see him, 
and who in the one instance can plan to do so, while in the other 
they can only regret that they did not know that he was home. 
This is a point that should be thought of in connection with 
nearly all personal notes, and especially so where the visitor is a 
former resident. 

The same principle applies to news items in general. To illus- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 125 

trate : To say that "it rained Friday" would, if that was all there 
was to it, be trivial. If, though, it rained so hard as to swell the 
creeks, wash away a bridge or two, render impassable a section of 
the road or do other damage, then the rain storm would be im 
portant as an item of news, but the full particulars should be 
given. Simply to announce, under the circumstances, that it has 
rained, would be enough possibly to make the editor wish he 
had a man handy to do some swearing for him. 

News, Not Opinions, Wanted 

Comment is out of place in a news budget. Opinions, if ex 
pression of them is desired, should come to the editor as separate 
and signed communications. 

Quoted opinions, however, are often valuable as news. If some 
public question of local importance is agitating your neighbor 
hood, the more opinions that you can get concerning it, the 
better. Tell what Mr. Roberts thinks, and what Mr. Ellison 
thinks, and so on. But be very careful to represent each correctly. 

A Privilege to Be Exercised 

The foregoing is not intended to debar you from ever using space 
for matter other than that which may be strictly and technically 
styled news. 

Besides telling of the births, deaths, and marriages, the acci 
dents, the comings and goings, the social doings and the various 
other events or * happenings of a distinctively news character, 
you are invited to put in a good word every time you can for 
your town, your neighborhood, your school, your churches, your 
local organizations, and your people generally. 

Descriptions of local matters of interest are always welcome. 
And friendly or encouraging words for persons in any way con 
tributing to the good of your community these are more than 
welcome. 
The Kind WordrThe Unkind Word 

When there is an opportunity for saying a kind word, say it. 
But resist the temptation to say the unkind one. 

Send no item that, printed, would make an enemy for your 
self or the paper. This is not because the paper is afraid to make 
enemies, but because it is not a correspondent's duty to act as 
censor. If abuses exist that you think ought to be corrected, 
send full particulars to the editor, with names of responsible 
persons possessed of the fullest information concerning them; 
then leave the responsibility for using or not using the matter 
with him. 

Most honest people like to see their names in print. As a rule, 
it is only affected, not really, modest people who object to a 
proper publicity, provided discrimination and good taste are 
exercised in the use of their names. Therefore, get as many 
items as possible about people. t 

Just here comes in a suggestion of importance. The weakness 
of most correspondents is that of missing too many people. They 
fall into the habit of depending, in their news-getting efforts, 
on old friends and fail to cultivate new ones. As a consequence 
they travel too much, to use that expression, in a circle. 

Instead of next week speaking only to Mr. Brown, Mr. Rosen- 
crans, Miss Grundy, and the accustomed "old reliables," go also to 
an entirely new set of people, and see what a brand-new and fresh 
lot of items you can find. Think of the persons in your neighbor 
hood concerning whom you have never, or not for a long time, 
had an item of news and see what you can find out about them 



126 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

or their affairs. In this way you'll discover new storehouses of 
items. This family will be expecting a visit from an old friend; 
that one will have just heard of the marriage 9r death of a 
former resident of the vicinity; the other one will have lately 
been making a study of old heirlooms or relics. This woman will 
be engaged in producing something novel in the way of fancy 
work; that man will have just had an interesting result from 
some experimental work he has been doing on the form or in his 
garden. You will be surprised to find how many more kinds of 
items, as well as how many more items, there are in your territory 
than you had imagined. 

Untold Stories of the People 

There is scarcely a person in your neighborhood about whom 
an interesting story cannot be told. Such stories help to brighten 
up a local news column. 

In one family there may be a girl who is showing an especial 
aptitude for music, or a boy whose mind runs wholly to botany or 
geology, and who in consequence is constantly finding things 
about the farm that no one dreamed existed there. In another 
family there may be another kind of boy or girl, doing something 
in some other, but just as interesting, line. 

And there are, of course, the old people with bright minds and 

food recollections. Their birthdays should be noted as events, 
ometimes they are interestingly reminiscent; when so, they 
should be interviewed. 

The school teacher ought to be able to suggest many interest 
ing things about the youngsters that manifest themselves incident 
to their school work. 

Births ', Marriages, and Deaths 

Reports of these are always important as news. 

In inquiring for news, the correspondent " should always ask if 
the person inquired of knows of any recent births in the neighbor 
hood, or elsewhere, to parents in whom the people of the vicinity 
are interested. 

No comment should be made upon birth announcements except 
ing, if the event occurred in some other place, to state that the 
parents formerly lived in your vicinity or that the mother was 

formerly Miss or something similar for identification by 

old friends. The name of the baby, if a name has been adopted, 
may be given. 

Correspondents are asked never, under any circumstances, to 
attempt any witticism in announcing the birth of a child; they 
are also urged to be exceedingly careful to get their information 
as to the names of parents, sex of child and date of birth exact. 

People like to read about marriages. 

If they are of worthy character and reasonably well known, 
always tell about the contracting parties. Tell whose daughter 
the bride is, where she was reared and schooled, what some of 
her accomplishments are, how she was dressed on the occasion, by 
whom she was attended, and give details as to the ceremony and 
particularly as to any features of it that were different from most 
marriage ceremonies. Make distinctions, of course, between quiet, 
home weddings and the elaborate kind, whether occurring in 
church or at the home. The latter should be gone into more 
in detail than the former. Don't forget to tell something about 
*he groom (although you need not tell how he was dressed). 
And tell, of course, about the reception, if there was one, and 
about the guests from out of town and about particularly unique 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 127 

presents. And, finally, tell where the couple are to live and when 
they will be at home. 

Death notices should consist mainly of a summary of the facts 
concerning, and incidents in, the life of the person deceased, and 
should be brief or extended according to the interest that the 
life of the subject may have to the readers of the paper. If, 
for instance, the deceased was born in the locality, and was long 
identified with it; and especially if he or she had been active 
in its affairs and widely and favorably known, the notice should 
be made more full than if the person had but recently come to 
the neighborhood and was but little known. The date and place 
of birth (and maiden name, if the deceased was a married 
woman), date and place of marriage, different places of residence 
and 4 kinds of occupation, names of immediate relatives who 
survive, when funeral occurred or is to occur, data as to church 
membership, lodge membership, public offices held, etc. all such 
information, where obtainable, should be given with great care. 
The always preferable way, when practicable, in which to obtain a 
suitable notice, is to have it written by some intimate friend of 
the deceased. In any event the best way to get the information 
is direct from the family. 

Getting Facts for an Emergency 

Sketches of people advanced in age or hopelessly ill should 
be prepared in advance and sent to the office. This will enable 
prompt publication where deaths occur but a short time before 
the hour of going to press. Whatever needs to be added may be 
telephoned at the last moment. 

Advance copy may also be prepared in connection with mar 
riages, where a report needs to be elaborate. The arrangements 
are usually completed several days in advance of such events, and 
full particulars can often be obtained more correctly than in 
the hurry and confusion incident to the occasion itself. Of course 
care must be exercised to report any change from the .original 
plans. Again, use the telephone. 

There are always "rush" hours in a printing office. They are 
the ones just before going to press. During these hours the 
editor's principal worry is to decide what he can best leave out. 
Important news sometimes has to be ruthlessly "cut" because 
there is not time in which to put it into type. 

Brief but Important Points 

Carry a notebook; jot down news as you hear it don't trust 
to memory. 

Send a second or third letter or postal card, if necessary, in 
order that the paper may publish the latest news from your 
vicinity. 

Make reminders of things yet to occur. 

Telephone important news that you hear of too late to write. 
Tell the operator to "reverse" the charge. 

If a murder, suicide, serious accident, big fire, or other excep 
tional thing occurs, telephone at earliest possible moment. Give 
all the facts you can get, and the news will be written up in the 
office. If the matter is one of very great importance, the editor 
may wish to send a reporter to assist you; so please be prompt. 

Do not send jokes, the point of which will be seen by only a 
few who "are in the secret." 

Keep in mind the fact that late news is usually the best news 
best because it will surprise the readers who haven't heard it, and 



128 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

because it will make those who have heard it wonder how the 
paper got it so soon and how it could be printed so quickly. 

Speak a good word for this paper whenever you can. Send to 
the office the names of persons who should be, but are not, sub 
scribers. Sample copies will then be sent them. Don't mistake 
advertising for news. If. your storekeeper asks you to say that he 
has just received a large stock of the latest goods, tell him that 
is the kind of item that the paper makes a charge for. 

Grammatically speaking, write as well as you can, but don't 
hesitate to send news because you fear you may not construct 
faultless sentences. It is the editor's business to correct copy and 
he would much rather receive ungrammatical letters giving all 
the news than grammatically correct ones that fail to give it. 
Don't attempt "fine writing." The plainest English is the best. 

The Editor's Part 

The editor is trying to do the best he knows how. 

He may sometimes leave out items that you send. He will 
not do so except for good reasons. Very often his reason is lack 
of space. Seeing other less important matter in the paper, you 
may wonder how this can be. Generally it will be because the 
other matter was in type before yours had reached the office, and 
sometimes it will be because it has already been printed on what 
is called "the first side" of the paper. Even if you get your letter 
to the office ahead of the time specified, he may have to cut out 
some items because of an unexpected rush at the last moment. 
It is no uncommon thing in this office to "kill" from one to three 
columns of matter each week, because received too late to handle. 

A Word in Conclusion 

The editor is, you will find as you will come to know him 
better, a reasonable as well as well-intending; man. 

He has filled this little booklet with a lot of do's and don'ts, 
that, if every one of them could be heeded to the utmost, would 
make of every one of his correspondents an ideal news-gatherer. 
He would frankly say, though, that he is conscious that he has 
preached a great deal better than he would himself be able to 
practice ! 

The most expected in the way of practice, from our correspon 
dents, is that each will profit from the suggestions to the best of 
his or her ability and do just as well as he or she can. 

If at any time you think of some way in which this newspaper 
can, in your opinion, be made more interesting to its subscribers, 
do not hesitate to write or speak to us concerning the matter. 
Suggestions to that end are always welcome. 

Methods of Organizing Correspondence. Time is money 
in a country shop just as surely as anywhere else. If news 
notes cpme in from thirty correspondents on as many different 
sizes of paper, in all colors of ink and pencil, written illegibly, 
the paper is held up while the editor gets this material into 
readable form. Most newspapers furnish the correspondents 
with all the paper they will need. This does not have to be a 
high-grade bond paper but should be of a quality that will do 
for writing in ink. Ink can be sent to correspondents but a 
better method is to give them the money to buy it with. In- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 129 

delible pencils are not as good as ink but are easier to use and 
so much correspondence is written with them. These are also 
furnished by the paper. Envelopes with the name and ad 
dress of the newspaper printed on them will make delivery 
more certain. The line "News Rush" is often printed in 
the lower left-hand corner to help get the items in on time, but 
whether this really helps or not has not been proved. The 
newspaper can print this stationery in large quantities at small 
cost, whereas the correspondent would have to pay retail prices 
and the newspaper would eventually have to stand the expense. 

The practice of printing special stationery with the name 
of each correspondent on it may help in holding the interest of 
the correspondent but it is more work, more expense, and much 
of the paper "goes astray." Uniformity iix the paper and 
envelopes used will be the better policy for the newspaper. 

Some papers send stamps to the correspondents and some 
papers expect them to buy their own stamps. It is a small item 
but it is generally best to allow some money for stamps. Cor 
respondents are instructed to send their material in one bunch 
unless some big news breaks after the weekly lot has gone in, 
when they are urged to send it in immediately either by wire, 
telephone, or special delivery. 

A distinguishing head for country news notes is a good 
feature since it sets off this news from the rest of the paper. 
Any method of handling correspondence to make it easier to 
read or find in the paper is worth while. Most papers run all 
correspondence on the same page. When there is too much to 
run on one page it is run over on the same page each issue. 
Country readers come to look for their news in the same place 
in every issue and like to find it there. 

The page on which to place correspondence is not one of the 
subjects upon which country editors agree. Some papers can 
be found that run it any place it happens to "fit." The front 
page, back page, editorial page, local page, and every other 
page is sometimes used by some papers. Reason would with 
hold correspondence from the editorial page since it is supposed 
to be news and not comment. Certainly it is not editorial 
matter and is run as news. The local page is not the best place 
to have it since this page is devoted to news of the town and 
immediate vicinity. These items are second in importance, 



130 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

only to local news and for this reason they rate a place of 
importance. The back page would seem to be a logical place 
to put them since it is easier to find than any page in the paper 
after the first page is read. 

Most papers "size" their items of country news. This 
means placing the shortest item at the top, the next shortest 
next and so on to the longest item. This practice adds to the 
appearance of the columns in the paper, simplifies the prob 
lem of "filling in a hole/' since any item may be removed, and 
prevents having to split an item at the bottom of the column. 

Getting Correspondence in on Time. Lines like "Too Late 
for Last Week/' "Carried Over From Last Week/' "Late News 
Notes/' etc., should be relegated to the melting pot. If cor 
respondence is not timely it lacks interest for the readers be 
cause country people are not so far behind the times that they 
enjoy news two weeks old. Unless the roads are blocked by a 
blizzard that does not abate before press time, or the corres 
pondent is taken sick, news notes should not be run after being 
held a week. There will often be times when the editor will 
think it necessary to leave out something. In that case some 
of the "canned" editorial, material from exchanges, or un 
important local stuff can more profitably be left out than good 
live correspondence. Generally the correspondence is the first 
thing to be hit when the editor starts on a "cutting" streak. 
Occasionally a paragraph about some event to come in the 
future may be carried over and run the next week without loss 
of news value. More often there is some material from other 
sources that is "time stuff." 

How to get correspondents to send their material in to the 
office so that it will reach there on time invariably, is an un 
solved problem. They should be made to understand that un 
less the editor has time to read their copy, and the printer has 
time to set, correct, and make it up, it will not be run. It is 
good policy to require copy in a day or two before press day and 
many papers require it to be in- the office before Monday noon 
if they print Thursday. If it all comes in on the same day the 
editor's job is simplified, for he can take care of all of it at 
once. 

Deductions from the pay check are discouraging to the cor 
respondent, and for that reason a better method to get material 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 131 

in on time is to offer something to be gained by being prompt. 
A higher rate of pay for material in the office by Monday or 
Tuesday speeds up matters. Prizes have been given for the 
most prompt correspondent as well as awards for all who have 
a certain dependability. These awards may be something 
that the paper has or can secure at little cost. A subscription 
to the paper, private stationery, position of notes in the paper, 
maps, pocket guides and small books have been found to be 
good awards. If a man is paid only when the editor happens 
to feel like writing a check, he may forget to write notes and 
will send them in only when he feels like it. Correspondents 
should be paid at regular intervals. The best way, as proved 
by the experience of a majority of editors, is to pay once a 
month, when the number of inches the correspondent has sent 
in is determined and a check sent to cover all expenses in 
curred and his remuneration. 

Rate o Paying for Correspondence. The amount paid for 
correspondence by one hundred country papers as shown in a 
survey conducted by the writer, varies from nothing to ten 
cents an inch. Those papers that pay nothing show it in then- 
news. Most people do not feel that a subscription to the paper 
and an occasional "puff" by the editor is enough for writing 
news notes. Interest in the work can be maintained per 
manently only by paying the writer what he deserves. If his 
material is not worth paying for, it is not worth printing. The 
editor cannot expect to get something for .nothing, and should 
pay for what he gets just as he expects to get paid for what 
he does. Prizes may be given until the possibilities are ex 
hausted, awards and special privileges worked overtime, and at 
last the editor will come to see that remuneration in "coin of 
the realm" is all that will get him good correspondence and get 
it to him on time. A rate of one or two cents an inch may be 
economical in that the outlay is small, but the returns wiU 
probably be in proportion. The experience of many editors 
has been that five cents an inch is a good rate to have in pay 
ing for country correspondence. It is low enough to keep down 
expenses and is high enough to make it worth while for some 
one to write the news. Every editor will have to work out his 
own scale for his own community. If cheap labor gives cheap 



132 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

results, it is a poor investment, and good country service is 
worth, money. 

Evaluating the Correspondent. The editor will soon know 
whether a correspondent is permanent or not. He will be able 
to learn that he is a resident of the community, that he knows 
local people, customs, and living conditions. The difficult 
thing to determine is whether or not the correspondent has 
that intangible thing, "a nose for news." To evaluate a cor 
respondent and check up on him in his work the editor must 
have other methods with which to work. If the editor spends 
any time at all in the country getting farm news, he will learn 
of many news happenings in each locality. If the corre 
spondent is not getting these notes and continues to miss a 
great deal of the news each week, the editor is right in con 
cluding that he either does not make an effort to get all the 
news or else needs some help in learning what news is. If the 
editor calls his attention to the material he has missed and 
suggests ways in which to get more news the situation may be 
helped considerably, but if the correspondent continues to miss 
them, a new writer is the best investment. 

Checking up on the correspondent without spending any 
time in the field is possible. Hardly ever will it be im 
possible for the editor to know some one in each country 
locality. Some editors call this farmer friend on the phone 
each week and have a few minutes' conversation with him. 
Much news is gathered in this way. Talking with country 
visitors to the office is another way in which to learn what 
has been going on in the visitor's neighborhood. 

The Use of Blanks. Blanks are sometimes furnished cor 
respondents upon which to record the important facts about 
deaths, weddings, births, etc. These are helpful in that they 
give the facts. They are limiting, however, and do not get all 
the news about an event. If the correspondent is asked to add 
a paragraph of news which deals with any special phase of the 
subject, the account will be more complete. Blanks furnished 
to doctors, preachers, and other officials upon which to record 
this material will prove a help and a time saver. 

Correspondence from Neighboring Towns. When the towns 
near the local field have daily papers it is almost useless for 
the country editor to try to carry news notes from those towns 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 133 

with the expectation of interesting readers there. The im 
portance of news from other towns to the local readers, how 
ever, should not be underestimated. Very few people take 
papers from neighboring communities and yet many have 
friends or relatives in those towns and want to know what 
they are doing. The editor can better his local news service a 
great deal and gain many subscribers by carrying each week 
some news notes from neighboring towns. This news is best 
secured through a correspondent. At one time the Mouse 
River Farmers' Press at Towner, North Dakota, had more 
local news from several neighboring towns than was carried in 
the papers published in those towns. 

Is This Poaching? This gathering of news in another's 
territory has been called "poaching," or stealing the other 
fellow's news. The question is whether a paper can give good 
community service without having news notes from other 
towns. The papers of the cpunty did not think it wrong to 
run items about Towner and they had a much better chance to 
get their own local news than the Press did. It is a legitimate 
way of bettering news service to get these notes unless under 
hand and unscrupulous methods are employed in doing it. The 
people are going to read the paper that gets the most news 
from all the communities they are interested in, in addition to 
the local material. It is not poaching to cover the field better 
than a competitor in another town. The Owatonna Journal- 
Chronicle at Owatonna, Minnesota, runs more than 250 inches 
of news notes from country communities and neighboring 
towns each week, and for this reason its news service is excel 
lent. Square methods of getting and handling these notes will 
not provoke the wrath of any neighboring editor who is awake 
to the value of thoroughly covering the territory. 

Sections for Neighboring Towns. When there is no paper 
in neighboring towns the editor will find it advantageous to 
devote a page in his paper to news and advertising from these 
towns. Often one town will take a whole page and this page 
will be made up as if it were the newspaper for that town. A 
resident correspondent is absolutely necessary in this case to 
gather the local news and to solicit advertising. Usually the 
people in that town are very glad to have a service of this kind 
and the editor will get a good amount of advertising from the 



134 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

business men. This also builds up a good circulation since the 
residents are anxious to read of local happenings. If there is a 
paper in the town, the editor would not be justified in running 
such a page since it would be materially hurting a fellow 
editor's business. 

It must be kept in mind that no correspondence service or 
section in a paper is a good investment if it necessitates work 
on the editor's part that will make him neglect local news- 
gathering and soliciting of advertising at home. The editor's 
first concern is with his own community and his first job is to 
give complete news service to residents of his town and im 
mediate territory. Only when this is done is he justified in 
carrying a service for a neighboring town. 



CHAPTER XI 



Farmers and the Community Newspaper. Every country 
* newspaperman is vitally affected by the farming situation in 
the country surrounding his town. It is usually not a lack of 
interest on the part of the local editor that is responsible for 
the scarcity of farm news in his paper today but rather a lack 
of understanding of the methods of getting farm news. One 
country editor when asked why he didn't have more rural 
news each week said: "We ought to have and we'd like to 
have, but farmers are not ordinary human beings; they are 
farmers. We've had farm columns for a long time and it 
doesn't help our subscription list any." 

In one sense, he was right. Farmers do have interests that 
seem trivial and unimportant to the average city dweller or 
even the resident of the small town. They live a different 
life, have different associations, different problems, and there 
fore different interests than the town residents. 

In another sense, he was mistaken. Although farmers are 
always pictured in the minds of city people as living away 
out somewhere, far away from everything that's bright and 
lively, they are nevertheless much interested in what is going 
on in the outside world which they consider quite as much 
their country as anyone's. 

The purchasing power of farmers today is so great that no 
town can afford to neglect farm trade and since this is the 
case, no country editor can afford to neglect the possibilities 
of getting and keeping farm readers by giving them a good 
news service. Something of the ability of farmers to buy 
goods, even luxuries, can be learned from the following story 
which appeared in a small-town weekly newspaper, 

135 



136 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Farmers Are Large 

Buyers of Motors and 

Automobile Supplies 

^ Farmers own 3,821,085 of all automo 
biles operated in the United States, ac 
cording to automobile trade statistics. 
Of these, 3,453,159 are passenger cars 
and 367,926 motor trucks. 

Iowa leads all the other States in the 
number of farmer-owned cars with 219,- 
854. Texas is second with 207,334 and 
Illinois third with 195,788, followed by 
Ohio 192,080, Pennsylvania with 191,793, 
and New York with 178,019. 

In the proportion of automobiles to 
farm population the figures show, Cali 
fornia is first with one car to every 3.8 
farm people. Then come Nebraska with 
4.3, Iowa with 4.5, New York 4.6, Penn 
sylvania 5.2, and Ohio 5.9. For the 
United States, including the negro farm 
population, the average is one automo 
bile to every 8.1 people. The average 
in cities of 1,000,000 population or over 
is one car to^every 8.3 people. In New 
York and Chicago the average is one to 
every 15.5. 

Farmers, according to statistics, are 
the greatest buyers of automobile equip 
ment. They purchased 9,250,000 tires 
and 10,000,000 tubes last year. Mail 
order houses supplied a big per cent 
of these. Other items of automobile 
equipment bought by farmers last year 
were: 1,250,000 storage batteries; 8,000,- 
000 spark plugs; 7,500,000 feet of brake 
lining, 45,700,000 gallons of oil; and 18,- 
000,000 piston rings. 

Country papers have been running farm news for a long 
time. Some of them have a whole page of it each issue. The 
difficulty lies not so much in the amount of material now used 
although the possibilities have only been touched but in 
the source of the material used. An analysis of various country 
papers will reveal that altogether too much, and sometimes all 
of the farm news, is what has been termed "canned" copy. This 
is sent out free of charge in many cases by various agricultural 
agencies, schools, and county agents, and is run because the 
local staff has not secured copy enough to fill the forms. 

The Farm Is the Best News Source. This statement is not 
written with a view to belittling trained agriculturists or 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 137 

scientific experimenters. The copy they send out is usually 
authentic and contains much that is of value. It does not 
greatly attract the farm-reader, however, because it does not 
apply to his particular community. It lacks the local touch; 
and he is much more interested in a small paragraph on what 
his neighbor feeds his hogs than in a scientific experiment that 
some one he doesn't know has performed, even though the 
results may be valuable to him. 

Farmers are human; they like to read news of their neigh 
bors and are just a little more human in the value they at 
tach to these neighborhood items than the man who lives in a 
city and knows his neighbor less well. If farm news is to be 
written for farmers, the farm and the farmers themselves must 
be the true sources of the news. 

The Farmers' Interests. It is safe to say that a farmer is 
interested in the things that people in other occupations are 
interested in, when those things touch his life. The election 
of a president is a part of the farmer's business and he feels 
that he has much to gain or lose in such a national event. At 
these times every farmhouse in the land is the scene of many a 
heated argument concerning the merits of the different candi 
dates, even though it be among the members of the family. 
If it were true that rural folks may blame a crop failure on the 
election of the candidate of the opposing party, this would 
only reinforce the fact already stated that the farmers are 
interested in what affects them even if it be imaginary. If 
the farmer is given the news, and all of the news instead of 
what he now gets through syndicated services, he will not have 
this attitude. In this respect the local editor is much to blame 
for he should be the one to interpret such news fairly through 
the columns of his editorial page. 

By far the greater part of the farmer's interest, however, 
lies in the things with which the people in urban com 
munities do not think it necessary to burden their minds. He 
wants to read about the things he knows most about; the 
things in which he feels he is to some extent an expert. Every 
item on the farm is a part of his means of making a living. 
Every foot of land he tills is a portion of his kingdom. His 
thoughts are localized; they are upon the things with which 
he daily comes in contact. 



138 COUNTKY JOURNALISM 

News Sources on the Farm. What are these numerous 
interests with which the life of the farmer is filled? We may 
consider them in certain groups. 

A. Crops. The farmer is interested in crops, for from them 
he derives an income. A forty-acre patch that is yielding 50 
bushels of wheat to the acre on a neighboring farm when wheat 
generally is running 20 bushels to the acre in that locality is a 
big story. Perhaps the man who got that yield knew some 
thing about plowing that the others didn't. Perhaps he used 
a fertilizer that agricultural experts had been preaching about 
for two years. If he did, then a good story in the local paper 
on why John Smith's wheat was going 50 bushels to the acre 
would sell more farmers the idea of using that fertilizer than all 
the scientific stories on it sent out from the agricultural school 
in a year. That would be the opportune time for the country 
paper to use a story from the agricultural bureau, linking it 
up with the local situation. A trip to the farm of the suc 
cessful farmer would probably net enough news for many good 
stories. 

Under the general heading of crops come literally hundreds 
of sources of good news stories. A man has put in a few acres 
of a new brand of wheat. What are the results? By growing 
corn on a piece of ground that formerly yielded 10 bushels to 
the acre an enterprising farmer has been able to get 40 bushels 
of wheat the following year. What was the value of his corn 
crop, in addition to the yield the following year? How much 
extra labor was required? What was the cost of not sowing it 
to some other crop when the value of the corn was figured in? 
Would it pay to grow more corn each year than is grown in that 
locality at the present time? Of course crop rotation has been 
shouted about for years, but an illustration of the principle 
with a local connection will do more to put the idea across to 
farmers than all the previous writing with no local example. 

B. News Sources about Crops. It is impossible to suggest 
all the sources of news connected with crops but in any list 
must be included: 

The kinds of crops grown: wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley, flax, 
alfalfa, timothy, tobacco, etc. 

The kinds of soil they are grown in; which gives the .best 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 139 

yield for a certain crop; what methods of handling different 
soils have proved best. 

Methods of preparing the soil for the seed; plowing in the 
fall; plowing in the spring; summer fallowing; deep and 
shallow plowing; plowing land that has not been plowed for 
two or more years; harrowing; discing; packing; discing in 
stubble. 

Methods of seeding that have proved best in that locality; 
seeding new and old land; seeding the different kinds of grains; 
seeding disced stubble; packing after seeding; the amount of 
seed needed for different grains and different soils. 

Methods of cutting and taking care .of grain before thresh 
ing that have proved best; cutting some crops before they are 
"dead ripe"; crops that must be entirely ripe before cutting; 
shocking and stacking grain; does the saving by stacking offset 
the extra labor required?; the value of small stacks in the 
field; heading grain; cutting and stacking grains with short 
stem. 

Threshing: the number of rigs and their owners; price per 
bushel of each kind of grain at each rig; kind of rigs ; size of 
rig and crew ; labor situation and number of farm teams needed 
on each rig that fall; list of farmers already signed up for each 
rig; estimated run of each rig; preparing grain to be threshed; 
turning shocks in wet weather; other ways of keeping grain in 
threshing condition; what to do with the chaff; value of the 
straw for local uses and to export; grain lost by letting it run 
on the ground; price of grain and application of general survey 
of crop-producing area to, the local producers; elevators in the 
town; roads that are best to use for hauling wheat; value of 
private elevators and granaries. 

Crop diseases, such as: rust, blight, etc.; pests that injure 
crops, such as grasshoppers, locusts, etc.; prevalence of the 
above and means of preventing their destructive work; apply 
ing of material from agricultural experts on these subjects to 
the local field. 

Fruits: kinds grown; methods proved practicable; diseases 
and their prevention or cure; danger from frosts; prices; mar 
kets; methods of caring for trees; new varieties; shipping con 
ditions; storage; crating and boxing; pests affecting crops; 
yields. 



140 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Silage: methods of preparing silage; methods of building 
silos; methods of loading silage and filling the silo; methods 
of preventing silage from spoiling; corn fodder; cutting, husk 
ing, and other methods of getting the most out of corn. 

Fertilizers: those easy to get such as barnyard manure and 
mineral deposits found in the local region; methods of using 
fertilizers; reason the soil gets "run down"; rotation of crops 
tried and proved to be the best for the kind of soil around 
your town; letting a piece of land stand without seeding for a 
year. 

Farm machinery: plows, harrows, drills, binders, corn bind 
ers, headers, mowers, rakes, bullrakes, stackers, engines, trac 
tors, elevators, new inventions in the machinery line; new 
methods of caring for old machinery ; care of machinery in pro 
tecting it from the weather; care of belts, etc.; oiling of ma 
chinery; prices of new machinery and where to get it; 
discussions of the efficiency of various machines. 

An example of a story about soil tests which will interest all 
farmers raising crops in that community follows, from the 
Centreville (Maryland) Observer: 

Figures compiled yesterday at noon 
revealed the interesting fact that 43,573 
acres of Queen Anne's county land or 
approximately one-fourth of the entire 
cultivated area had been sampled in 
the lime test campaign, conducted under 
the joint auspices of the Farm Bureau 
and local Extension Service. 

Now Analyzing 1 Samples 

Analysis is being carried on at the 
Centreville High School under the joint 
direction of W. E,. McKnight, teacher 
of vocational agriculture, and Ernest W. 
Grubb, county agent. 

All samples are being submitted to the 
"Trough Test/ 3 a process originated in 
Wisconsin in which quantitative analy 
sis may be simply and accurately made. 

Each sample is boiled for three min 
utes in a water solution containing a 
special chemical reagent of known 
strength and quantity. A slip of paper 
previously saturated with lead acetate 
is suspended in the steam coming off, and 
the degree of discoloration of this lead 
acetate enables those testing to arrive at 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 141 

a very accurate estimate of the lime 
needed to correct the acidity present. 

Need of Lime Shown 

By this process one hundred and forty- 
nine samples have already been analyzed 
in Centreville and sixty-two at the 
Maryland Experiment Station. It is 
noteworthy that less than ten of this 
number reacted in such a way as to 
show the presence of adequate amounts 
of lime. While it is too early, in the 
opinion of those in charge of the work, 
to prophesy results, it is believed that 
final figures will reveal at least ninety 
per cent of the acreage under test in 
sad need of lime. 

The work of furnishing reports to each 
farmer will be taken up at once. The 
operator of each field, as his sample is 
analyzed, will shortly receive a complete 
lime prescription showing his needs in 
terms of the usual forms of lime used 
locally. It is hoped that the end of 
January will bring the completion of all 
work connected with the testing of this 
forty-three thousand acres. 

C. The General Crop Story. Farmers living in one section 
of the county like to know how the crops are in other parts of 
the county. The country paper, whether weekly or daily, can 
give its farm readers this information only when some means 
of getting the information is available. Daily papers some 
times have men who devote their time to traveling about 
through the paper's territory and wiring in to the office data on 
crop conditions. The weekly paper cannot afford a reporter 
to do this but must get its crop information in another way. 

Most weeklies get news about general crop conditions in 
the county or in the paper's territory through correspondents. 
Country correspondents can be adequately trained to write a 
paragraph or two on crops in their localities with little trouble. 
Some papers pay more for farm news, particularly crop news, 
than for regular country personals. Others send regular weekly 
reminders to their correspondents or give them stationery 
with the reminder printed on it. If the attention of 'the cor 
respondent can be drawn to the importance of crop news he 
will be glad to write it. 

The general crop conditions story is made for the weekly 



142 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

by putting together the numerous paragraphs that country cor 
respondents have sent in with their regular material. The gen 
eral story is therefore just a combination of many stories about 
specific localities. These paragraphs are separate but are 
woven together by transition sentences introduced by the edi 
tor. The unity of subject matter makes it easy to use these 
paragraphs in one story. 

D. Market Reports. In connection with crops much em 
phasis should be placed on the value of running the local mar 
kets in the country paper. These can be corrected just before 
the paper goes to press and oftentimes there will be a good 
story on the way the market has held or fluctuated during the 
week. If prices are on a downward slump the farmer is inter 
ested for he may want to hold his grain until they are higher or 
he may want to sell before they go any lower. Many people 
subscribe to the paper only to get the local situation in regard 
to markets. 

One method of giving the local markets is shown below. 
The Mouse River Farmers Press, Towner, North Dakota, uses 
this method and farmers like it because it is concise and easy 
to grasp. 

TOWNER MARKETS 

Corrected Every Thursday 



No. 1 Dark Northern $1.19 

No. 1 Northern 1.17 

No. 1 Amber Durum 1.03 

No. 1 Mixed Durum 1.08 

No. 1 Red Durum 99 

Flax 1.90 

Oats 30 

Barley .44 

Rye 71 

Butter 45 

Eggs .45 

Cream 45 

The country daily usually carries a market story written 
from the reports that come in over the wire. The country 
weekly, which does not have a wire service and must necessa 
rily get its information by mail, cannot hope to give up-to-the- 
minute market reports and market stories. In many 
communities, however, farmers depend upon their weekly com 
munity paper to give them a story on the way the market has 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 143 

held or changed during the week. A country editor can write 
an intelligent market story only when he knows something 
about the terminology used in market reports and is able to 
interpret these reports so that local farmers who are not fa 
miliar with the terms will be able to understand his story. 

The following list of terms that are used in market reports, 
as they appear in daily papers and in buyers' reports, has been 
taken from Agricultural Journalism, written by Nelson Antrim 
Crawford, Director of Information, United States Department 
of Agriculture, and Charles Elkins Rogers, Professor of Indus 
trial Journalism, Kansas State Agricultural College. 

Bearish: Tending to keep prices down. 

Bullish: Tending to keep prices up. 

To sell short: To sell for future delivery without owning the products, in 

anticipation of a falling market. 
Shorts: Traders who have sold short. 
To hedge: To buy or sell in such a way as to neutralize the risk caused by 

a previous purchase. 

To break: To fall (said of the market when prices suddenly drop). 
Top: The highest price of the day (or other period under consideration). 
Toppy: High in quality (used of live stock). 
Grassy : Apparently fed on pasture. 
Milkers: Cows in milk. 
Springers: Cows in calf. 
@ : To, as $2.95 @ $9.40. 
Live stock is graded, starting with the best, as prime, choice, good, medium, 

common, and inferior. 

Cattle are divided into seven general classes. Beef cattle consist of fat 
steers and heifers. The term, "Texas and western range cattle," is self- 
explanatory. Butcher stock or "butchers" consists of animals not well 
fattened. Cutters and canners are very thin animals, the canners being so 
thin that no part of the carcasses can be used for cutting on the block. 
Stockers and feeders are usually grouped together as the fourth class. They 
are young cattle suitable for fattening. Stockers are under the age of 18 
months. Veal calves are calves sold for immediate slaughter. Milkers and 
springers are cattle more useful for dairy purposes than for meat. 

Hogs are classified on the market as follows: Prime heavy, 350 to 500 
pounds, with high quality; butcher, 180 to 350 pounds; packing, of about the 
same weight but lower quality than the preceding classes; light, 125 to 220 
pounds; pigs, 60 to 125 pounds; miscellaneous, hogs not suitable for the 
other classes. . 

There are three market classes of sheep mutton, suitable for immediate 
slaughter; feeder, thinner animals suitable for fattening; and breeding, pur 
chased for breeding purposes. , 

Horses are marketed as draft horses, chunks, wagon horses, carriage norses, 
road horses, and saddle horses, each of which classes t is divided into ^from 
two to five subclasses. 1 The common mule classification comprises mining, 
cotton, sugar, farm, and draft mules. 

E. Weather Reports. The amount of precipitation that 
has fallen during the week is very good material for a story. 

1 For explanation of classes of horses and mules, as well as for more detailed data 
on other live stock, a manual on the subject should be consulted, such as Types and Market 
'Classes of Live Stock, by H. W. Vaughan. 



144 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 



People in remote regions having farming interests are more 
interested in the rainfall and general crop conditions than 
anything else in the local paper. The farmers in the imme 
diate vicinity are also glad to know just what the rainfall has 
been. The weekly paper can't predict the weather for the next 
day or two, as the daily does, but it can supply much infor 
mation on weather conditions nevertheless. 

The Flagstaff weather is given by the Coconino Sun, Flag 
staff, Arizona, in this fashion : 



FLAGSTAFF U 


M 


THE 


R 




It 


OQ o 

It 


d 

<D 




WH 


JqH 





Thursday 


79 


47 





Friday 


84 


47 


o 


- Saturday 


8? 


50 


.01 


Sunday 




51 





Monday 


80 


56 





Tuesday 


82 


52 





Wednesday . . . 


82 


51 


.16 


Mean temperature 6 


6. 






Normal temp, this \ 


veek 


65. 




Total precipitation . 


17. 







Such a weather report is in addition to the many stories 
on the weather that are run. 

F. Live Stock. Besides raising crops, most farmers raise 
some live stock. If the paper happens to be located in a ranch 
ing or stock-raising country this is of more importance than 
crops. Every kind of animal on a farm is a news source. 
Some of the specific things connected with raising stock that 
will furnish news material are : 

The kinds of stock raised in that community; how many 
head of cattle the average farmer has; how many horses, ducks, 
chickens, geese, guinea hens, mules, etc., are raised for use and 
for marketing. % 

What is the average selling price of various animals in the 
community? Where are these for sale? Is it worth while 
to care for many head over the winter? What is the price of 
hay and feed in the community, and the outlook for the winter 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 145 

supply? Will there be wintering of cattle and horses by some 
one with a well-protected feed ring? 

Diseases of animals; reason for animals getting diseases; 
ways of preventing them from getting sick; what to do when 
they do get sick; veterinary service; home treatment. Each 
of these questions and subjects will make several stories. 

Feeding: kinds of feed used, prices, diets, feeds for curing 
ailments. 

G. Dairying. Dairying has come to be one of the main 
stays of the small farmer and should receive much more atten 
tion in the country paper than it now does. Men who started 
with two or three head of cattle a few years ago now make 
more money from the sale of butter and cream than they do 
from the land they sow. Large dairy farms are becoming 
numerous throughout the country, and in some regions dairy 
ing is practiced to the exclusion of grain raising entirely. 
Sources of news under dairying will include : 

Kinds of cattle raised in that locality; what breed is best 
suited to that climate; what breeds are best for beef; what 
breeds are the best for milch cows. 

Care of cattle: modern barns and equipment; milking ma 
chines; separators; milk houses, how to build them and take 
care of them; how to take care of calves; feeding calves; let 
ting calves run with the cows; need of cleanliness in handling 
dairy cattle; pasture for cattle; range conditions, where it^is 
and the condition of the grass; nearness to water, etc.; dis 
eases of cattle, prevention and cure. 

Special articles written by men who are practical farmers 
in the community are very valuable farm news features. The 
writer of the following article in the Markvitte (Minn.) Enter 
prise-Messenger is a practical dairyman and is known by many 
in the community. What he writes about dairying will be 
eagerly read. 

GEORGE RASH GIVES 

DAIRY FEED HELPS 

Mr. Farmer: 

Now is the time to breed cows to se 
cure fall and winter production. The 
reason is simply this: First, cows must 
be fed and taken care of during the 
winter months. Second, the price of 



146 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

butterfat always advances during this 
period. Third, cows freshening during 
October and November if properly cared 
for and fed during the fall and winter, 
will increase in production when put on 
grass in the spring. 

It is not practical dairying to expect a 
spring-freshened cow to increase in milk 
flow when put on dry feed in the fall 
and winter. In order to make a profit 
from cows when mill feed must be de 
pended upon, every means available 
must be relied upon, every precaution 
taken to stop the many leaks whereby a 
profit is turned into loss through lack of 
efficient feeding and care given your 
dairy herd. A temporary loss may be 
turned into a permanent profit by in 
vesting in a good balanced ration for 
your dairy cow. 

The experience your creamery has gone 
through the past month should teach 
you that you must prepare now for next 
winter's production of butterfat. Those 
of you who are stockholders must rea 
lize that any investment, whether made 
by a bank, organization of any kind, 
or any individual, must be protected 
by this same bank, organization, or in 
dividual if it is expected to return a 
profit on such investment. The same is 
true of each individual farmer in this 
community or anywhere else. If you 
do not protect your investment of the 
many items that make^ up your farm 
machinery this same investment will 
show a loss. 

Check up on your cows. Find out 
which ones are producing enough to 
show you a profit. Sell those which are 
not. If I can be of any assistance to any 
of you I will be glad to aid at any time. 
Markville Coop. Creamery Assn. 
George W. Rash, Sec. 

H. Poultry. Poultry raising will offer as many sources of 
news as dairying and in some communities where there are 
many chicken farms this industry will get much attention. 
The items listed for live-stock raising in general, and for cattle, 
will nearly all be news sources when considered in regard to 
poultry. 

The following story will interest all farmers and poultrymen 
in the vicinity of the New Egypt (N. J.) Press. 

A big get-together and field day for 
poultrymen will be held at the Vineland 
Egg Laying Contest grounds on, Wednes- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 147 

day, August 25. Everybody is welcome 
and invited to come. 

At noon the Vineland Poultry Asso 
ciation will act as host to all those pres 
ent, furnishing ^ a good lunch to those 
who did not bring their lunches. 

From two to five P. M. an interesting 
program of lectures and demonstrations 
will be given. Prof. Harry R. Lewis is 
expected to be one of the speakers. 

During the entire day the contest will 
be open for inspection and members of 
the staff of the Poultry Department will 
be present to answer questions. 

Sports will be part of the program, 
with tug of war teams from the different 
counties the feature. 

A tour will be run from Ocean County 
to this gathering of poultrymen at Vine- 
land on Wednesday, August 25. The 
tour will leave the Jersey Central Sta 
tion, Toms River, at 8:00 P. M., new 
time, which will bring the tour to Vine- 
land around 11 :00 or 11 :30. 

I. Hay and Feed. In certain regions haying is one of the 
principal occupations during the summer season. The hay 
land being cut, who is doing it, the size of the crews, location 
of hay land, number of stacks put up each day by different 
crews, baling of hay, stand of hay in meadowland and prairie 
hay fields, wages paid, labor situation in hay fields, haying 
machinery, and similar topics will furnish much news of inter 
est to local farmers and haymakers. 

An example of a hay and feed story of great interest to 
farmers and stockraisers is given below, taken from the Times- 
Register, Idaho Falls, Idaho : 

$40,000 Alfalfa Hay Sale 
By Utah-Idaho Company 

The biggest individual sale of alfalfa 
hay, all in one /place, ever made in 
Idaho, was closed yesterday when the 
Utah-Idaho Sugar Co. closed a deal with 
the Woods Livestock Co. for 5000 tons 
of alfalfa hay on the Osgood project, five 
miles northwest of Idaho Falls at $8 per 
ton, or a gross of $40,000 and all will 
concede the fact that that is a lot of hay 
and a lot of money. 

The $8 per ton price fixes the market 
value of hay for this section for the 
time being, at least, although there are 
those who make the statement that be- 



148 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

fore the season is over the price will be 
higher. 

The contract stipulates that the hay 
must be fed on the land, which is in 
itself a great advantage. 

The Osgood project will this year har 
vest the best crop in six years, as in ad 
dition to the 5000 tons of hay there are 
1000 acres of the best beets produced in 
the valley and about 1000 acres in po 
tatoes. 

The project is one of the "show places" 
of the section, is formed by 65 tenants 
and members of their families, all com 
fortably housed in well-built homes. The 
Osgood school, which is a part of Idaho 
Falls independent school district No. 1, 
has 136 children registered for school 
this year. 

What Makes a General Story of Interest to the Farmer. 
Farmers are not interested in all of the news that the daily 
papers publish, but much of it could be made interesting to 
them if it were linked up with a local situation. Every story 
in a daily paper will suggest a story for the weekly that will 
be read by farmers. Stories on radio, science and invention, 
real estate and buildings, fires and fire prevention, insurance 
of all kinds, laws and law enforcement, automobiles, roads, 
politics, religion, taxes, tariffs, and many other subjects ap 
pearing in daily papers, will be good stories for farmer readers 
when linked with farm life. 

Giving Agricultural Time Copy a Local Angle. The way 
in which a piece of agricultural college time copy can be suc 
cessfully used by linking it up with something of local impor 
tance, is shown in the following story. 

COW-TESTING GROUP 
GETS GOOD RESULTS 

The McHenry County Cow Testing 
Association composed of more than one 
hundred dairymen, in its last report 
states that its members are well satisfied 
with results obtained and gives quota 
tions to prove the statements. Several 
farmers in the southern part of the 
county have disposed of as many as ten 
cows apiece which were not good pro 
ducers. As a result of weeding out poor 
producers, fanners have increased the 
monthly cream check and have cut down 
expenses. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 149 

John Smith, Gust Nordin, Peter 
Thompson, Jake Kirk, and Tom Paulson 
are members of the association in this 
community. 

North Dakota farmers would make 
$28,000,000 more from their dairy cows 
each year if all cows were tested for 
production and inferior animals replaced 
with good ones, according to A. M. 
Challey, dairy extension worker of the 
North Dakota Agricultural college. 

Mr. Challey bases his estimate on the 
actual records of the members of the 
Flasher Cow Testing association, show 
ing an average production of 258 pounds 
of butterfat per cow last year, whereas 
the average for all cows milked in the 
state was only 140 pounds. At 40 cents 
per pound for butterfat, the average cow 
produces $63.85 worth of butterfat in a 
year at a feed cost, according to farmers' 
records, of $24.44, leaving an income 
above feed costs of $39.41. 

News for Farm Women. Farm women read the newspapers 
more closely than women living in the city. They do not have 
all of the parties and teas to go to that the town women have, 
and so depend upon the paper and word of mouth to keep 
them informed of what is happening. Farm news for women 
is as important as farm news for men. While much farm news 
is of interest to both the men and women, there is a great part 
of it that will be more interesting to women. Gardens and 
gardening; landscape gardening at small cost; ways to make 
the 'farm home more attractive ; hedges around the farm house; 
flower raising; hotbeds and cold frames; raising fruits; care 
of fruit trees, vines and bushes; best methods of canning dif 
ferent fruits; recipes for canning and cooking; ways to save 
steps in getting the housework done; menus; ways of saving 
food by using it in the preparation of different dishes; new 
ways of cooking foods; kitchen equipment and its location so 
that things are more convenient; homemade devices to assist 
in the work, etc., will furnish material for many stories that 
will interest farm women. 

Although they do not have as much time to devote to dress 
as women living in the city, nevertheless farm women are very 
much interested in styles. The latest in dress fashions; pat 
terns; sewing problems; goods for clothes; tatting; embroid- 



150 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

ery; crocheting patterns; fancy work, etc., are all of interest 
to them. 

How to Gather Farm News. The problem of gathering 
farm news cannot be solved by following the rules for gather 
ing news in the city. No regular beats which can be made 
every day can be established in the country. There is little 
excitement on the farm when a man finds a better way to care 
for cattle or makes some similar discovery. There are no offi 
cial documents to turn to in collecting farm news. Different 
ways of getting the news from farmers must be used than 
those used in getting city news. 

First of all, the country newspaperman should make it his 
business to know as many of the farmers personally who live 
in his vicinity as he can, and should do all he can to make 
them feel that the paper is run for their good. Displaying a 
prize pumpkin in the window of the print shop will make a 
friend who will come in many times after that with something 
of interest about his farm. The country newspaperman should 
visit surrounding farms whenever he has the time to do so. 
A personal visit to a farm and an ordinary chat with the 
farmer will turn up a dozen good stories. If the farmer is 
approached in a formal fashion with: "I am with the Small 
town Daily Argus and would like to interview you on the 
subject of raising hogs/ 3 or a similar statement, he will imme 
diately become suspicious of the motives of the reporter and 
will divulge nothing. Simple, plain ordinary conversation 
about the weather, crop conditions in general, and things he 
is interested in will start him talking and give the reporter the 
material he desires. 

In rural communities much news is carried by word of 
mouth. A chance conversation with a farmer hauling hay 
will reveal to the newspaperman many things that are going 
on in that farmer's locality. A friendly talk with a farmer 
when he comes to town will furnish material for several good 
stories. 

The wise country journalist will encourage farmers to visit 
the office every time they come to town. Their visits, what 
they came for, and all interesting facts connected with their 
business in town, can be written for the local column. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 151 

News from Conversation with a Farmer. A country editor, 
while on his way home from a Sunday visit to another town, 
picked up a farmer walking along the road. Here is part of the 
verbatim conversation 1 showing the stories that the editor 
got from the chance conversation and the way in which he 
got them: 

"Hello, John. Going my way?" 
"You bet. I'm going down to Ed 
Holland's place to help him husk corn 
next week. He's going to help me han 
dle the sheep a bit later." 
"Got all your work done already?" 
"Well, no, but the boy carne home 
from Mayfield last night on the train, 
and him and Jake are going to get the 
sheep from the Forbes 3 pasture next 
week and fix up the barns for the win 
ter." 

"What boy? Do you mean Bill?" 
"Yes. He's home while the factory's 
shut down over there for repairs." 
"How's the corn going this year?" 
"Well, Ed said, his was making 45 to 
the acre and mine's been going about 
fifty. Most of the boys around here 
have hogged off five acres or so. There's 
some mighty fine hogs on account of 
it too. Charley Peters shipped twenty- 
five good-sized ones yesterday and 
there'll be lots more sold before winter." 
"Get much rain at your place the other 
night?" 

'More wind than anything else, I 
guess. Me and the missus was over to 
Al Jones' place when it came up and 
when we got home the machine shed 
door was hanging by one hinge. Blew 
the shed over at Hammond's place, I 
guess. Let me out here and I'll cut 
across to Ed's." 

There would be little in that conversation to make a story 
for the city paper. After using the phone the next day to 
verify statements the country editor wrote these stories for 
his paper: 

Story Number 1. 

John Stevens, who lives four miles 
south of town, is helping Ed Holland 
get the rest of his corn husked. Ed has 
a corn crop this year that is averaging 
more than 45 bushels to the acre. John 

I7 his conversation was taken down by the writer/ who was a member of the editor's 
party. The names are changed. 



152 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

has finished husking his corn, which 
made 50 bushels to the acre, and plans 
to spend the next week at Ed's place 
before starting farm preparations for 
winter. 

Number 2. 

William Stevens, son of Mr. and Mrs. 
John Stevens, who live four miles south 
of town, arrived here Saturday night 
from Mayfield for a visit with his par 
ents. Bill has been working for the 
J. C. Rogers Company, plumbing and 
steam fitting factory, as their pipe de 
partment foreman for the past two years, 
and is home for a vacation while some 
new machinery is being installed in the 
factory. He plans to spend a week 
visiting friends here and then return to 
Mayfield by way of Mason, some time 
the next week. 

Number 3. 

Bill Stevens and Jake Thomas left 
Monday morning for Beldon where they 
will get the flock of more than 1,000 
sheep belonging to John Stevens and 
drive them home in preparation for the 
coming winter. Mr. Stevens has had 
the sheep pastured on the old Forbes 
place two miles east of Beldon for the 
past three months. 

Five years ago John Stevens started 
raising sheep by purchasing ten ewes 
from the Jackson sheep ranch at Cam- 
den. He found it a paying business and 
the following year increased his flock to 
100. Since then he has added to his 
flock by purchase and natural increase 
until he now has more than 1,000. When 
he started in the business he says his 
neighbors laughed at him and called him 
an "old sheep herder." John says since 
the money has been coming in for wool 
and mutton in large amounts each year 
he doesn't care what they call him. He 
is the largest sheep owner in this com 
munity. 

Number 4. 

A wind and rain storm struck this 
vicinity last Friday night about 8:30 
o'clock, and from the reports of several 
farmers, did some slight damage. The 
shed at Ben Hammond's farm that has 
been used as a milk house was com 
pletely demolished, and the machine 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 153 

shed door at John Stevens' farm was left 
hanging by one hinge. Milk pails and 
jars were blown around the yard at 
Hammond's and the separator was over 
turned. No damage was done to any 
property in the city. 

Number 5. 

"Hogging off" five or ten acres of corn 
is, in the opinion of Charley Peters, local 
farmer, a profitable practice. He shipped 
25 hogs to the St. Paul Produce Com 
pany last Saturday which he said were 
practically raised in the cornfield. The 
hogs averaged 186 pounds apiece. 
Charley says there's nothing to it but 
turning the hogs into a small patch of 
corn and seeing that they have plenty of 
water to drink. He also fed them 
skimmed milk the first part of the sum 
mer. 

Perhaps some will wonder how the editor got so many stories 
with so little as a working basis. He knew something of the 
history of sheep-raising in his community from previous 
stories. The files of the paper helped him verify statements. 
A phone call to the Hammond, Peters, and Stevens farms did 
the rest. No amount of conversation will help the editor in 
getting news unless he uses every possible angle to run down 
the rest of the story. 

Need of a Farmer- Journalist. When it is practicable the 
country paper should have a man to devote all of his time to 
writing farm news. This reporter must be more than a jour 
nalist ; he must know farming as well as any farmer and know 
what interests farmers. His business will be to collect farm 
news and write it and to conduct special research problems 
in a scientific way that will benefit farmers. He must write 
the results of experiments so that the story has a local connec 
tion. A man who knows a great deal about journalism and a 
little about farming will not be able to compete with the man 
who knows much about farming and enough about journalism 
to write simply and interestingly. The day when every coun 
try paper will have a farmer- journalist is yet to come, but 
until that time farm news will not be covered adequately. 



CHAPTER XII 
FEATURE STORIES 

What They Are. Included in the type of news which has 
been designated "Local Features 7 ' are many stories which dif 
fer materially from the helps and hints of practical guidance 
previously explained. These stories are generally much longer 
than the practical aid briefs and frequently are longer than 
the regular news stories of the week. They are different, too, 
in the manner in which they treat subjects and in the form of 
the story. 

Even in the country paper, the straight news story is lim 
ited to the facts that are available concerning some happen 
ing which is of greatest interest only because it is of recent 
date. The feature story serves a different purpose and is not 
limited by the number of facts about some particular happen 
ing. Many persons like to know more of the persons, places, 
things, and circumstances mentioned in the straight news 
story. Readers like to know something of the life of those 
who are talked about in the news, more about the background 
of the happening, and some of the less striking but none the 
less interesting facts about circumstances which are not 
brought to their attention in stories of current events. 

Feature stories have come to be used because not all of the 
interesting things connected with community life can be pre 
sented in straight news stories. In the feature story the 
reader gets to know some person, place, or thing, in a way 
that makes him feel that he has a personal acquaintance with 
the subject of the news. The material is so presented that the 
reader feels he is reading one of the best short stories of the 
day, made all the more interesting because he knows the story 
to be true. 

Professor Willard G. Bleyer of the University of Wisconsin 

154 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 155 

defines the feature story x as a "detailed presentation of facts 
in an interesting form adapted to rapid reading, for the pur 
pose of entertaining or informing the average person. 7 ' The 
story may deal with: (1) recent news that is of sufficient 
importance to warrant elaboration; (2) timely or seasonal 
topics not directly connected with news; or (3) subjects of 
general interest that have no immediate connection with cur 
rent events. 

Feature stories are not written immediately after the event 
has occurred but appear sometimes many days later. The 
writer has time to look at the facts presented by the straight 
news story, to gather any additional facts that are interesting, 
to organize his story, and to present it in a form which will 
arouse enough interest in the reader to make him read the 
entire story. 

Value of Feature Stories in the Country Paper. There are 
times when the country editor is ready to give up the ship, to 
conclude that not enough happens in a small town to fill 'his 
paper every week. Unless the editor is one who believes in 
having something stored up for a slack season he must fill his 
paper with a lot of "filler" material and let it go at that. This 
material is very seldom of much interest to local readers, and 
instead of helping to make the paper appear full of news it 
acts as so much dead weight, detracting from the local news 
that the staff has managed to secure. 

Feature stories, written up at times when business is slack 
and when news is scarce, serve the editor in the same capacity 
as money in the bank. They are interesting to local readers 
and they make the use of "fillers" unnecessary. By the use 
of them the editor may always have a newsy paper and will 
save himself much feverish work trying to find something to 
"fill that space." Very few newspapermen forget that it is 
necessary to have money in the bank to be used if needed, but 
they do not apply this reasoning to news stories. If there 
were no other value in having feature stories in the country 
paper, the saving of time and thought that they afford would 
be enough to warrant their use. 

The second reason for having feature stories in the country 
paper is that they are real tonics for a sick subscription list. 

1 See "Special Feature Articles" by Williard G. Bleyer (Houghton, Mifflin Co.)- 



156 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Of all the schemes that have been tried to boost circulation 
and to arouse interest among readers in what the paper is 
doing, good live, local features have been of the most help. 

Feature stories are also of much service to the country editor 
because they furnish him with an opportunity to bring before 
the readers in an interesting manner, some person, condition, 
or circumstance which is an important part of the life of the 
community. Instead of complimenting some progressive 
farmer in words which might make some one else feel unkindly 
toward the man, the editor may write about his farm in a 
way which will bring out all of the important points. Rather 
than try to get people interested in the school by urging them 
in an editorial, the editor can arouse intense interest by run 
ning a series of feature stories telling about the interesting and 
valuable work the school is doing. From the standpoint of use 
fulness in arousing the readers' interest in any part of the 
community, the value of feature stories can not be overes 
timated. 

Aims of Feature Stories. If we except the short briefs of 
helps and hints, and the stories of practical guidance, from 
this classification, and deal only with regular feature stories, 
we may divide the aims of these stories into two divisions. A 
feature story aims either to: (1) entertain readers, or (2) to 
inform them. There are, of course, many stories which com 
bine these two aims in a manner which makes them both in 
teresting and educational. Most of the stories found in the 
country paper will have both of these aims. 

A trip through a local factory such as is mentioned in one 
of the feature stories given later might have been written 
with a view to furnishing readers with material for entertain 
ment only. The writer could have picked from what he saw 
the actual situations and incidents which would be humorous 
and could have presented them in such a way that readers 
would have been only amused. Stories which classify as "hu 
morous' ' are good illustrations of features written with the 
view of entertaining readers. 

The same trip through a factory could have been written so 
that it was not in the least entertaining, simply presenting 
the facts about the factory in a businesslike manner. Some- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 157 

times such a story must be written, but it is only when the 
information contained in the story is of such great importance 
that any entertainment would interfere with the presentation 
of facts. Generally, both aims will be shown in feature stories 
found in good country papers. 

Getting Material. Much material for feature stories the 
editor will get from his own personal experience and observa 
tion ; in fact, this is the most prolific source of material for any 
feature writer. Visiting a neighbor may give the editor enough 
material for a good story of the way a man can raise an or 
chard in his back yard. A trip through the country on a Sun 
day afternoon will furnish material for a story on bee-keeping 
as a side line, roadside marketing of produce, a significant 
landmark, or what not. Personal experience with a rather re 
fractory furnace may lead the editor to write a feature story 
on taking care of a furnace; experience with an automobile 
will give the editor ideas for many features about the care of 
the car, getting pleasure from long rides, cheap touring, etc. 
The editor's personal experience and observation will be re 
sponsible for most of the feature stories he writes, because in 
such cases he will know most about his subject. 

News stories in his own paper and in exchanges will some 
times give the editor ideas for feature stories. The account 
in another paper of the organization of a golf club and the 
preparation of a place to play will suggest the possibility of 
having a club in the local community. The purchase of a 
new tractor by a farmer well known in the community will 
suggest the possibility of getting a feature story about that 
man's farm. There is no end to the subjects which will come 
to the editor from watehing news items for significant and in 
teresting points. 

By collecting facts about some seasonal event such as Christ 
mas, the editor can prepare many of 'his feature stories weeks 
and even months in advance. If a book of subjects for fea 
ture stories is kept and referred to frequently, many ideas for 
features on coming events will be obtained. Anniversaries, 
holidays, special days, fairs, etc., will afford material for stories 
which may be written much in advance. 

Classification of Country Feature Stories. Unless the coun- 



158 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

try editor has some definite idea of the kinds of feature stories 
that can be written for the country paper he will miss a great 
many stories that could be used. A satisfactory way of clas 
sifying features about the country community is one which 
makes use of the subjects of the news. Each community will 
be different and each editor will have different ideas, but after 
looking over his possible sources for feature stories he will 
be able to make a classification which will serve him well. 

Feature Stories in the Country Field. Historical. The most 
common kind of feature story found in the country paper is 
one which appeals to the interest everyone has in historical 
facts. No matter how old or how young a reader may be, he 
still likes to hear and read about times long since past but 
perhaps still fresh in his memory. Our interest in the affairs 
of many years ago, in the people of that day, never grows less 
with advancing years; on the contrary, the older we get the 
more we live in the past. Most of the country papers in the 
United States that are old enough to have any files, are run 
ning short briefs each week about days gone by which are still 
remembered. Various headings are used to introduce these 
collections of stories but all indicate to the reader that here 
are stories gleaned from memory and record. There is no 
other feature which is read with so much interest as these 
" Years Ago" columns. 

Two methods are in vogue for presenting such historical 
briefs, one in which the news is given in the exact wording of 
the original item and the other in which the editor of today 
tells the important facts about what happened years ago. The 
first method is better since it permits readers to get the atmos 
phere of the former time and to see the way news was chron 
icled in that day. 

Sometimes a relic of historical importance is brought to 
light by some one who accidentally stumbles on to it in a long- 
neglected place. The opportunity for feature stories about 
such historical relics is great and is limited only by the number 
of subjects found. An old paper, interesting because of its 
age, and more interesting because of its historical significance, 
furnishes the material and inspiration for the following story 
for the Tri-County Press, Polo, Illinois. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 159 

POLOAN HAS PAPER 
OF JULY 8, 1776 
AS FAMILY RELIC 



HISTORICAL RELIC IN STORAGE 
BOX FOUND BY MISS ES 
THER WATERBURY 



PIONEERS ACTIVE 



Issue Contains Historical Docu 
ments; Interestingly Written; 
Ads Are Short 



^ Rainy days are usually fruitful espe 
cially when one likes to rummage 
through the old boxes that hold relics 
of days gone by, personal effects of one's 
family, or keepsakes treasured for years. 
Miss Esther Waterbury, school nurse, 
came across a copy of the Pennsylvania 
Packet dated Monday, July 8, 1776, on 
one such trip into the attic, the land of 
storage boxes. 

The issue of the Packet brought to 
this office by Miss Waterbury contains 
"A Declaration by the Representatives 
of the United States in Congress Assem 
bled" made four days previous, on July 4, 
1776. The Declaration of Independence 
is printed in full setting forth the rea 
sons for the separation of the Colonies 
from England. "The history of the 
present King of t Great-Britain is a his 
tory of repeated injuries and usurpations, 
all having in direct object the establish 
ment of an absolute tyranny over these 
states. To prove this, let facts be sub 
mitted to a candid world," wrote John 
Dunlap, editor of the Packet. 

Another part of the paper contained 
"An Act to prevent Sedition, and pun 
ish Insurgents and Disturbers of the 
Public Peace." Much news of the 
times, war stories, is given in the Packet. 
Plans were published for the protection 
of the Colonies. John Hancock, presi- 



160 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

dent of the Congress, seemed to have 
much to say as his name was signed to 
many of the orders. A call for flint 
stone was made with the request that 
"all printers of newspapers in the sev 
eral states are desired to insert this 
advertisement ." 

All advertising is in the form of our 
classified section. No display space was 
used at that time. The subscription 
was 10 shillings per year. Miss Water- 
bury prizes the copy of the Packet very 
highly. She says her parents secured the 
paper which had been handed down for 
several generations. 

Personal. Some papers have made' it a rule to run some 
thing about prominent citizens each week so that members of 
the community will get acquainted with them. "Who's Who 

in " is the caption of many a column which runs facts 

about prominent people in the community. 

Such short direct quotations as the two following taken 
from the Farmer City (111.) Journal are both entertaining and 
informative with the readers' interest aroused in both. 



WHEN I GET BIG 



MARION ROLLINS 



"When I get big I want to stay 
at home and play, I don't want 
to work. If I can't stay at home 
and have a good time, I want to 
work on a farm, so that I can 
ride horses, 'cause I like to ride 
horses, better than most anything 
else that I know of." 

Marion is the son of Mr. and 
Mrs. C. L. Rollins. He is in the 
first grade and is six years old. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 



161 



WHEN I WAS 20 



G. F. Zumwalt 



"When I was twenty years old 
I was working as night telegraph 
operator, at Birkbeck first, and 
then DeWitt. I was only at Birk 
beck three months, and the rest of 
the year was spent at DeWitt. I 
boarded and roomed with a man 
by the name of Cutch Bourn, 
where I paid $12.50 a month for 
both. Of course, I slept during 
the day time, and it was quiet 
there to sleep. When I was at 
Birkbeck, I stayed with some peo 
ple that lived two miles back in a 
timber, among the mosquitos and 
pinch bugs." 



Pioneers and patriarchs of the community deserve to be 
commended while they are still alive and readers need to be 
reminded that the local community has men who have lived 
interesting lives. The Sun, Rutherfordton, North Carolina, 
ran the following "living obituary" of a prominent citizen with 
a splendid picture of him to commemorate his birthday. Such 
personal feature stories are easily obtained and are of great 
interest to those who know the subject of the news. 



THE LIFE STORY 
OF MR. E. E. CLINE 



E. E. Cline, soldier and officer of the 
Confederate Army, a successful farmer 
of the best type and a courageous and 
courteous gentleman, was born at the 
home of his father, Ephraim Cline, near 
Newton, North Carolina, on July 12, 
1833. 

Brought up on his father's farm, t it 
was natural for Mr. E. E. Cline to in 
herit a love of the land and to follow 
in the footsteps of his parents, who were 
true and successful farmers. For a wife 



162 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

of a farmer in those days, and it is 
equally true in the present day, did 
enough work in the house and garden, 
and often in the fields, for her to share 
the honorable title of "farmer." 

Mr. Cline received the school educa 
tion to be obtained in the period in 
which he was born. It may be the 
schooling he had would be called at 
present but little, but it sufficed to give 
North Carolina many of the finest men 
and women the State has ever had. 

In 1861 the conflict between the South 
and the North came to a head. The call 
for men came and it did not have to 
come twice to Mr. Cline. In August, the 
13th, he enlisted in Company E of the 
57th Infantry Regiment of North Caro 
lina. The Company marched to Salis 
bury and there the regiment was formed. 
Mr. E. E. Cline was elected Second 
Lieutenant of his company and this 
arduous post he^ ably fulfilled. From 
Salisbury the regiment was sent to Wil 
mington, where they spent the winter 
of '61. 

"From Wilmington," said the ninety- 
three years young veteran, "we went 
to Richmond and it was in the battle of 
Fredericksburg I was wounded in the 
thigh by a minnie ball. I carried that 
ball for ten months before it was re 
moved. In fact I still feel the effects 
of the wound but it doesn't bother me 
much except now and then, in wet 
weather. I marched to Bristol Station 
with that bullet in me but we didn't 
have a fight. After returning from that 
place my wound became inflamed and I 
had to go to the hospital to have the 
bullet taken out. It was at Danville in 
Virginia I had the operation. 

"One day after the bullet had been 
taken out and I was using crutches the 
doctor came along* 'Throw away those 
crutches/ he told me. I answered him 
back right smart and said, 'I will fall 
to the ground if I do. I can't stand 
yet.' We had some more words and I 
spoke pretty freely. Now to be honest I 
knew I would be no good for a long time 
and I wanted to get transferred to the 
hospital at Salisbury." 

The veteran's handsome face was 
wreathed in a reminiscent smile and he 
chuckled softly before he resumed: 
"Yes, I wanted to get to Salisbury. You 
see," here he laughed aloud, "it was just 
that much nearer home and I knew if I 
once got to Salisbury, I could work it to 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 163 

get home and see my wife. Well, Dr. 
Montgomery and I had a time of it but 
in the end I did get to Salisbury and I 
did get to my home for a time. 

"Did I have any brothers in the war? 
Yes, I had five, but one of them had no 
business to go. He was sickly, and he 
was refused time and time again, but 
he managed at last to get accepted. 
No, he wasn't killed in action. He was 
writing a letter in Richmond when a 
stray bullet killed him. He was Am 
brose. I think it was in 3 65 he died. 
Then there was Darius, he's still living 
over in Granite Falls, and he is ninety- 
one years old. No, he did not come to 
my birthday dinner. 

"Then there was Abel J., he's in 
Texas, Montcalm, Hill County. He's 
only ninety years old. It was too far 
for him to come to Gilkey. Alfred died 
some years ago; Ambrose was killed in 
the war and then there is the baby, S. J. 
Cline. How old is he? About eighty- 
six, I think." 

On November 11, 1857 Mr. E. E. Cline 
married Miss Leoma Narcissus Rader, 
the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel 
Rader. Mrs. Daniel Rader was Miss 
Fanny Deal before her marriage. The 
following named children were born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Cline: 

Mr. P. L. Cline, who married first 
Miss Cora Bell Healen. They had 
three children, and some years after 
the death of* his wife, Mr. P. L. Cline 
married Miss Lizzie Abernethy. There 
are 5 living children by his second wife. 
Mr. and Mrs. Cline reside at Granite 
Falls. 

Miss Dora Cline, who married Mr. J. 
A. Poovey. They have five children. 
Mr. and Mrs. Poovey also live at 
Granite Falls. 

Miss Ella Cline, who married Mr. J. 
W. Abernethy. To this union were born 
three children. Mr. Abernethy died 
some years ago. Mrs. Abernethy re 
sides with her brother-in-law, Mr. H. C. 
Cobb, of Rhodhiss, N. C. 

Mr. J. M. Cline, who married Misa 
Ellie Payne. Mr. and Mrs. Cline are 
residents of Granite Falls, and have six: 
children. 

Mr. C. F. Cline, who married Miss 
Effie L. Jones, of Granite Falls. Mr. 
and Mrs. Cline reside at Gilkey and 
have eight children. It was C. F. Cline 
who gave the birthday dinner for his 
father at Gilkey on July llth. 



164 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Mr. George E. Cline, who married 
Miss Delia Hamby. Mr. and Mrs. Cline 
live at Granite Falls and they have 
three children. 

Mr. E. E. Cline's first wife died in 
1877 and a few years later the Confed 
erate veteran married Miss Isadora 
Abernethy. From this union were born 
the following children : Mr. A. A. Cline, 
who married Miss Emma Lynch, of 
Rutherford County. Jhey have one 
child. 

Miss Bessie Cline, who married H. F. 
Killian, of Lincoln County. They have 
six children and reside at Gilkey, N. C. 

Miss Claudie Cline, who married Dr. 
M. T. Hickman. They have four chil 
dren and reside at Hudson, N. C. 

Mr. Carr Cline, who is the only child 
not married, and Miss Mamie Cline, 
who married Mr. M. L. Moore, of 
Granite Falls, where they live. Mr. and 
Mrs. Moore have two children. 

Thus Mr. E. E, Cline has eleven chil 
dren who are living, forty-two grand 
children, and thirty-one great-grandchil 
dren. Mr. Cline 's second wife died on 
November 11, 1912. 

Agriculture and Stock Raising. In communities where 
agriculture and stock raising are the main occupations there 
will be ample opportunity for the editor to get live local fea 
ture stories about conditions in general and about interesting 
things on particular farms. The following article is interest 
ing to all who have anything to do with stock raising, or 
farming. From the Madison County Democrat, London, Ohio. 

Old Dobbin 

Coming Back 

SOME LATE FACTS AND FIGURES 
SHOW BETTER DAYS COM 
ING FOR THE HORSE 

Madison county farms formerly were 
looked to by city buyers to furnish big 
handsome Percheron, Clyde and Bel 
gian horses for the market. Of late 
years horse breeding has fallen off and 
good, heavy horses are becoming scarcer. 
The present is the onportune time to re- 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 165 

vive the business. Wise breeders who 
have continued are expecting big profits 
as demand and prices are on the upward 
tendency. 

Old Dobbin is scoffing at the idea of 
becoming just mere material for remi 
niscence. 

Folks who think his usefulness lies 
only in his performance at shows and his 
posing for sculptors are all wrong, he 
snorts. To prove it, he directs their 
attention to a survey, just completed, 
dealing with his "comeback." Figures 
compiled by the U. S. government, the 
records of the American Horse associa 
tion and mounting sales of harness and 
horse foods by the leading mail-order 
houses, all prove that the horse is com 
ing back into his own. 

Yes, the humble horse is doing his 
humble work again and he will keep 
right on doing it, contends the report 
which is based on government census 
bureau figures. Again he is pulling the 
transfer man's heavy dray. Again he 
is hitched to the plow. 

And his role in both city and farm life 
is emphasized still further by the big 
gains in harness sales. E. J. Albro, as 
sistant manager of the harness depart 
ment of Montgomery Ward & Co., re 
tailing perhaps more horse equipment 
than any other American concern, an 
nounced yesterday that its harness busi 
ness last year had received an 80 per 
cent increase over 1922, and the sales are 
still on the rise. The farmer, he said, 
found he could use the horse when he 
could not use a tractor in his work. 

A couple of years ago the automobile 
and tractor had just about succeeded in 
pushing Dobbin out of the race. The 
"horseless carriage" had the laugh on the 
horse. Today it is the horse that is 
chuckling. 

"The motor truck," said Secretary 
Wayne Dinsmore of the Horse Associa 
tion of America, "is the only thing where 
speed is demanded. But for short hauls 
and where frequent stops are made, it 
isn't practical." 

And he pointed to the number of 
dairies, laundries, bakeries, newspapers 
and others with big delivery problems 
which are following such a plan. 

Speaking of tractors on the farm, Mr. 
Dinsmore thought the main objection 
to them was that they "do not eat farm 
products." 

"They eat gasoline and oil," he ex- 



166 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

plained. "And you can raise neither 
on the farm. But you can grow the 
corn, oats and hay the horse requires." 
There are a total of 22,266,387 horses 
in the United States today, the govern 
ment statistics disclose. 

Homes, Farm and City. The word "Home" is one of the 
most suggestive in the language. It arouses emotions and 
interests in everyone who says or hears it. It is no wonder 
that every reader of the country paper is interested in hearing 
about other people's homes, what they look like, how they 
are arranged, made comfortable and convenient, and the yards, 
gardens, and lawns surrounding them. No town is too small 
to have homes which will furnish material for such a feature 
story as the following. The Cameron Enterprise, Cameron, 
Texas, runs a column of such short feature stories about the 
many interesting things in the city. 



Around the 
City 



Cameron has many beautiful homes, 
none of which is more ornate than the 
stucco residence of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. T. 
Graves on Hefley Heights, which is sur 
rounded by massive oaks ~and pecan 
trees, of great natural beauty. The 
house fronts on Thirteenth Street but 
the lot runs back to Eleventh. The 
front lawn is attractive but the back 
yard is a picture, having the appear 
ance of a sunken garden, with its fern 
beds, bird-bath and ornamental fencing. 
This home is so attractive that a home 
magazine published in Baltimore, Mary 
land, sent a man all the way to Texas, to 
take exterior and interior pictures for an 
illustrated article describing the beauties 
of this Cameron home. There are four 
massive live-oaks and four large pecans 
among the forty beautiful trees that 
form a magnificent setting for this ele 
gant home and artistic grounds. 

The community includes farm homes as well as city homes 
and this fact adds subjects of feature stories to the editor's 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 167 

list. The following story shows how a farm home may be 
so well described that not only farm neighbors will read the 
story but also everyone who lives in the community that is 
interested in homes of any kind. This story is also a very 
good example of bringing a worthy citizen before the public 
for deserved attention. The description of local scenery given 
is worth considering. 

JOHN SCOGGINS HAS 
PROGRESSIVE FARM 

Farms Portion of Washburn 
Plantation and Also Operates 
Meal and Flour Mill. Large 
Family Connection. 

Mr. John Scoggins is a tenant farmer 
of part of the Washburn plantation on 
the new Coxe Road between Rutherford- 
ton and Broad River. The fifty acres 
cultivated by Mr. Scoggins lie on both 
sides of the road which leads from the 
main highway to Shiloh. 

In this pretty section of the county 
at the foot of a hill on the right and 
close by the picturesque old Washburn 
Mill stands the comfortable home in 
which Mr. and Mrs. Scoggins and five of 
their eight children reside. Surrounded 
by lovely old trees, shrubs and bushes, 
and some fruit trees, the house has an 
unusually good setting. 

Picturesque Mill. 

On the left of the road and a little 
beyond the residence stands the old 
mill ; run by water power from the creek. 
It has the exquisite color attained only 
by age and beside it stand trees to 
provide shade for the farmers who still 
bring their corn to be ground. Formerly 
wheat was also brought, but the days of 
burr flour have passed and it is rare now 
for any call to be made for the grinding 
of wheat. 

The forty to fifty acres which Mr. 
John Scoggins has under cultivation are 
used for cotton, corn, sugar cane, sweet 
potatoes, watermelons and other crops. 



168 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

From this comparatively small acreage 
Mr. Scoggins and his two sons, Clyde 
and Horace Scoggins, earn a good living. 
Mrs. Scoggins, like the good housewife 
and helpmate she is, attends to the 
chickens, the garden of about half an 
acre provides her table with vegetables. 
Besides looking after her family, Mrs. 
Scoggins, in the canning season, puts up 
fruit, vegetables, pickles and many other 
things for the winter months. 

Progressive Farmer. 

Mr. Scoggins is a progressive farmer 
and has a knowledge of the manifold 
branches of his occupation gained by 
being born on a farm and spending 
much of his younger days there. Natu 
rally he believes in the proper fertiliza 
tion, rotation of crops and all the other 
details so well known to farmers but are 
vague to those who do not gain^ their 
livelihood from the soil. In addition to 
his farming, Mr. Scoggins runs the mil], 
when there is demand for such service. 

Institutions. Feature stories about the various institutions 
in the community are easily obtained and are interesting to 
everyone. The great majority of people never know what is 
inside of most of the buildings in the town, and nothing of 
the way institutions are run. They would like to know about 
these places but never seem to have time to visit them per 
sonally to get the information. In the following story the 
editor has taken it upon himself to conduct his readers through 
the rather new factory in the town, showing them with words 
what he experienced and observed on the trip. 

Little Journey Thru 

New Factory Made 

By News Reporter 



"How's the new factory getting 
along?" has been a current question, on 
the lips of Hillsboro residents, for some 
time, so that now, even with the new 
Gordon Mills, Inc., sheet and pillow 
case factory located, set up, and running, 
in Hillsboro, they still ask the question. 

A News reporter made a flying visit 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 169 

to the factory Friday morning, to see 
what is done, in a sheet and pillow case 
factory. 

The trip was worth the time, even 
if the factory is still in the pin-feather 
stage, so to speak, only one week hav 
ing elapsed, since the machinery arrived 
here, to be set up. 

Hillsboro's new industry is located in 
the former A. H. Bartlett Motor Sales 
Co.'s building, northwest of the court 
house. The front part of the building 
still bears the marks of oil drippings 
from car storage, on its floor and men 
are still at work cleaning up the "lobby" 
to make it an attractive entrance to the 
new industry. The entrance room will 
be used for storage, shipping purposes, 
etc. The office and the cutting and sew 
ing room are housed in the large light, 
well-ventilated room at the west side 
of the entrance. The mangle and other 
equipment of this kind will be set up in 
the basement. 

Two long rows of Singer sewing ma 
chines, operated by electric motors, fill 
a large part of the sewing room and ten 
girls from or near Hillsboro, were at 
work Friday morning, C. Haines, of 
Bement, is in charge temporarily, and he 
personally and politely conducts visitors 
about, explaining the system and the 
process, and satisfying the curiosity of 
the visitors who drop in at intervals, to 
see the new factory. 

Sewing machines are threaded from 
two or from three five-inch cone-shaped 
spools of cotton thread to each machine. 
Workers do not leave their places, but 
helpers put piles of pillow-slips or sheets, 
at their elbows, and the girls at the ma 
chines put the material under the needle, 
and the piece is rushed thru with almost 
lightning-like rapidity, and is sewed, the 
seam covered, and the waste material at 
the edge of the seam cut off, by the ma 
chine, all in one operation and in the 
twinkling of an eye. 

A cheaper grade of sheets is made with 
a seam down the middle and the worker 
seems to be doing three things at once, 
as the seam is stitched, the edge turned 
under and this edge stitched again, all 
at one "run," the machines being 
equipped to do this. 

Two new workers had been employed, 
instructed and put to work, Friday morn 
ing, and -though they must have been 
"green hands," this was not apparent to 
an observer. 



170 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Cutting Them Out. 

Across the north end of the sewing 
room, was the long cutting table with a 
frame nearby to support the rolls of 
muslin which are to be cut into sheet 
or pillow slip lengths. 

Twelve rolls of cloth at once are set 
across the frame, which is like a long, 
open box, and the muslin, twelve thick 
nesses at one time, is unrolled down the 
length of the cutting table. Other 
cloth is unrolled, twelve layers deep at a 
time, until as much as one hundred 
thicknesses of muslin are spread 
smoothly down the table. Then the 
cutting machine, which is as unlike a 
pair of shears or scissors as possible, is 
brought into action. It is a small ma 
chine, two feet high, or less, composed of 
a metal frame which supports a knife 
like an elongated razor-blade, set in the 
machine vertically. The cutter is op 
erated by electricity and cuts cloth as 
if it were cheese. The cutter is small 
and light and can be placed and moved 
at will; yards of cable, attached to it 
and to a "trolley wire" extending over 
head the full length of the table, permit 
it to be moved to cut long or short dis 
tances, at will, on the muslin, along 
straight edges, or along patterns, if 
fancy goods are being turned out. 

After the cutting, each pillow slip or 
sheet is folded, ready to sew, and piles 
of this material are carried by helper 
girls, to the girls at the machines, where 
seams are sewed, covered and trimmed. 
Hems are stitched or hemstitched, de 
pending on the grade of the goods being 
made. Turning the pillow slips and 
turning out the two corners, after they 
are stitched, is each an art in itself, and 
the girls are said to become so pro 
ficient after they learn how to do it, 
that as many as 500 pillow slips in one 
hour, are turned. 

The finished pieces are then put into 
a clothes chute leading to the basement, 
where they are pressed in a mangle and 
made ready for shipment to the whole 
saler. 

To Increase Number of Woiker*. 

The factory here hopes to have one 
hundred workers on their pay roll, in the 
next few months. A superintendent will 
be in charge of the plant here, as the 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 171 

general head and a forewoman in charge 
of the actual work of making the prod 
uct, by the girls. 

Mr. Haines, who is here at present, 
was sent here from the Bement factory 
only temporarily, asjhe owns property in 
Bement, and has his own work in the 
mechanical department of the factory 
there, and a superintendent for the Hills- 
boro plant has not yet been selected. 
f A carload shipment of materials con 
signed to the Hillsboro plant is already 
billed here, and in spite of the fact that 
arrangements and equipment placement 
are still incomplete, the sheets and pil 
low slips are being turned out, the fac 
tory is in operation, and a visit to it is 
most interesting. 

Curiosities. The instinct of curiosity or whatever it is that 
makes human beings interested in strange, unnatural, peculiar 
things, is just as strong in country readers as in others. Hardly 
a week passes that the editor doesn't hear of some freak in the 
vegetable or animal kingdom which is interesting because of its 
variation from the normal. Many of these vegetable freaks 
are displayed in the windows of the newspaper office or some 
other conspicuous place where passersby may see them. The 
following story tells of a curiosity that has been found in the 
local community. 

Large Sunflower Leaf, 



Chas. E. Steele, near Indian Creek, 
brought a large sunflower leaf to the 
News office and he wonders if anyone in 
the community has one that can beat it 
in size. The leaf measured nineteen 
inches across and eighteen inches from 
stem to tip. If anyone has one larger 
the News would like to be informed 
about it. 

Mr. Steele also has a new variety of 
corn which he has grown for two seasons 
with excellent success. It is the variety 
called the Smoky Dent and is a quick 
maturing kind. The kernels of the corn 
are smoky brown in color with a white 
dent in the top. He has in twelve acres 
of the variety this time and is well 
pleased with the yield. It matures in 
about 75 days from the time it is 
planted. Monroe City Semi-Weekly 
News. 



172 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Special Occasion Feature Stories. The various holiday sea 
sons of the year, national holidays upon which celebrations 
are held, State celebrations, and local festive occasions always 
furnish the country editor with much material that he can 
use in good feature stories. In many country papers the fact 
that the local merchants were having a Santa Glaus come to 
town would not get more than a stickful; in many it would 
not have been mentioned because it is a very common thing 
for merchants to have a Santa Glaus at the Christmas season. 
The editor of the Centreville (Maryland) Observer could see 
a big feature in the Santa Glaus day in his town and wrote a 
story of more than two columns under a banner "JOLLY KRIS 
KRINGLE TO MEET KIDDIES HERE TODAY." An ex 
tract follows: 

ST. NICHOLAS WILL 
ARRIVE ON TRAIN 

Roly-Poly Old Gent To Be Met 
By Clown Band And Kiddies 
This Morning At 11:30 
Free Movie Show At Opera 
House This Afternoon 
Gifts For Lads And Lassies. 



Hail to His Imperial Majesty, King 
ofToyland! 

For today the stage is set for Santa 
Glaus' triumphal entry into Centreville, 
and countless scores of little hearts 
throughput Queen Anne's county are 
palpitating in anxious expectancy as in 
numerable tots await the opportunity to 
shower a joyous welcome upon the broad 
shoulders of jolly, roly-poly, white-whisk 
ered, blue-eyed, ruddy-cheeked old Kris 
Kringle. 

Santa will arrive on the southbound 
Pennsylvania passenger train, arriving in 
Centreville at 11 :30. He will be met by 
the famous Christmas clown band, with 
a bevy of juvenile clowns, and a throng 
of welcoming kiddies. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 173 

At 2 o'clock there will be a free movie 
show in the Opera House auditorium, 
and Santa's gifts will be distributed 
either immediately before the movies, or 
while they are in progress. 

Weeks ago Centreville business men 
extended an invitation to Saint Nich 
olas to come to Centreville today. 
When they first communicated with Old 
Kris they were fearful he would be so 
terribly busy that it would be necessary 
for him to decline the invitation. But 
not so. Santa was tickled immensely. 

Consequently, last night in hundreds 
of little beds, faithful, loving subjects of 
a venerable, kindly old Saint, drifted 
away into dreamland with lips curved in 
contented smiles, and roguish eyes that 
only awaited the first peeping rays of 
dawn to "twinkle in childish anticipation 
over being accorded the^ opportunity to 
pay homage to an Imperial Ruler, whose 
realm extends throughout the world in 
the hearts of innocent children. 

Feature Stories from Documents and Records. There are 
many documents and records in the offices of officials in the 
country town which will furnish the editor with ample material 
to write an interesting local feature story. The following ex 
tract shows the way in which a writer for the Liberty (N. Y.) 
Register took the records of the city clerk's office and made 
them interesting to local readers* 



174 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Ordinary Mutt Dog 
Is in Minority in 
Liberty Town 



Only One Listed on Records 

of Town Clerk; Collie 

Breed Predominates. 



Those who believe that the 
common, ordinary "mutt" dog 1 is 
the most numerous of the canine 
tribe are wrong so far as the 
town of Liberty is concerned, if 
the records in the office of town 
clerk Louis H. Nealy are any reli 
able indication. 

For the "mutt" is represented on the 
roll of nearly 350 licensed dogs by just 
one individual. Those who say the Hst 
is no accurate indication because the 
"mutts" are not considered worthy of 
the expense of securing a license, but 
that they roam the town just the same, 
are still wrong, for under the provisions 
of the law all unlicensed dogs will be 
wiped off the town map before another 
month has passed, the town clerk de 
clares. 

There is a loop-hole, however. Among 
the dogs listed, 56 are described as of 
"mixed" breed. If this is interpreted to 
mean that owners of "mutts" classify 
their dogs as "mixed breed" from a sense 
of pride, then popular belief in the pre 
dominance of the kids' favorite breed 
need not be abandoned. 

Collie Is Most Numerous 

Up to last Friday morning, nearly 350 
licenses had been issued to dog owners 
in the town of Liberty. The information 
given at the time of obtaining these 
licenses shows that the collie predomi 
nates over all other breeds in the town 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 175 

in point of numbers. Of ^them 67 were 
listed as against 56 of mixed breed, 59 
hounds, 55 shepherds, 27 airedales, and 18 
terriers of various kinds. 

Police dogs licensed are not so numer 
ous as might appear. But 11 are regis 
tered on the license stubs in the town. 
Nine dogs have the right to hang their 
heads in shame, for their owners did not 
know what breed they belonged to. 
There were 2 coach dogs, 10 bulldogs, 
2 Chows, 4 spaniels, 15 poodles, 5 
beagles, 5 setters, 4 mongrels, and one 
each of the following: Belgian Chipper- 
kie, Pomeranian, Newfoundland, mutt, 
whippet, Belgian griffin. 

Humorous. There are some feature stories which cannot be 
classified under any head but that of humor. The purpose of 
the story is evidently only to amuse the readers as the subject 
has amused the writer. Good humor is hard to get and still 
harder to convey to others through the medium of the printed 
page. Sometimes, however, the subject matter is so mirth- 
provoking that all the editor has to do is to set down the facts. 

An incident which might have proved fatal but which proved 
to be very humorous was written for the Rawlings (Wyo.) 
Republican in the following manner: 

LONG SHOT WON 
AT MUDDY LAKE 
GAME PRESERVE 



Harry Breitenstein, affectionately 
known to a million friends as "Brit," for 
mer banker and now president of the 
Parco Chamber of Commerce, while 
duck hunting in the vicinity of Mud 
Lake, last Wednesday afternoon was ac 
cidentally shot by a gun in the hands 
of H. E. Dunlap, Harry Free, Glen 
Decker, Frank Breitenstein, John Doe, 
Richard Roe and other persons whose 
names are at this writing unknown. 

As soon as the alarm announcing the 
accident had been sounded, which was 
done by the victim himself, who pro 
claimed to a cock-eyed solar system, in 
a calm, subdued tone which could not 



176 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

have been heard more than a mile, that 
he was as full of lead as Mark Twain's 
Jumping Frog, members of the hunting 
party gathered around the unfortunate 
man in order to render first aid, or to 
hear any final words he might wish to 
utter. 

Solicitous friends made a hasty exami 
nation which disclosed the fact that the 
principal wound appeared to be in the 
lip of the moving target. This being 
a vital spot the discovery caused much 
anxiety at the clinic for it was feared 
that the stricken man's loud speaker 
might get full of static and cause a total 
loss or partial abridgement of the power 
of speech. 

This however proved to be ground 
less for as soon as Mr. Breitenstein re 
gained his mental equilibrium he 
launched forth into an oration so force 
ful, eloquent and fluent as to make 
Sparticus 7 Address to the Gladiators 
sound like a practice lesson in a School 
for Stutterers. This discourse was di 
rected to all and sundry who carry guns, 
large or small, loaded or unloaded, in 
war or in peace, but more particularly 
while hunting ducks. 

As soon as it became clear that the 
wounds were unlikely to prove fatal the 
hitherto friendly huntsmen fell into a 
violent quarrel over the question of who 
fired the shot that caused the commo 
tion, each claiming the credit and each 
the right to shoot Mr. Breitenstein, that 
is, if he was to be shot at all. This 
heated argument broke up the party 
and was continued after returning to 
town and is still unsettled. 

The Pote Lariat of The Republican 
was so moved by the whole sad tale 
that he burst into verse, with the fol 
lowing result: 

The ducks were falling thick and fast, 
"Pop, pop 3 ' went the noisy guns, 

A grim reminder of the past, 
When we faced the bloody Huns. 

There came a cry from the muddy 
marsh, 

Where the^ ducks did their flit,-fiit-flit, 
Above the din, both loud and harsh, 

"My Gawd, I'm shot" sez Brit. 



They gathered 'round the wounded man, 

To get his dying word; 
Sez Harry Free, "I guess 'twas me, 

I thought he was a bird." 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 177 

"Nix, nix," sez Dunny, "I'm the guy 

Who made the bull's-eye hit; 
I always swore that I would try, 

Some day, a shot at Brit." 

"You yaps are nuts," sez Brother Frank; 

"I hit him and no other, 
Who else has got as good a right 

To take a shot at brother?" 

"When all is said and done," sez Glenn, 

"You'll find that I'm to blame ; 
I rarely miss with my trusty gun, 

And I took careful aim." 

But Dunlap wouldn't have it so, 

"You marksmen make me sick: 
Just ask the man, if talk he can, 

He'll say I did the trick." 

Poor, bleeding Brit lay back and 

moaned : 

"Right now I'm here to state 
When next I shoots, with these here 

brutes, 
I'll dress in armor plate." 

(ITncopyrighted, 1925. No rights re 
served except translation into the 
Scandinavian.) 

Writing the Feature Story. Everyone who intends to go 
into journalistic work in the country field will find it advan 
tageous to study the writing of feature stories. The student 
can learn not only the methods used in writing for newspapers 
but also for magazines which gives him a chance to add to his 
income by doing special articles. 

The types of beginnings in use by writers of feature stories 
may be divided Tnto^these seven kinds: (1) summary; (2) 
narrative; (3) description; (4) striking statement; (5) quota 
tion; (6) question; (7) direct address. Combinations of these 
beginnings are also used. Without giving illustrations of these 
beginnings they may be explained by saying that the summary 
lead is similar to the summary lead of a straight news story; 
the narrative lead is one which relates a story; the descriptive 
lead begins by describing something; the striking statement is 
any that will compel the reader to give his attention; a quo 
tation, a question, and direct address are self-explanatory. 

The value of a definite plan as an aid in writing a feature 
story cannot be overestimated, and the need of a plan must 
be emphasized in the case of the country newspaperman who 



178 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

has so many other duties. A definite purpose, which is not 
too big for the amount of space available, should be held in 
mind while the story is being written. Nothing should be ad 
mitted to the story, no matter how interesting it may be, which 
will not accomplish the original purpose. There is much dan 
ger in writing feature stories that fancy will take the place of 
facts and that flowery and imaginative language will ruin the 
story for popular consumption. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE EDITORIAL PAGE 

Necessity for an Editorial Page. The news function of a 
community paper is the most important, but by no means the 
only one. In addition to giving a complete coverage of the 
news events of the week, the editor has the task of interpreting 
this news, of calling the attention of his readers to the im 
portant things in the news, of giving them reading matter that 
is not strictly news, and of doing what he can with his pen 
to help matters in the town. It has been found that the better 
newspapers, those which are the most successful financially 
and which have the best news service, are the ones that have 
uncolored news. If any comment is considered necessary, it 
is put on a special page where the rest of the editorial matter 
will be found. If an editor wants to make his newspaper 
one of the best in the country, he will do very well to pattern 
after the successful ones, and to make his news all news. This 
is the reason for the existence of an editorial page in the coun 
try paper. 

There must be some place in the paper where the editor 
can have his say and where he may run all of that matter 
which is essentially someone's comment. Whether or not 
the editor feels that he wants to write editorials he must re 
member that there are other editorial features which must 
be printed and that he cannot rightly print them anywhere 
they happen to fit. It is his duty, therefore, as well as his 
privilege to have a page devoted to articles of comment, ideas, 
and opinions to supplement his news service. He will not find 
it a burden to have an editorial page once he has started to 
use it to advantage, and he will not want to do without it when 
he has once learned the usefulness of it. The editorial page 
will do more than hold the little bit of comment that the editor 
wants to run each week: it will be the proper place to print 

179 



180 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

many of the features that often adorn the front, back, and 
inside pages, making them poorer news pages. 

What Should Be Printed on the Editorial Page? Since news 
stories should be free from opinion and comment of all sorts, 
and should not attempt to convince readers of the rightness or 
wrongness of things, all articles which have comment or opin 
ion in them must necessarily be run on the editorial page. At 
first examination many things that have been run in the news 
columns will appear to be pure news, but upon closer examina 
tion will be found to be correct material for an opinion page. 
The test of what should be run on the editorial page is simply 
whether or not it contains comment and opinion. 

The first essential of an editorial page and the backbone of 
the page is good, live local editorials. When the editor has 
done his duty in this direction he may fill his page with other 
features. There is little use in having a page set aside every 
week for editorial matter, and then filling that page with news 
articles and filler material, much of which would be better not 
run at all. When the editorial page is made the dumping 
ground for propaganda material and free advertising of all 
sorts, the effectiveness of the page is lost. If any page is used 
it should be a good oite, not a rubbish heap in which to throw 
everything that does not fit in any other place. 

There can be no set standard for all country papers in regard 
to the features that will be placed on the page, because edi 
tors differ in their ideas of what constitutes good editorial 
features. There are many things, however, that have editorial 
characteristics and because of these should be placed on the 
editorial page. 

Editorials from Exchanges. What is said about exchange 
material in the chapter on "Methods of Speeding Up Produc 
tion" applies to all editorial matter clipped from exchanges. 
Your fellow editors write much that is well worth reprinting 
in your paper, and you can take advantage of this fact. When 
there is an editorial in the paper of a neighboring editor which 
affects the life of your readers, that editorial should be placed 
where they can see it. The reason that country editors in 
Kansas William Allen White, and the rest of them are 
more famous than those in other States is mainly because they 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 181 

quote each other. When one of them says a good thing, the 
others all pick it up and tell the world about it. 

Perhaps the caution is not necessary, but it will Jiurt noth 
ing to say again that a page should not be entirely plcFup 
material. Don't be a "scissors editor," which is the extreme 
opposite of not using any exchange material. It is very easy 
to get in the habit of filling the editorial page every week 
with Clipped articles, for then you don't have to write any, 
but it is not using your editorial page to the greatest ad 
vantage. 

Other Features for the Editorial Page. Public Opinion. 
A column that makes a good feature for the editorial page is 
one in which the reading public has a chance to be heard. 
Country people like to know what their fellow citizens are 
thinking as well as doing, and the public opinion column con 
tains short articles by various men and women telling what 
they think about a question. The questions discussed in 
such ^ a column are various, ranging from bobbed hair to the 
election of state and national officials. Very often, when peo 
ple know that they will have a chance to get articles published, 
they will offer letters for the public opinion column on some 
question which they wish discussed. If no such articles are 
offered the editor can easily start a discussion by writing what 
he thinks about a subject and inviting all readers to participate 
in the discussion. There is nothing quite so good for arousing 
interest as such a column. 

The main dangers in this case are that the articles will not 
all be on the subject and that some writers will not be big 
enough to avoid sarcasm and personalities. The editor must 
exercise rigid supervision of the public opinion column and 
have his contributors distinctly understand the conditions gov 
erning such contributions. A limit as to the number of words 
that any letter may have must be set in order to keep the 
"space hog" regulated, but generally these articles will not run 
so long that they cannot be published. One method that has 
been found useful in getting contributed articles discussing a 
popular question is to interview certain men of importance 
in the town and get them to give the editor a letter on the 
subject. If the question being discussed is one which has a 



182 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

technical side, it is a good plan to get the opinion of some 
technical men on it. 

The public opinion column in a country paper will be most 
successful when the subjects discussed in it are of pure local 
interest. It is hard to get country people interested in the 
new memorial building which has been proposed for Washing 
ton, D. C., but it is not hard to get them to voice opinions on 
the question of adding a new wing to the local high school. 
Rightly used, the public opinion column is one of the editor's 
strongest features, for he can put here many articles favoring 
or arguing against a cause by persons who have some influence 
in the community. If he lias a column at all he should at 
tempt to give everyone who writes an intelligent communica 
tion a chance to be heard. A column used for the interests of 
only a few is not a fair proposition. If he cares to favor some 
thing being discussed, it is easy enough for him to get articles 
from persons who are favorable to it. A little opposition is a 
good thing for any cause and it makes the advocates of that 
cause fight harder. 

Contributed Articles. The editorial page is the proper place 
for all contributed articles that are in the nature of comment 
and opinion. All news articles that are handed in to the editor 
will of course be printed in the news columns, but every week 
he will receive articles from readers who advocate something 
or other. These contributed articles are a good thing from 
the standpoint of getting interest in local questions. They 
differ from the articles in the public opinion column only in 
that they are on various questions. The chances are that other 
readers will hold different views and will come back with an 
article on the opposite side the following week. Sometimes 
the articles contributed are merely in the nature of economic 
or political discussions that interest local readers but are not 
argumentative. 

Caution should be taken that all communications pub 
lished are signed by the writer. The editor cannot afford to 
take chances on getting himself into trouble by publishing 
anything which is likely to offend some one. 

Church Notes.Church notes appear in various places in 
the country newspapers of the United States, but nowhere 
are they more appropriate than on the editorial page. In the 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 183 

first place, most church notes contain much comment, opinion, 
and preaching, and this should be placed on the same page as 
other comment and opinion. When the pastor's signature ac 
companies the notes so that he is responsible for what is said, 
they may be run on other pages, but signed or unsigned, they 
have an editorial nature and are well placed on the editorial 
page. Another reason that they can well be placed on the 
editorial page is that they are usually of a serious and dignified 
nature such as editorial material of the best sort. It is placing 
church notes to the best advantage to put them next to other 
serious and dignified matter rather than in the same columns 
with the pool room and amusement park ads. 

Paragraphs of Humor. Humor paragraphs are often strewed 
around through the paper in all places that they will fit, but 
used in this manner they are not so effective as when put in a 
separate column by themselves. The column of humor that is 
edited by a member of the staff is best placed on the editorial 
page. It is not news, and often its purpose is not only to enter 
tain but also to convince. While some will argue that the edi 
torial page is no place for such flippant articles as humor briefs, 
nevertheless the extreme dryness of some editorial pages argues 
strongly for a little lighter material. The humor column 
serves to enliven a page filled otherwise with serious matter, 
and" if the humor is of the right sort nothing is taken from the 
more serious articles. Following is an example of a short col 
umn conducted each week by a man who writes for a number 
of country papers in a far north state. 

"BILLY" NOONANISMS 

We hate to be considered a doubter, 
but it is difficult to believe that Noah 
took only one pair of mosquitoes aboard 
the ark. 

"The Last Word in Homes" is the 
heading of an adv. Well, you know who 
has the last word in your home. 

One of the candidates is telling a story 
that is worth repeating. A man at 
tempted to drown himself by jumping 
into a river. A passer-by jumped in 
and brought him ashore. On recover 
ing his breath the rescued man blurted, 
"I wish you would mind your own 
business." "I am," was the quick re 
tort. "You've every bit as much right 
to live and pay taxes as I have." 



184 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

"We have plenty of money," says 
Mr. Mellon, secretary of the treasury. 
Where do you get that "We" stuff, 
Andy? 

The championship for foolishness goes 
to the autoist who last week tried to 
light a cigarette while engaged in one 
arm driving. 

According to a writer the women of 
Abyssinia are the bosses of the home. 
What's so peculiar about that? 

A writer says that when women short 
ened their skirts they added five years to 
their lives. Some of them evidently 
figure on living forever. 

Features from the Files. Under this name we will consider 
those paragraphs of news and editorial matter that are taken 
from the files of the paper for ten, twenty, thirty, or more 
years ago. The reason for including such features on the edi 
torial page are perhaps not so strong as those for having other 
strictly editorial features on the page, but they are valid 
reasons nevertheless. In the first place, much of the matter 

in the " year ago" column is editorial. Often the editor 

runs something that an editor of several years ago has written 
advocating or fighting against something in his day. This 
is editorial matter and is interesting reading for present-day 
readers because they can see what questions were being dis 
cussed when father was a boy. 

Another reason that news briefs of " years ago" can go 

on this page is that many of them contain editorial comment. 
If the editor prints the items as they appeared originally, many 
of them will have the editor's afterthought added to them. It 
was quite common even ten years ago and is yet for that 
matter to add much comment to the news in country papers. 

Perhaps the biggest reason that so many editors run the 

" years ago" column on the editorial page is that these 

items are read mostly by older people, those men and women 
who had a part in the life of past days. These are the persons 
who will be most interested in reading such briefs for they will 
know many of the persons mentioned in the news and will 
often find their own names there. These are also the persons 
that the editor most wants to read the other features of the 
editorial page; that is, the editorials and the discussion ar 
ticles. The news items from many years ago serve to attract 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 185 

these readers to the editorial page and in this way help the 
editor to accomplish something with his editorials. If they 
are placed on the editorial page they are where the older people 
will be most likely to see them. The younger generation is not 
usually given to reading editorials and is also not usually 
most interested in the "- years ago" items. 

Advice Columns. Columns of material either signed or 
unsigned that aim to give advice on various subjects are good 
features for the editorial page. If the subject matter of these 
advice columns is not such that the editor would want it close 
to his editorials, the columns ought to be left out. Many 
papers make a practice of running health talks on the editorial 
page. Generally this is a plate feature since it would be rather 
difficult to get a local doctor to write especially for one country 
newspaper. Although formerly considered of little worth, 
these health talks have come to be recognized as valuable and 
contain much helpful advice for country readers. 

Columns of advice to the farmer may be placed on the edi 
torial page. Whether this is agricultural school copy or copy 
prepared by the local farm reporter, if the article contains 
advice on doing things around the farm it has a place with the 
other opinion material. It will be argued that this should be 
placed on the farm page, which may be true if the paper has 
a farm page. Most papers do not have such a page, however, 
and then the column is best placed on the editorial page with 
the rest of the advice. 

Editorial and Comic Cartoons. Various services are now 
put out through which the country editor can get a cartoon 
each week, the nature of which is determined by himself. He 
may either get a comic cartoon which attempts to convey no 
message, or he may get a series of cartoons that seek to put 
across some point of editorial interest. The latter is perhaps 
better for the editorial page if the cartoon is such that the 
editor's editorial policy will agree with it. If he cannot get 
. such cartoons the comic is better. The question of running 
a comic strip on the editorial page rests with the editor and 
he may do so or not just as he thinks best. It is argued that 
a comic strip is out of place on the editorial page because of the 
seriousness of the other matter but the same argument holds 
here as in the case of the humor column. Most of the better 



186 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

country newspapers run their comic strips on another page 
and maintain the dignified appearance of the editorial page. 

Advertising on the Editorial Page. The question of 
whether or not advertising should be placed on the editorial 
page may in part be answered by the fact that 95 per cent of 
the country papers in the United States do have advertising 
on that page. There is no proof that the best editorial page 
is one which has no advertising on it, for there are other ele 
ments that enter into the question of make-up. For instance, 
it is argued by some of the veteran country editors that you 
must have advertising on the editorial page in order to have 
pages enough to accommodate the advertising, and also in 
order to get readers to notice the editorial page. Both of 
these arguments have some weight, for the fact that readers 
are coming more and more to use the advertising columns as 
their buying guide makes it practical for the editorial page to 
carry some advertising. In the small paper the question of 
where to put all the advertising sometimes becomes an alarm 
ing one as anyone who has attempted making up a small paper 
will agree. Utility must sometimes be the editor's watchword 
in order that he may save an extra four- or eight-page run 
and thereby cut down expenses. When there is no need for 
having advertising on the editorial page, it can be made much 
neater and more inviting by preserving it as a strictly editorial 
department of the paper. 

The Position of the Editorial Page. The position in the 
paper of the editorial page will always depend to some extent 
on the number of pages run. When one page has been decided 
on, it should be kept as the editorial page in order that readers 
will not become confused or be caused any trouble in finding 
the matter that they seek. Most country papers of four pages 
use No. 2 as the editorial page, and most of eight pages use No. 
4. The reason for using an even-numbered page is simply 
that it is convenient and is generally opposite the page con 
taining the local items. As these are the most interesting of 
all news in the country paper the reader's attention is nat 
urally next attracted from them to the editorial page. No. 2 
is not used in the eight-page papers because it is generally one 
of the pages that is printed in the first run and must necessarily 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 187 

be filled with material that is set up a considerable time before 
the day of printing. 

Patterning after city dailies, some country editors have 
started using the last page of their papers for the editorial 
page. The last page is a good attention-getting page and this 
is the greatest reason for using it. However, the fact that the 
country newspaper is read through completely makes it prac 
tically unnecessary for the last page to be used as the editorial 
page, and most editors have stuck to the old custom of using 
an inside page. 

Editorial Columns on the Front Page. Although this is 
perhaps a question to be considered under front page make-up, 
its connection with the editorial page is significant. It has 
become quite common in the past five years for country papers 
to run a column of editorial briefs on the front page in the left 
outside column. This practice was started by the Hearst 
papers for whom Arthur Brisbane has written for several 
years. His column of "Today" in the city papers is now- 
paralleled by "This Week" in the country papers and by other 
columns written by local editors. 

There is no doubt that this material gets much more atten 
tion than does the editorial material run on an inside page, 
but the question for the country editor to decide is whether 
or not it is necessary to attract so much attention to a column 
of editorial material very little of which deals with anything 
of local interest. Every inch of space on the front page could 
and should be filled with live local matter great in news value. 
When an editorial is put on the front page it automatically 
forces much live news to another page where it is less likely to 
be seen. Before editorial matter, particularly foreign matter, 
is played up so strongly on the front page, the editor must be 
sure that he has covered the local news field and has given 
the important news the display that it deserves. Then if he 
has space left on the front page he may use an editorial 
column. 

The practice of using a front-page editorial column is not 
good for the added reason that the front page is a news page 
and not a page of comment. Many country papers use the 
Brisbane service but run it on the regular editorial page. 

The matter of balance on the front page keeps some editors 



188 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

from using an editorial column there, because an extra long 
column disturbs the nameplate and throws the page off balance 
by the dissimilarity of the headlines. 

Editorial Poetry. Every so often some one in the country 
community writes a poem that has some worth. Perhaps it is 
occasioned by some humorous occurrence such as "Casey at 
the Bat" was, or perhaps an occasion in the life of the person 
makes the poem. Rightly used and not overdone, poetry is a 
good feature for the editorial page. An example of a local 
historical poem follows: 

THE BIGFORK TRAIL 

By C. F. KEENB 

I was camped on Lake Bemidji 

in the fall of ninety -nine, 
Barely making a living, 

tending a long trap-line, 
When a cruiser found the spruce 

swamp, just south of Rainey Lake 
And every man stampeded to set his 

corner stake. 
The trail ran over northward, 

through spruce and tamarack, 
Each man loaded like a pack horse, 

his outfit on his back. 

We lived on beans and bacon 

and sometimes moose meat too, 
Which made a fine smullgullion, 

otherwise known as stew, 
Did you ever tramp through a 

blizzard, when it's forty-six below 
And camp all night in tepee, all 

banked around with snow? 
All the weak men perished or 

were quickly shoved aside, 
By the stronger and the braver, 

in the van of that human tide. 

Pew men there were among us, 

who really understood, 
The hardship lying before them 

in those miles of silent wood; 
Many a man with heart of oak, 

who was born and raised in towns, 
Failed at the task and met defeat, 

packing a hundred pounds, 
But this is the law of the northland, 

only the strong succeed, 
The weaklings fall by the wayside, 

crushed by the mad stampede. 

At last we came to the Bigfork, 

a river fringed with pine, 
Which starts in Minnesota and 

ends at forty-nine. 
It was here we found the spruce 

swamps, and here our work began, 
We staked a hundred -sixty, for each 

and every man. 
"We built each" man a cabin, which. 

was twelve feet by fourteen, 
Chinked with clay and spruce moss, 

and thatched with balsam green. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 189 

We settled there on our homesteads, 

a bunch of pioneers, 
Fighting for our existence, through 

those long and lonesome years, 
We hunted game in the forest and 

trapped the fur on the streams, 
Living there on this far frontier, 

buoyed up by our dreams, 
But fortune never came our way, 

we dropped out one by one, 
And now the stampede is over and 

the pioneering's done. 

Poetry that is of a better class is often run on the editorial 
page because it is not a news feature. Edgar Guest and other 
writers are popular with the readers of country papers as well 
as city dailies. Then there is always much splendid poetry in 
literature which the editor may give to his readers if he wishes. 
The field of literature has hardly been touched, either because 
the editor does not wish to take the time to find a good poem, 
or because he is not familiar with literature. 

When local people and institutions are made the subject of 
editorial poetry, the tone of the poetry must be friendly and 
sympathetic. No good can be done by running a satirical 
poem after a baseball game has been lost, but renewed spirit 
will come to the team and backers if the poem has that "we'll 
do better next time" tone. Poetry is read to be enjoyed, and 
all editorial verse should be packed with enjoyment and good 
sense. 

The Editorial Column. The column has become a regular 
feature of many newspapers today both in the city and country 
fields. In the editorial column the country editor tries to meet 
his readers in an informal manner and to talk to them as if 
he were face to face with them. The column has in it not only 
short paragraphs of editorial comment, but also several con 
tributed thoughts, some humor, and most of all many items 
about persons, places, and things that are well known to read 
ers of the paper. Some gems from literature are found in 
many of the best editorial columns. The columnist knows 
that to put over one serious idea which will start readers think 
ing, he must have several items and thoughts that are of great 
local interest. If the column is to be interesting and effective 
it must be lively. When it becomes dry and uninteresting 
it is a dead weight. 

Typography on the Editorial Page. To get attention 
focused on the editorial page without violating the canons of 



190 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

good taste the typography of the editorial page must be pleas 
ing and different enough to be interesting. Many editorial 
pages are set in the same size and kind of type used in other 
reading matter, but a slight change in size will make a better- 
looking page and a more readable one. Editorial matter is 
thought to be proverbially dry, and typography can do much 
to make the page appear inviting to the eye of the reader. 
If the paper is using body type of 7- or 8-point the editorials 
can well be set in 10- or even 12-point type of the same series. 

When the larger sizes of type are used, it is better to set 
type in wider columns. For 10-point type the 18-pica column 
is very convenient and neat-appearing, and for 12-point type 
the double column is used. 

Larger type is much easier to read, and is particularly good 
for the editorial page because that page is read mostly by 
men and women whose eyes are not as good as they were once. 
All in all, the use of type on the editorial page somewhat 
larger than the body type of the paper, has much to recom 
mend it. 

Features other than editorials are usually run in regular 
body type unless the whole editorial page is set in a size some 
what larger. Most papers use common body type for the 
opinion items, contributions, and other features that are run 
on the editorial page, to distinguish such articles from those 
of the editor himself. 

The associations called to the mind of the reader by type 
forms and combinations have much to do with the opinion 
that the reader will form of a paper. For this reason the ty 
pography of the editorial page is of great importance. In the 
foregoing paragraph we discussed the typography of the edi 
torial matter and the other reading matter on the editorial 
page. It now is necessary to treat the typography of advertise 
ments when they are placed on the editorial page. If the edi 
tor wishes to have his page appear dignified so that readers 
will be inclined to regard the matter on the page as serious 
and worth much attention, the ads on the page must also 
present a dignified and neat appearance. If the type for the 
editorials were perfectly chosen and a mass of rugged Gothic 
or other strong type were thrown on the page in a helter- 
skelter advertisement, the effect of the whole page would be 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 191 

spoiled. Such types as Caslon and Century Expanded, which 
are fairly strong types but which do not have the thickness of 
element that others do, are very good for the editorial page. 

In general, the watchword is uniformity of tone and if the 
tone of the page is preserved, the chances are the type is right. 
Bargain advertising is poor material to place on the editorial 
page. In selecting the advertisements for this page, the editor 
should keep in mind the impression that he wishes to convey 
and choose with great care. Bank advertisements, church 
and school, and other forms of institutional advertising, 
both of public and semipublic institutions, are appropriate for 
the editorial page. Lastly, the editor may use part of the 
advertising space on the editorial page for his own self- 
advertising. . 

The Serial Story. Since the serial story ig one of the 
features which is not news but entertainment and education, 
many editors run this on the editorial page. It cannot be said 
to be comment and opinion unless we accept fictitious com 
ment and opinion in the story as qualifying for the editorial 
page. It is a good feature wherever run, and there is no doubt 
that it has some pulling power for the editorial page. On the 
other hand, the type of story that is very often run in news 
papers is not particularly dignified, serious, convincing, and 
perhaps not as interesting as it could be. In such cases the 
serial story will detract from the general effectiveness of the 
page. If the story is a good one and maintains the tone of 
the editorial page, it may well be run there. The same thing 
may be said for short stories that are complete in one issue; if 
they are the right kind they may be placed on the editorial 
page, and if not they should be put where they can do less 
harm, or not used at all. 



CHAPTER XIV 
THE EDITOEIAL IN THE COUNTRY PAPER 

Is the Country Editorial Effective? Too much has been 
said about the decadence of the editorial in the weekly paper 
and too little concerning the good that a well- written editorial 
on a local subject can do. If it is true that the press is not 
dominated now as it was in the days of Horace Greeley and 
others, it is equally true that country-paper editorials are ac 
complishing more for the common good every day than could 
be accomplished without them. Why do men not write about 
the power of editorials in the country press rather than about 
the futility of having an editorial page? No doubt it is partly 
because the good things that are done too often go unnoticed 
and the ineffectual things are brought out into the light. It 
cannot be expected that every reader will read and believe all 
there is in any paper, and neither should it be expected that 
every editorial will accomplish all that its writer expects of it. 
Human beings have to be informed, convinced, and stirred to 
action before the results of an editorial can be seen, and this is 
a slow process often requiring months of constant effort. The 
country editor's task is a hard one, more difficult because he is 
dealing with persons that have to be convinced slowly. Yet, 
if he keeps on in the spirit of friendly helpfulness that should 
characterize all of the material in a country paper, he is as sure 
of reward as the man who benefits mankind in any other way. 

While the editorial is simply one means of bringing a matter 
to the notice of the readers of a country newspaper it is never 
theless one of the most effective ways in which to do it. In 
the editorial the readers meet the editor in a personal manner; 
they get to know what the editor is thinking and feeling, and 
generally his message is in direct line with some of their 
thoughts. It is this personal touch that gives the country 
editorial its power. On the street he may be simply one of 
the townspeople, but on the editorial page the editor becomes 

192 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 193 

a voice for the whole community; and if he has maintained the 
right kind of spirit in his past editorials, he talks with the 
voice of authority. It is the element of personality that makes 
the editorial in the country press read and believed, and it is 
this element also that distinguishes the good editorial from 
the poor one. 

Need of Editorials on Local Subjects. The dry, scientific, 
foreign editorial may have some place in newspapers, but it 
can never dispute for the place of honor with the local, friendly 
sort of message that tells the readers something which affects 
them. That is why a local editorial written in the office by 
the editor himself will have more weight than a much more 
polished article which has no local application. It is easier to 
buy a "canned" editorial service than it is to write live edi 
torials, but the results cannot be compared. The reader sel 
dom gets from a foreign editorial anything that provokes 
serious thought, but he will read one telling about something 
that needs attention in his own community and will think 
about it. 

The Scope o the Country Editorial. Questions of national 
and state importance are the subjects of editorials in the 
great city dailies which have large staffs of men who are paid 
to do nothing but write such editorials. They are capable of 
treating large subjects intelligently. Country people read 
these editorials in city papers quite as much as city people do. 
Since such economic and political questions are well handled 
in the city press, what is there left for the country editor to 
write about? If it is remembered that the reason for the exis 
tence of the country paper is that it pays attention to things 
of local importance, the question of what to write about will 
be answered. 

There is another part to the answer, however, and that is 
that the editor of the local paper should strive to interpret 
the day's news to his people in a manner that will make 
them see the significance of every action in the light of their 
own experience' and surroundings. The function of editorials 
in the country press is, therefore, two-fold: (1) to devote at 
tention to things purely local, and (2) to bring to the attention 
of the readers those things that are outside the immediate 



194 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

community but yet which have a bearing on the life of every 
citizen. 

Local Matters for Editorial Attention. As local news is the 
greatest essential of the country paper, so are local editorials 
of the greatest importance to the editorial page. In view 
of this fact most of the editor's time should be spent on local 
matters, leaving a smaller amount of time to issues that are 
taken care of in city papers. It is often true that happenings 
far outside of the boundaries of the community will affect 
directly the people in that community, and when this is the 
case the editor will devote his attention to developing the local 
angle of the situation. It would be useless to attempt to make 
a list of all of the matters that the editor will take up in his 
local editorials, for they are too numerous. Certain classes of 
subjects will be of some use in helping the editor choose his 
topics so that he will be working on the things most impor 
tant. Before any such classification can be made, it is neces 
sary to understand the nature of the material that goes to 
make up a good editorial for the small paper. 

Giving Information. The first purpose of an editorial in 
the country paper, as well as in the city paper, is to give the 
readers valuable information. Very often this information has 
been given before in the news columns, but unless the atten 
tion of readers is drawn to it as being significant, they 
will pass it by without thinking it over. The kind of informa 
tion that can be given in editorials varies all the way from the 
notice of an exceptional yield of wheat to a violation of law 
that spells calamity for the community. The test of what to 
say is that it must be interesting and important for the readers 
of the country paper, not that it must be one of the big ques 
tions of the world but of the small area in which the paper 
circulates. 

^ This editorial from the Darien (Conn.) Review is informa 
tive as well as convincing. It is on a live local subject and is 
part of the editor's community betterment program. 

NO BAD NAME FOR DARIEN 

Some one has suggested that the 
activity of the local police in arresting 
speeding motorists will "give the town a 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 195 

bad name." We think the alarm is un 
warranted. It may give Darien "a bad 
name" among those who flout the speed 
laws, but conservative drivers will note 
with approval the action of the police in 
checking the activities of those who have 
no respect for the rights of other users 
of the highways. 

There was a time when Darien had a 
deservedly bad name among motorists. 
Those were the days of "speed traps," 
roadside courts and the accompaniments 
of an era when the slogan was: "Let's 
get ours while the getting is good." But 
all that has been changed. Arrests are 
made by uniformed officers who ride 
motorcycles plainly marked as police ma 
chines. There are no "speed traps" and 
no magistrates camped by the roadsides 
to gather in the lucre from the motorist 
who perhaps was actually as well as 
technically guiltless of wrongdoing. 

Those who are arrested are given the 
opportunity to be heard in a properly 
conducted court, presided over by a 
member of the Bar of this and New 
York States, and no advantage is taken 
of them. If they will drive at an ex 
cessive rate of speed through a built-up 
section, endangering their own lives and 
those of others, they must, if caught 
and convicted, pay the penalty. But 
they will not be railroaded to jail or 
fined without being given an opportu 
nity to put in a defense. 

It has been said that the widened 
Post' Road is a temptation to speed. 
That may be the case, but there are 
many temptations in this life, and those 
who do not wish to be punished must 
learn to resist them. The Post Road 
was not widened to make a speedway, 
but to safeguard those who travel up and 
down that much-used highway. 

Well behaved motorists have nothing 
to fear from the Darien police. They 
are only after those who are scoflaws. 
More power to them. 

The giving of information is a vital part of an editorial, and 
nothing that aims to convince or incite to action can properly 
be introduced until the reader understands the situation. If 
the editor wishes to have a bad rut in the main street fixed, he 
must first tell his readers that there is a bad place in the street, 
and that it is and has been endangering the lives of all who 
drive over it. After he has so informed them he can proceed 



196 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

to urge that some action be taken that will make the street a 
safe place in which to drive. It would be useless for the editor 
to write an oration on the danger of driving while intoxicated 
unless his readers had been told of the many deaths and in 
juries that have been caused by such driving. This informa 
tion paves the way for the message of helpfulness that is to 
follow, and must be considered as the first requisite of a good 

editorial 

Very often there is no need for an elaborate editorial in order 
to accomplish what the editor knows should be done. In such 
a case the mere information does what argument will not do. 
To expand the article may be to defeat the end in^ view. A 
tribute paid to the cleanness of the city by an ^outsider is far 
more effective in producing a spirit of local pride in the city 
if printed alone, than it would be if accompanied by a long 
harangue by the editor showing why a citizen should take pride 
in his town. A casual remark dropped by a tourist on the un 
sanitary condition of the tourist camp in the town is more 
powerful than a long article by the editor urging repair of the 
camp. Too much said is worse than not enough; the latter 
condition can be changed by later editorials but the former is 
a condition irreparable when the attitude of the readers has 
been wrongly formed. 

The Tone of Country Editorials. Constant destruction is 
distasteful to most civilized people, and editorials that are 
always criticizing some one or something are distasteful to most 
country readers. They feel that the good things that are done 
should receive mention first of all, and that the things that are 
not good can be made good by constructive argument rather 
than by destructive criticism. As a consequence, the editorials 
in the country press have more weight if they are always 
constructive in tone. This does not mean that the editor 
must never attempt to right a wrong, but that he must attempt 
it in a manner that plainly shows that he is trying to do what 
is good. 

The keyword to the writing of all good editorials for country 
papers is "friendly." If the tone of an editorial is not friendly, 
it may be read but it certainly will never get the sympathy of 
the reader. The editorial page is no place for the editor to 
vent his spleen on some person or thing with which he is not 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 197 

in favor, purely for a selfish reason. Personal criticism is the 
one thing that such editorials should not contain; personal bat 
tles should be fought somewhere else. 

To accomplish anything it is first necessary to get the read 
ers on the side of the writer, which ought to be the side of 
right. If readers are antagonized by the tone of a bitter edi 
torial they are lost for all purposes of persuasion. 

It is often hard for an editor to see the thing that needs hit 
ting without seeing the person that is connected with it. Yet, 
it is the evil that must be corrected, and most of the time this 
can be done without causing heartaches to any resident of the 
community. If the editor can see the vice and strike hard at it 
without making the offender appear too low for any aid, he has 
done more toward remedying a bad situation than he could by 
filling his columns with personal abuse. He should make it 
his aim to correct bad practices, not bad men. 

Sarcasm is a powerful tool when used wisely, but it can be 
wisely used scarcely once in a lifetime. Most young writers 
are too anxious to show how clever they can be, and in their 
cleverness become sarcastic* Biting words and phrases are 
always turned against the writer, and when he thinks it over 
he finds that he has suffered more than he has gained. Coun 
try readers are especially likely to take offense at sarcastic re 
marks in editorials because of the nature of the community. 
It is quite a different matter to call John Jones a scoundrel 
when he runs a store in your own town than it is when he is 
the ambassador to Siam. The country editor is writing about 
people with whom he associates every day, and what he says 
is on the lips of every person in the town shortly after It is 
printed. All the friends of the person spoken of in an un 
friendly manner immediately become lasting enemies of the 
editor, so it simply does not pay to offend the readers of coun 
try papers. If the editor will remember that he is one of the 
townspeople and will put himself in the other fellow's place 
he will often be led to modify a sentence before he publishes it. 
Great good comes not from condemning a person, but from 
helping that person to help himself. 

The following quotation, taken from an editorial written by 
a man who has been in the country newspaper business for 



198 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

more than forty years, illustrates the attitude taken by veteran 
editors. 

(From The Ely Miner, Ely, Minn.) 

In our files for the past thirty-one 
years are treasured the happenings of the 
city. We have cried with you when you 
were sad and laughed with you when 
you were happy. Many a father, mother, 
sister, and brother have been spared a 
heartache over something that has hap 
pened but has not been mentioned 
in the paper. Maybe we were wrong in 
suppressing items of news? Maybe not. 

In the outside world, Ely enjoys the 
reputation of being a fine city. The 
local people know of the shortcomings, 
so why advertise our faults, if we have 
any, to the outside world? The Miner 
circulates in every state of the Union 
and several foreign countries. The up 
building of city institutions and its 
people is better news than the short 
comings of certain of its inhabitants. 

Editorials of Commendation. A little bit of praise is a 
powerful thing and when that praise can be used so that much 
good results, the editor has done the community a great service 
Editorial matter which commends some one is not hard to find: 
it is the most usual kind found in the country weekly. That 
it is not found on the editorial page only speaks the stronger 
for a good, live editorial page, This is the easiest type of edi 
torial to write, and it is the kind that is most appreciated by 
country readers. 

An obituary will often furnish the inspiration for a good 
local editorial on the life of the person who has died. Whether 
the editor believes in commending people in an editorial after 
they are dead or not makes little difference, for he usually does 
commend them somewhere in the paper. If a life of service 
and kindness is not worth a whole editorial on the page where 
the editor should voice his thoughts, then it is certainly not 
worth comment in the news story. The death of an old pioneer 
should not be left unnoticed in the editorial columns. The 
story of heroism of the young person who has sacrificed in at 
tempting to help another deserves mention and praise in a 
local editorial. 

The following editorial commending the bravery of a local 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 199 

man who received fatal wounds while doing his duty as an of 
ficer of the law, was taken from the Yonkers (N. Y.) Record. 

DANIEL J. SHEA, 

FIRST MARTYR 

"Time heals all wounds." That is 
what writers have said time and time 
again for many years. The soundness of 
the adage can be questioned when the 
death of P9lice Lieutenant Daniel J. 
Shea is considered. This case, however, 
may be the exception that proves the 
rule and, therefore, "Time heals all 
wounds." 

Time had every chance to heal the 
wound suffered by the gallant officer as 
he blocked a burglary at the home of 
one of Yonkers 7 late distinguished citi 
zens. Time failed in this case to do 
her duty. 

Police Lieutenant Shea now rests be 
neath a little mound of earth because he 
performed a duty that tested the bravery 
of the bravest. Unarmed, save for a 
weapon that could be used only at close 
range, the late lamented police officer 
dared do battle with a pair of gun- 
toting thugs. The history of the case 
tells of his gallant struggle and of the 
murderous assault perpetrated upon him 
by a brigand at bay. It tells of the 
cowardly shooting of the policeman by 
a desperado who did not know the 
meaning of fair play. ,The story of the 
shooting had no place in it to relate that 
the police officer cringed when he found 
himself at a disadvantage. 

The fact that death called upon 
Lieutenant Shea nearly 13 years after 
the incident cannot belittle the state 
ment that the officer went to a martyr's 
grave. 

Practically the whole city mourns 
the death of the valiant police officer. 
By his passing his family loses a beloved 
husband and father, the city loses a 
valued servant and the Police Depart 
ment is bereft of a gallant and efficient 
officer. 

What has happened to Lieutenant 
Shea is the lot that daily faces every 
man who wears a police uniform. 
Many times the fact is lost sight of that 
the man behind the brass buttons and 
bluecoat is human. It will^be well for 
those who are prone to criticise for small 
cause that every member of the Police 
Department is a potential martyr. 



200 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

It should not be necessary for an editor to wait until a man 
is dead before he calls everyone's attention to good deeds 
well done. The editorial page has a place for the commenda 
tion of things that are done by living men and women, and 
these stories are all the more important because the person is 
yet a living part of the community. Recognition of a local 
man's worth by people outside the community should be the 
cue to local recognition in the editorial columns. 

Whatever the subject of the editorial of commendation, the 
tone is always the same, and the editor takes as much pride in 
telling of the winning of the prize for good sportsmanship by 
the local boys' baseball team as he does in telling about the 
election of a local man to the state legislature. How many 
times have you read that article about the new baby at So- 

and-So's house which ended, "and is wearing the smile 

that won't come off"? How many times have you added your 
approval to the little squib about the local baseball team 
winning a large per cent of its games, or nodded your head 
when the editor has written that "our new paving will show 
the world that this town is alive and progressing"? Truly, the 
subjects for editorials of commendation are as numerous as the 
stars, and each of them has the power of the sun in lighting up 
the way of some member of your own community. Noticing 
the things that are well done and causing people to notice 
them is a part of the editor's work and it is the part that brings 
him his surest reward. What can be a better tribute to the 
veteran editor than the one which appeared in a city paper not 
long ago, which said that he had always been "the first to 
commend the good in men"? 

The following editorial from the Red Bank (N. J.) Register, 
is a good example of a commendatory editorial about the work 
of local men, 

TOWN TALK 



It is as unusual as It is refreshing for 
a fair to be held without the public 
being "dunned" for gifts or beset with 
"tag days." If there isn't any genuine 
gold medal handy, an imaginary one at 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 201 

least should be bestowed by the people 
of Red Bank and vicinity to Westside 
fire company. That company is holding 
a fair without asking anyone to give, but 
thankfully receiving such contributions 
as are made and buying with their own 
money the other things that they need. 

The Westside boys seem to be doing 
well with their fair. Contributions have 
been numerous and the attendance has 
been large. The best of success to them! 
Everybody ought to try to give the fire 
men a helping hand whenever the occa 
sion presents, regardless of whether it is 
one company or the whole fire depart 
ment that needs assistance. 
* * * 

Aside from that, the Westside firemen 
deserve a lot of credit for sparing the 
town a house-to-house begging canvass. 
The firemen said they thought the town 
had been pretty well "shaken down" by 
other organizations needing funds and 
that they thought it would be well to 
give Red Bankers a respite from digging 
down into their pockets. The firemen 
are dead right about this. Asking folks 
for money to support various movements 
is always more or less prevalent, but it 
has never been more so than this 



, Editorials o Correction. Some situations demand more 
than a mere informative editorial, and then the tact and skill 
of the editor is seriously tried. He must be able to draw the 
attention of his readers to something that needs correction, 
but he must do this in a way that will get the sympathy of the 
readers and ultimately lead them to take some action in the 
matter. As one editor expressed it: "It is hard to keep quiet 
when something needs hitting/ 7 but it is very necessary that 
the editor 'Tlit" in the right way and at the right time. He 
must take every precaution that his article is not going to 
antagonize readers before the important part of the message 
is absorbed and before they have started to think. Even then 
he must pursue a policy of trying to do the greatest good to 
the greatest number, for he obviously cannot please everyone. 
As he writes his article aimed at correcting some practice that 
is against the best interests of the community, he will not for 
get that no good can come from personal abuse. The way in 
which attention can be called to something which disturbs the 



202 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

majority of the people without attacking any individuals is 
clearly shown in the following short editorial which appeared 
in The Ely Miner, Ely, Minnesota. 

We wish to call attention to the prac 
tice some people have of running their 
cars through crowds assembled to listen 
to band concerts or any other public 
entertainment given on the street. Fri 
day night when the band was giving one 
of its popular concerts on the James 
Drug Store corner, there were half a 
dozen cars that passed through the crowd 
at least half a dozen times. As an ad 
vertising medium, this is poor business. 
Some went so far as to stop and start 
several times. Some of the cars can 
make more noise than fifty bass drums 
pounded at one time. Take an inven 
tory and see how you appear to the 
balance of the people when doing this. 

An editorial seeking to correct the practice some persons 
have of neglecting to number their houses follows, from the 
Forest Hills-Kew Gardens Post, Forest Hills, New York. 

Next Door to Mrs. Jones 



Where do you live? 

Asked that question any number of 
Forest Hills residents will answer that 
they live on such-and-such a street right 
next door to Mrs. Jones, or Brown, or 
Higgenbottom, whatever the name may 
be. 

This is a confusing and indolent 
method. People who do not know the 
street numbers of their own homes can 
readily find them out, and with the 
expenditure of twenty cents for numerals 
supply themselves with an address. In 
the Cord^ Meyer section there are many 
houses without numbers. And there are 
others with numbers concealed by vines 
and shrubbery. Can it be possible that 
some people are trying to make a secret 
of where they live? 

Some editors make it a point never to criticize anything 
destructively. Instead of saying, "The sidewalk in front of 
the hotel is a menace to public welfare, and if the hotel keeper 
doesn't have it fixed he ought to be run out of town/' they 
use a simple informative editorial brief, saying, "The sidewalk 
m front of the hotel is seriously in need of repair lest some 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 203 

one fall through the large hole and be injured." If this fails 
to get action the first week, the editor runs another short article 
in his paper saying that the hole in the sidewalk has not been 
fixed, and that it is becoming more and more dangerous all the 
time. If anyone is injured by falling through the hole he will 
have that fact in the item. It is true that some of the time 
this method will work wonders, but there are times when good 
straight talk is necessary to get the thing done. When such 
an occasion arrives the editor needs the courage of his convic 
tions and should not hesitate to attack with bold and effective 
strokes. When all the kindness and sympathetic reasoning 
have failed to produce any effect, an editor is justified in using 
forceful language and in putting things across with pointed 
sentences. Some people have to be jogged good and hard be 
fore they will take any notice, and if jogging is needed the 
editor is ready to do his share. 

Editorials of Interpretation. Part of the editor's task is to 
take facts and figures that mean little to the average reader 
and interpret them so that they will be understood. Every 
taxpayer likes to know just how much certain things are cost 
ing him, but often he is at a loss to know how to find out. The 
editor can get figures on taxation and with a little labor give 
his readers a story that is clear and understandable. Men 
and women do not have time to investigate every movement 
that is going on, and yet they like to know about them and 
to know what effect they will have on the lives of local resi 
dents. Whether or not the editor is in favor of the movement 
should not deter him from making a study of it and telling the 
results of his findings to his public. If he believes that certain 
things are not good, he may add his after-thought to the edi 
torial. 

Interpreting Political and Economic News. Political activ 
ities make good subjects for interpretive editorials. The aver 
age citizen knows less about his local government than he does 
about his national government, and yet he is far more affected 
by the former. The editor will know all of the proceedings of 
the local authorities and these may be a part of the news. In 
addition to the news he can take the facts and figures given in 
the council report and interpret them for his readers. They 
want to know what the figures mean rather than what they are. 



204 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

If it has been found necessary to increase the tax levy, the tax 
payers are more interested in knowing where the money is to 
be spent than they are in knowing the simple fact of the 
increase. If improvements have to be made in the parks an 
editorial which interprets the proceedings of the board of park 
commissioners will be interesting and valuable to them. The 
paper should be a connecting link between the municipal gov 
ernment and the public, and most of this connection will come 
through the editorial page. 

Measures of state and national importance are often not 
understood by readers of the country paper and in such cases 
it is the editor's duty to interpret and explain them. Ques 
tions of law which the average citizen does not understand can 
well be explained through editorials. In cases where the edi 
tor does not have all of the facts he can consult a man who 
is an expert in the matter. Any lawyer will be glad to give 
his interpretation of a new measure, and the fact that he' is 
a local man will have some weight with local readers. 

An editorial which deals with a political custom affecting 
every voter in the community follows from the Ada (Okla.) 
Weekly News. 

THE CONVENTION SYSTEM 

According to the Oklahoman, a whole 
string of leading lawyers of the state 
have declared in emphatic terms their 
undying opposition to the primary sys 
tem, favoring a return to the old time 
convention. In the recent primary some 
400,000 voters expressed their preference, 
but if the convention system had pre 
vailed, one thousand voters would have 
named the candidate. Possibly a few 
more would have taken part in the 
precinct convention, but when boiled 
down, it is safe to say that only a few 
hundred would have any real voice in 
the matter. In gatherings of that sort 
most people are more spectators than 
participants and a smooth politician or 
two can easily manipulate them. It is 
the minority that rules. 

We recall the campaign of 1904. 
About a dozen of us gathered at the 
precinct convention and the first men 
nominated were elected delegates to the 
county convention. When we arrived 
there we found a little caucusing going 



' COUNTRY JOURNALISM 205 

on over the chairmanship of the con 
vention and our delegation had little 
voice in the matter. Our delegation 
went to the state convention at San 
Antonio a few days later. After being 
given our badges and assigned a place 
on the floor one of the insiders dropped 
around to inform us that Duff was to 
be the temporary chairman and J. H. 
Kirby the permanent one. We were not 
even consulted about our preference. 
The only actual Voice we did have was 
in a caucus of our congressional district 
in which we, dished out our share of pie, 
deciding who should be our delegates to 
the national convention. 

At the national convention at St. 
Louis there was considerable parading 
and cheering for Hearst and other candi 
dates, but no one saw much of the big 
men of the party. They were off in 
some room deciding on the details and 
the maneuvers and when the program 
was presented the smaller fry accepted 
it without opposition. Kicking would 
have done no good and everybody 
knew it. 

In a primary every vote has equal 
weight. Of course candidates pull a lot 
of raw stuff and often some very unde 
sirable citizens are nominated, but in 
either case the result is the same. We 
admit that the average in personnel is 
below what it was a quarter of a cen 
tury ago, but it has not yet been proved 
that this is due to the primary. Neither 
system is perfect, but it remains to find 
a better one. 

The Local Angle Editorial. A type of interpretive editorial 
that is common in country papers and that has a definite func 
tion is the one that aims to explain the news of the day as it 
appears in city papers. The war debt of France means little 
to the average person, who can hardly comprehend so many 
billions of dollars. When this information is put in an edi 
torial showing that France owes us about $4.00 for every min 
ute of time since the birth of Christ, it becomes more 
understandable. When stories talk about the liquor system of 
Sweden in speaking of prohibition, the editor can do his read 
ers a service by explaining the differences between that system 
and ours. If a farm measure is proposed in the House of Rep 
resentatives in Washington, the local editor may give the 
meaning of the bill to his readers by showing them what effect 



206 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

the passage would have on local farming conditions. In every 
case the attempt should be not merely to comment on the sub 
ject but to show the connection between it and something 

local. . . . A ,. ,. 

Much caution is necessary in writing all interpretive edi 
torials, because the editor must be sure that he himself is cor 
rectly informed before he writes anything. If he -has any 
doubts, it is best to see an expert If he once carries an edi 
torial which is full of errors, he has a long fight ahead of him to 
get himself back into his readers' confidence. Help in inter 
preting questions arising from the day's news can be secured 
from local men in most cases, but where this is not possible 
the editor can get in touch with the men who^know, no mat 
ter where they happen to be. It pays to be right before you 

write. . 

The Editorial Policy. Whether or not an editor consciously 
determines the policy he will follow in his editorials, he will 
always adhere to certain principles and standards. It is well 
for the young editor to set down these principles in a form 
that will serve as a guide to him in his career. In this code 
of ethics will be the methods of treatment that seem fairest to 
him and the things for which he will work. The editorial 
policy is dependent both on the ethics that the editor adopts 
and upon the views that he holds of local, state, and national 
matters. His code of ethics may say that he will give every 
thing a fair report in his paper, but he may hold the view 
that to encourage the building of a new town hall would be 
adding an unnecessary burden to the taxpayers. When the 
issue came up he would run several news stories on the project 
which would be unbiased, but in his editorial columns he would 
try to show his readers why he believed the erecting of the 
building to be a false step. 

The editorial policy in regard to politics is a matter for each 
editor to determine, and it is largely a matter of his individual 
convictions. His own political party connections should 
not make him blind to the good points of the other side, how 
ever, and he should be broad enough to give his readers fair 
discussions on the various candidates. His own convictions 
are a matter to guide him at the polls; his knowledge of the 
men running for office should guide him in his editorial writing. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 207 

It is quite possible for a man to be a loyal member of one 
party, and yet write fair and intelligent discussions in his edi 
torials on the issues of the election. If he is not big enough to 
see that there are two sides to every political question, he is not 
big enough to run a newspaper. It is not to be expected that 
he will be able to favor both parties at once or even one party 
some of the time and one another. If he has given his readers 
the news of both sides in a fair, impartial manner and has 
interpreted this news the best he can in his editorials, he has 
done all he can to clarify political issues. 

Working for one party is a common practice and one which 
is defended by many editors as being the only safe and sane 
method. They argue that a country publisher can get adver 
tising only from one party, and that he must boost that party 
in order to keep the good will of its leaders. The fact that 
many papers run advertisements of all parties indicates that a 
publisher has a right to all kinds of political advertising if he 
gives a fair presentation of the news. In that case, political 
propaganda is not accepted unless it has enough news value to 
make it worth printing. Other editors do not believe it a wise 
policy to work with any party, and think that the editor 
should be free from all political entanglements. No doubt 
this is the safest method, particularly for the young editor. 
He can never hope to run an unbiased newspaper if he is con 
stantly worrying about his political rewards, real or imaginary. 
The fewer strings he has tied to him, the better he will be able 
to tend to his own business in a capable manner. If he feels 
that he has a mission in politics he will find the avenues open 
for him to enter that field, and when he has had enough of it 
he will go back to newspaper work, wiser for the experience. 
Those who can run a paper which gives all of the news in a 
fair and impartial manner, and still hold to their own political 
views, will have no trouble. 

Part of the editorial policy of every paper is that which 
deals with the exposing of violations of the law. City papers 
carry police news in which one can read the names of all of 
fenders against the law, and some country papers have tried 
to follow the example of the larger dailies. The conditions 
are not the same, however, as the editor soon finds out. It is 
better to leave out the editorial flaying a citizen for being in- 



208 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

toxicated than it is to print it and cause his family and friends 
much embarrassment. When a man is so placed in the public 
eye he has a hard time regaining the respect of his fellow 
townsmen. Is such a bit of comment worth making many 
people unhappy for, or is it better purposely to avoid publish 
ing the misdeeds of local people when the account of them 
would add more misery to all concerned? While there are 
some who think that all news is fit to print and that all viola 
tions of the law should receive editorial mention, there are 
more who adhere to the policy of looking earnestly and a long 
time at the facts before doing anything likely to cause grief. 
Every editor must decide this for himself, but^ the experience 
of the most successful men in country journalism points to a 
policy of toleration and patience in handling such matters. 

The editorial policy of the country paper, therefore, resolves 
itself into saying and doing what will do the most good. It is 
not a function of the country newspaper to do what the law 
will take cognizance of but rather to bring before the public 
those things of which the law does not take cognizance. When 
correction is needed, let the editor be the first to help bring it 
about; but when patience and friendly counsel are all that are 
needed, let him be the first to offer them. 

Planning an Editorial Campaign. Planning editorial cam 
paigns has been well treated in several books on the subject 
and the points mentioned here are only those which have par 
ticularly to do with the country paper. Reliance can never be 
placed entirely on the editorial page in attempting to accom 
plish some reform or bring about some improvement. The 
editorial is simply one part of the well-organized campaign, 
although it is an important part. All editorials should grow 
out of the news, and so the first essential of any campaign is 
good news service covering the thing that is to be done. After 
the T readers have all been informed, or rather given a chance 
to become well informed on the issue, the editor may start 
his editorials and other features. 

A somewhat slow and easy start is always advisable, because 
it gives the readers a chance to begin thinking about the issue 
without making them take sides. Once a man has resolved 
to be on one side he will not change, even though he is con 
vinced that he is wrong. If he is confronted with all the facts 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 209 

before he makes up his mind he will be easier to persuade. The 
first few editorials will therefore be of the informative and in 
terpretive types, and those of convincing and persuasive prop 
erties will be held until later. The clinching arguments will 
come at the psychological time, which is usually very late in 
the campaign, when all the facts are before the public. This 
is the time for the editor to get in his best licks where they will 
do the most good. 

The small town offers unusual opportunity for the editor 
to do work of a personal nature in putting over any campaign. 
He is known to all of the prominent citizens, and if he has es 
tablished the right relations with them they will listen to him. 
He has a good chance to have meetings of the town council, or 
other bodies that have a voice in municipal matters, called 
and to be heard before them. His arguments will usually be 
powerful before his fellow citizens, and generally he will have 
several influential men to talk on his side. Talks before the 
audience at theaters have been used by some editors in getting 
across a message of reform. All methods of getting the propo 
sition before the public eye are open to the small-town editor 
when he knows his town well. Theater advertising, poster and 
billboard advertising, advertising in the columns of the paper, 
concerts, and what not, have been used when these methods 
would help accomplish the purpose. 

Last but not least, the editor can show by his own example 
that he believes in the thing he advocates. If he argues 
against careless driving and has appeared before the council 
urging the adoption of a more rigid ordinance, let him not 
forget himself and drive through the streets at fifty miles an 
hour. In the small town the editor is watched quite as much 
as he is read. 



CHAPTER XV 

NEWS EDITING AND DISPLAY 
COPT-EEADING 

Importance o Copy-reading. Too much emphasis is now 
laid upon the fact that the editor of a country paper writes 
most of the copy and therefore does not need to read it for 
possible mistakes. He is just as prone to error as any other 
writer, and if he does not correct his own mistakes they will 
never be corrected. There is more need for reading copy 
in the country shop than in the city newspaper office, because 
the numerous duties of the country editor make it impossible 
for him to devote enough time to the writing of news to , make 
each story good. He must sit down and dash off something so 
that the operator can have copy, and he must expect to be 
interrupted many times by persons who visit the office. He 
never can depend upon having a certain amount of time in 
which to do his writing but must do it as he finds a minute 
that is not full. All of these conditions make it essential that 
he look over what he has written and see that it is right. No 
one else has the time nor the authority to correct the editor's 
errors. 

Another reason that copy-reading is important for the coun 
try shop is that it saves much time and money. After the type 
is set, no corrections should be made but those that are mis 
takes of composition. Every time a correction must be made 
in the content of the article it means resetting part or all of 
the type, and this kills time and costs money. Reading the 
copy over before it goes to the compositor is the only safe 
method and is by far the most inexpensive. 

Many mistakes are made by the compositor because he does 
not understand what the writer meant and his interpretation 
may differ widely from that of the writer. If he thinks that 

210 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 211 

a certain word should be capitalized and the editor has merely 
struck over a letter when he wrote the copy, there is a mistake 
to correct in the proof. All directions for the composition of 
every piece of copy should be marked on the copy, and all 
marks that are necessary for the reading of copy should be put 
in before the compositor starts setting. 

Importance of Legible Copy. The linotype operator in a 
country newspaper office gets more kinds of copy in a week 
that he has keys on the keyboard. There is some that is neatly 
typewritten, which is easily set up. Then there is some that 
is written in longhand on any scrap of paper that happened 
to be handy. There are long sheets and short sheets, scraps, 
colored paper and white, stiff paper and some that will not stay 
on the paper holder without being reinforced. Some of the 
copy that he gets must be deciphered before he can set it. It 
is no wonder that he doesn't set up as much type in a day as 
the editor thinks he should; it is mostly the editor's fault. 

Copy should be typewritten on standard-size copy paper, 
just as it is in the best city daily office in the land. Copy 
paper is the cheapest thing in the world when the advantages 
of using it are taken into consideration, and the country shop 
always has some old print stock that can be used. If there is 
no old stock it is better to use some good paper than to trust 
to pieces picked up here and there which will cause trouble 
somewhere. What is saved by using poor copy paper is lost a 
thousand times in time and money through the delays it 
causes. 

Typewritten copy is the only thing that should be used for 
all stories written in the office. If the editor cannot run a 
typewriter he can learn to run one, and for his own sake 
should do so. Not every correspondent can have a typewriter, 
so this material must be handled in longliand. If there is time 
enough, all of this longhand correspondence may be written 
over on the typewriter. The time it takes to write it over will 
be more than made up by the time that the operator can save 
in setting up good copy. When the typewriter cannot be used 
the directions for handling longhand copy, given in the chap 
ter on "Country Correspondence," if followed, will make copy 
readable. This will make the copy understandable, but the 
composition will still be much slower than from typewritten 



212 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

sheets. There is some longhand copy that looks as if some 
thing had walked across the page and left a series of muddy 
tracks. When the handwriting is particularly bad, no attempt 
to fix it up with marks will make it so that it can be under 
stood; it needs rewriting on a typewriter. Generally the edi 
tor's handwriting is as bad as anyone's, and if he tries to fix 
up the copy with pen and ink he only makes it worse. Legible 
copy is the first essential for speedy composition. 

Copy-reading Errors. The subject of copy-reading is a 
study in itself, and the student is advised to learn the essen 
tials of it before studying country journalism. The kinds of 
errors that a copy-reader should look for are the same in coun 
try journalism as in city journalism. They are listed below 
according to the classification made by Professor Grant Milnor 
Hyde of the Department of Journalism, University of Wiscon 
sin, in his book on Newspaper Editing}- 

A. Errors of Expression 

1. Grammatical errors 

2. Errors in spelling 

3. Errors in punctuation 

B. Typographical Style 

1. Capitals 

2. Figures 

3. Punctuation 

4. Quotation marks 

5. Addresses and titles 

C. Inaccuracies 

1. Misstatement of fact 

2. Misrepresentation of fact through omission of qualifying facts 

3. Inaccuracy in the use of names (in spelling, initials, or identification) 

4. Carelessness in the handling and copying of figures 

5. Mistakes in dates 

D. News Values 

1. Inadequate lead 

2. Failure to begin with the feature of the story 

3. Inadequate summary of long story in the lead 

4. Failure to follow up and explain the feature 

5. Failure to prepare for cutting in make-up 

6. Lack of paragraph unity 

7. Comment and opinion 

E. Diction and Style 

1. Use of long sentences and complicated grammar 

2. Use of unemphatic sentence beginnings 

1 See Newspaper Editing by G. M. Hyde. (D. Appleton & Co.) 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 213 

3. Failure to use short, compact paragraphs 

4. Use of unemphatic paragraph beginnings 

5. Wordiness 

6. Use of general rather than concrete, definite words 

7. Failure to use bright, vivid expression, especially in verbs 

8. Lack of dignity of expression, especially in the use of nicknames, 

undignified reference, and slang 

F. Libelous Statements 

System in Handling Copy. Unless a system is worked out 
for the handling of copy in the country shop, some stories will 
go to press without reading and others will be lost entirely. 
The desk of the average country -editor is piled high with all 
sorts of letters and papers, and a piece of copy placed in that 
mass of material is likely to be left unnoticed. Some editors 
have a special desk for their typewriter and news hooks so that 
they will not get their copy mixed up with their correspon 
dence and business records. When this is possible, it is a good 
plan. There are some advantages in having the typewriter on 
the same desk at which the editor takes care of his mail and 
business, but it may be placed close to this desk and yet not 
afford so much opportunity for getting things mislaid. 

As copy comes in through the mail it can be placed upon the 
proper hook. Generally there is one for time copy which is 
used only as needed, and another for correspondence which 
must be printed in the next issue. The local news is placed on 
another hook until it is read and sent out to the compositor. 
There is only one hook on a typesetting machine, and when 
material is placed on that hook it should be ready for 
composition. 

If the copy is copy-read as it comes in and before it is placed 
on the hook it will be ready when it is needed. If it is put on 
the hook and not looked at again until the operator is calling 
for copy, it will probably never be copy-read, or else will re 
ceive a hurried glance and no thorough correction. Make it a 
point to copy-read all material as soon as it is received. When 
the mail has all been opened, the copy that came in deserves 
attention before any new work is attempted. 

Local news stories and personal items may be copy-read as 
soon as they are written. This copy is the kind that cajmot 
be held over, and must be set up as soon as possible. It should, 
therefore, be ready for the compositor as soon after writing as 



214 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

possible, and this is the case only when it is copy-read imme 
diately after writing. Time copy is not so important and may 
be read when the editor has time to do it or when some of it 
is needed, but it is far more convenient to read time copy 
before it is needed so that it will be ready. The writers of 
this copy may have been good writers, but there will be some 
material in there which the editor does not want in his paper 
and which will be taken out or changed before the type is 
printed. 

Detecting Free Advertising. Much of the material that is 
received through the mail and which is supposed to be news 
is, in reality, free advertising for the concern that sends it to 
the publisher. Large concerns have paid publicity men, whose 
job it is to write stories about their business and to see' that 
these are published in country papers. As long as they suc 
ceed in getting copy printed as news, which is really advertis 
ing, they will never use paid advertising space. Most of the 
concerns which put out such material never took an inch of 
advertising in any country paper, and never will. 

The news value that such material has is often ,great so 
great, in fact, that many editors think it very important mat 
ter. Instead of copy-reading the stories to see what is news 
and what is not, they run it as it comes to them, full of adver 
tising. This is poor policy for many reasons, but mainly be 
cause the editor is giving away what he should be selling. If 
these companies get free space once they will expect always 
to get it and the possibility of any income from that source 
is lost. Furthermore, the editor is not playing fair with his 
readers; they expect to read fair news when they look in the 
news columns and if they find there a mass of propaganda 
talking up some certain product, they are disappointed and 
tricked. From every standpoint the use of such material is 
bad practice. 

The stories in this "mail copy" are very well written, and it 
is spmetimes^hard for the country editor to tell what part of 
of it is ^legitimate news and what part is pure advertising. 
Separating the gold from the dross is a difficult job. The 
interests of the community will guide him somewhat in choos 
ing what part of this material he will use. If the community 
is a fanning community the residents will be interested in 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 215 

farming developments wherever they have occurred. If farm 
copy is received which talks of a business concern that sells a 
certain farm implement, the name of the concern can often be 
cut out in several places without hurting the news value of 
the copy. If the story keeps calling to the attention of the 
readers the fact that this wonderful feat was performed by a 
"Cuttem" binder, it is not giving any new information but is 
simply using repetition for the sake of advertising. The adver 
tising may be cut out and the news value of the copy not 
impaired. 

Many stories are written so that the first one or two para 
graphs are straight news and the free advertising is put in the 
later paragraphs. When such is the case the first paragraphs, 
which are free of comment and advertising, can be run and 
the rest of the story discarded. An example of free advertising 
for an automobile concern is given below:- 

BIG CROWDS TO 

LOCAL GARAGE 

New Overland Car Now on Display 

In Local Automobile Firm's 

Showroom 



More than 600 persons have visited 
the Murphy-Anderson garage in the last 
36 hours to see the new Overland 
Whippet which arrived in Two Harbors 
last week. Gust Anderson, manager of 
the garage, drove the car up from the 
Twin Cities and declared that in spite 
of the fact that the engine was new 
and tight, he averaged better than 28 
miles to the gallon of gasoline. 

Shown here for the first time last 
week, this European type of car, adapted 
to American driving conditions, has 
elicited an interest which is already 
reaching record-breaking heights. 

If the consensus of opinion of many 
of the leading transportation engineers is 
to be taken as a criterion, a new type 
of motor has come into existence in 
the Whippet and one which marks one 
of the epoch-making achievements of the 
entire automobile industry. 

Some of the outstanding points of the 
machine are its capacity for slow driving, 



216 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

quick acceleration, hill climbing, quick 
stopping, riding comfort, easily handled 
in traffic and the mileage it achieves on 
a small amount of gasoline. 

Large concerns often give their local agents publicity copy 
which they are instructed to get printed in the local paper. 
There is never any appropriation made for this, and the editor 
is expected to run the story for its news value. Free adver 
tising is free advertising whether it comes through the mail or 
from a local man who represents a distant company, and if the 
material is printed it should be paid for by the one who inserts 
it. Whenever the story has local news value enough to make 
it interesting and informative for country readers, it may be 
run as a regular news story. For instance, the local dealer for 
"Swifter" automobiles comes in with about three-fourths of a 
column on the new model car that is now on the market. Very 
little of this story is news, only that part of it in fact which 
tells what are the characteristics of the new car. The many 
exaggerated statements, the comment, the puffs and compli 
ments, are not news but advertising. Now suppose that this 
same agent received an order for several of these cars from 
some local man. This fact would be good news for local read 
ers and the story of the sale, with all the details, would be 
printed. The second story would be good advertising for the 
company but it would have news value enough to be printed 
as a news story. 

There is no infallible way of telling whether a certain story 
should or should not be run. The editor will learn to be on 
the watch for the man who is constantly trying to get himself 
and his business affairs before the public, and he will make this 
man understand distinctly that his paper has no room for free 
advertising. Unless the stories have something of vital con 
cern locally, they are not good news for the country paper. 
Repetition of a company name, frequent compliments, exag 
gerated statements, subtle references to the worth of a certain 
thing ^ statements that are so all-inclusive as to be ridiculous, 
repetition of a certain fact or facts in connection with the sub 
ject of the news, are all to be found in the free advertising 
story. 

Making the Most o Publicity Stuff. When these stories 
which are full of free advertising are copy-read the editor will 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 217 

find much in them that he could use if it were separated from 
the propaganda. If directions accompanying the story say 
that it must be run as it is, he will have nothing to do but 
throw it in the waste-paper basket. If any or all of it may be 
used, he may be able to strike out the faulty statements and 
the material that would have no interest for local readers, 
leaving only that which is good local news. 

Perhaps the worst pest that the country editor has is the 
local man who is constantly handing in items about his busi 
ness ^ which are pure advertising. He expects to have them 
published because he is a local man and because the parties 
mentioned live in the community. The only safe method of 
dealing with such persons is to have them understand from 
the start that the editor is the judge of what goes into his 
paper. If the contributor is willing to let the editor copy- 
read his items and leave out the advertising, all right; if he 
isn't willing to have that done, the paper will get along very 
well without his items. When a man makes a small purchase 
such as thousands of other people make, it is not news. Items 
reading something like, "John Brown bought a new battery 
for his radio the first of the week from Bunn's Electrical Shop/' 
belong in the column for reader advertising. 

PROOFREADING 

Importance o Proofreading. Proofreading in most shops 
is done because it has to be done and not because anyone gets 
any pleasure out of doing it. It is a job that seems to accom 
plish nothing and so it is done half-heartedly and poorly. 
There are few issues of country papers that are not full 
of mistakes that should have been corrected in the proof, and 
these mistakes loom up large and noticeable in the printed 
paper. Those who understand the printing and publishing 
business know that there are thousands of chances for error 
in one galley of type, but the public expects the paper to be 
printed without mistakes just the same, and as far as this is 
possible the editor tries to do it. 

In most small shops there is no regular proofreader, and 
anybody and everybody who has a minute to spare reads proof. 
Since the editor is responsible for all that goes into his paper, 



218 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

he should see that the proofreading is well done. The best 
method is, of course, to read the proof himself; but this cannot 
always be done, for he has too many other things to look after. 
If he cannot do it, he can at least see that it is done properly 
by some other member of the force. Proofreading is slow work 
and demands close attention to the matter being read. When 
a galley has to go to the make-up man in a hurry it is often 
not proofread at all, or only glanced over hurriedly. Every 
line of type that goes into the paper should be corrected if the 
editor expects to put out a paper worth reading. One typo 
graphical mistake in a man's name will make an enemy -of that 
man and will lessen the readers' respect for the paper. 

Reading proof by reading the lines of type is a poor method 
that never should be used. Very often when the man who 
sets up the type is also the proofreader, he does not stop 
to pull a proof but simply looks over the lines of type and tries 
to detect the errors in it, It is difficult to read type accurately, 
even for the man who makes a practice of it, and he can sel 
dom get all of the mistakes in this way. It takes only a min 
ute to pull a proof, and this can be read much faster and more 
accurately than slugs or type. The average reader makes no 
allowance and he notices a typographical error quicker than an 
error of content. 

Reading Proof with Copy. Every piece of news and adver 
tising that goes into the city paper is read with copy, but this 
is not true of country shops. The editor feels that he does not 
need to use copy for much of the news material because he 
wrote it himself and knows what he wants in it. This is to a 
great extent true, but the many mistakes that appear every 
week bear witness to the fact that copy should have been used. 
Generally the only proofreading that is done with copy is on 
the legal advertising matter; the news is read in galley proof 
without copy. It is not necessary to use copy on all proof in 
the country shops when the material is unimportant and the 
editor or whoever reads the proof is familiar with the matter 
it contains. The local news items are of great enough impor 
tance to be read with copy for there will always be some names 
in them with which the editor is not familiar. 

All material that is sent in from some outside source should 
be read with copy, for otherwise the editor never knows when 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 219 

a mistake is made. The country correspondence is often con 
sidered of little importance but unless the proofreader knows 
all of the people mentioned in the correspondence, he should 
use the copy to verify names and facts. All contributed news 
stories should be read with copy because the matter will be 
news to the editor as well as to the readers. Contributors 
watch their own material closely and if it is full of mistakes 
they will not send in any more. 

Material taken from exchanges and other publications 
should be proofread with copy because the material is un 
familiar. If a fellow editor has been quoted wrongly, he will 
have little respect for you, and if you get the news facts wrong 
you are putting the paper from which you took the news ^in 
an unfair light. It pays to be accurate, and clipped material 
of all kinds should be just as accurate as that written in the 
office. Stories and editorials which are secured from some 
service must be watched closely because the thought may not 
run as the editor thinks it should. 

Country editors as well as their readers will welcome the 
day when every office can have a proofreader who makes that 
his particular business. The matter of making both ends 
meet is now too great to suggest that another member be added 
to the staff for this work, but it is to be hoped that every office 
will have a proofreader in the future. Until this dream is a 
reality the editor will have to take as much pains as he can to 
see that his paper is free from errors that should be corrected 
in the proof. 

Little Mistakes with Unpleasant Consequences. The in 
convenience that can be caused a man when a country news 
paper carries a misstatement about him is shown by the 
following story. This is an error that could have been detected 
before the paper went to press. Poor copy-reading and proof 
reading in country shops are responsible for many such errors. 

MOORE VICTIM OF ERROR 



A recent typographical error made it 
appear that the Republican congressional 
committee sent nine thousand dollars in 
the recent campaign to Representative 
C. Ellis Moore, to assist him in his fight 
for reelection in the Fifteenth Ohio Dis- 



220 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

trict. The amount which, it appeared, 
had been given, was considerably more 
than the law permits a congressman to 
receive or expend in his campaign and 
newspapers of opposite political faith, 
seeing a chance to poke the congress 
man a bit, have been freely commenting 
on the "enormous fund" used to keep 
him on the political map. 

The sportive inclinations of these par 
tisan journals will receive a setback, 
however, when it becomes known that 
the original report, crediting Mr. Moore 
with receiving nine thousand dollars, 
added one extra and superfluous cipher 
to the contributions sent to him by the 
congressional committee and that the 
actual amount was nine hundred dollars, 
instead of nine thousand dollars. He re 
ceived five hundred dollars from the 
committee in October and four hun 
dred dollars in November. The only 
other contribution to his candidacy was 
one of fifty dollars sent to him by Claud 
Miller of Toledo last October. His ex 
penditures were $1,153.21. Mr. Moore 
adds to his statement the following: 

"No promise or pledge has been made 
by me or by anyone for me with my 
knowledge and consent." 

The Use of Standard Proof Marks. The proofreader's 
marks that are used in city newspaper offices and in book 
publishing plants can be secured with little difficulty. Very 
often these are not the marks used in the country office. The 
editor has a system all his own, and he gets along very well 
with it when the man who makes corrections understands his 
method. If standard proof marks are used, much difficulty will 
be avoided and much time saved. These marks are as simple 
to use as any homemade set and have the advantage of being 
understood by any good printer or journalist. Every time 
the operator has to run into the front office to ask the editor 
what some mark means, the paper is put that much behind 
schedule. 

Drawing lines from the correction to the place in the proof 
that the correction is to be made is quite a common method in 
reading galley proof, and is not necessarily poor form. When 
the proof is not too full of mistakes the eye of the operator 
can more readily be drawn to the mistakes by the use of lines. 
When the proof is very dirty the lines running, all over the 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 221 

page serve only to mix up the operator. Proof of news stories 
will seldom be so full of errors that the line system cannot be 
used. When it is, the operator either does not -know his busi 
ness or is working with a machine that needs repairing. Either 
condition can be remedied and clean proof cannot be expected 
until things are working in good order. 

Catching Copy Errors in Proofreading. When the editor is 
familiar with the matter in a certain proof , he can often detect 
and remedy many errors that are not strictly typographical 
errors. No one advocates that this method of copy-reading' 
should be used, however, for it is a very clumsy method. 
What the editor should watch in proofreading is that 
he gets all of the errors that he has missed before. It would be 
far better if these errors were corrected in the copy before the 
type was set. Every time it is necessary to cross out whole 
lines and change the thought, the paragraph and sometimes 
the whole article must be set over. If the errors had been cor 
rected in the copy as they should have been, all of this reset 
time would have been saved. But if they aren't all corrected 
in the copy, they should by all means not escape the eye of the 
proofreader. In city shops the proofreader is not allowed to 
change anything in the copy, but this is because he does not 
write the copy and so knows nothing of what should be in it. 
If some one who has not written the story reads the proof in 
the country shop, he should consult the editor before making 
changes in the content of the material. 

How Many Proofs Are Needed? Except on job work, many 
country shops never use a revise. This is partly due to the 
fact that the staff is too busy to take the time necessary to 
read a second proof, and partly due to the fact that most 
editors imagine they are better proofreaders than they actually 
are. Many mistakes are made when the operator sets up cor 
rections and these will appear in the printed sheet just as the 
original errors do if they are not corrected. One method to 
avoid these mistakes is to proof and read the corrections by 
themselves before the slugs are put into the galleys of type. 
This does not take as long as reading a second proof and will 
do away with many of the mistakes. Hand-set material must 
be read a second time if all of the errors are to be caught, be 
cause proofing of corrections by themselves is impossible. 



222 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Use of the Page Proof. If no revise of the type is read be 
fore it is put into the forms, the only hope of catching the last 
mistakes is to read thoroughly the page proof, to check up on 
everything before the paper goes to press. There are enough 
chances for slips in the country shop to make the page proof 
of great importance. If possible, the editor may go over the 
entire paper before it is published. If there is not time for 
this, there must be time to go over the pages of greatest im 
portance; that is, the pages with the local news and advertising 
on them. The plate material and the ready-prints will, of 
course, not require reading, but they may be inspected to see 
that they are printing in their right order and are printing up 
well. 

After the forms are put on the press, an impression can be 
taken and this read over before the papers are run. Many mis 
takes that did not appear in the other proofs will loom up 
when the entire paper is looked over. Some of the most evi 
dent errors are not noticed until the association of one story 
with another makes them stand out plainly. If there are five 
men working in the office each of them is likely to catch errors 
before the paper is printed. It can do no harm to give the 
back-shop workers a chance to look over the paper, and very 
often they will catch errors that the editorial workers fail to 
see. 

HEADLINES 

History of the Country Newspaper Headline. The history 
of the headline in country newspapers for the past fifty years 
follows closely the history of headlines in the city dailies. 
When it was a common practice for the country weekly to ape 
the city daily in matters of news presentation and content, the 
headlines were small in all papers. An examination of the 
files of a weekly for the year 1888 or any time in the last dec 
ade of the nineteenth century will show that most of the heads 
were single line, single deck heads set in small type, 6, 8, or 10 
point. ^ Very rarely was a head set in type larger than pica, 
and this size was reserved for stories of the utmost importance. 
Heads started to become larger with the American Civil War, 
but country newspapers followed somewhat behind the city 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 223 

papers in increasing the size of type used and the number of 
decks in the head. The files of country papers for the first 
decade of the twentieth century show larger headlines and 
more stories given heads. Although most country papers to 
day do not use heads as large or as black as the city dailies, 
nevertheless, there are some country weeklies that have begun 
to look like metropolitan productions, so large and noticeable 
are the headlines that they use. The weekly paper that is 
published by a concern which also publishes a daily is a very 
pronounced example of the use of heads far too large for a 
country paper. Some misguided country editors take pride in 
showing that their publications mimic the appearance of the 
city papers. 

Purpose of the Headline. Headlines are large in city 
papers, due to the necessity of getting the eye of the man who 
buys his paper on the street, since street sales are one of the 
most important sources of revenue for the city papers. They 
must make the paper appear to be full of news in order to at 
tract the reader. The advent of what are today known as 
"sensational" newspapers has made the more conservative ones 
modify their style of make-up and begin to use larger heads to 
combat competition. There are still some large daily papers 
that stick to conservative heads, but they are few. 

Competition in street sales does not affect the country paper 
because there are no street sales in most country towns. The 
editor does not have to put out a paper that will sell on the 
street because most of his circulation revenue comes in from 
subscriptions. The very few individual copies that are sold are 
sold in the office, and the money from these would hardly buy 
a pound of good ink each year. For this reason the country 
paper does not need as large headlines as does the city daily. 
There is no necessity for the display which will attract the 
passer-by. 

What the Headline Should Do. There are other purposes 
for headlines besides that of attracting customers who buy 
their papers on the street, and many of these purposes are the 
same for the country paper as for the city paper. These pur 
poses will be considered separately and, wherever possible, 
their application to the country newspaper will be indicated. 

1. The Headline Summarizes the Story. The headline tells 



224 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

the reader at a glance just what the story is about, so that if it 
concerns something in which he is not interested he may pass 
by that story and go on to something that he wants to read. 
This purpose is the same in country papers as in others, with 
the exception that here most of the stories will be read because 
of the reader's interest in the community at large. Making 
the headline a summary of the story is mainly for the purpose 
of enabling the country reader to find what he is most in 
terested in first. After he has read that, he will most likely go 
on and read the rest of the paper. Nevertheless, the head 
which summarizes the story is best, for it classifies news so 
that the persons for whom it was intended are most likely to 
see and read it. 

2. The Headline Advertises the Story. This is not so 
necessary in a country paper, because the readers generally 
have enough time to read all of it without choosing between 
two or more stories. The headlines in the country paper should 
advertise the story only enough to make sure that everyone 
who is looking for that story will be able to find it. There is 
no need for the headline to shout out the news in an attempt to 
attract readers away from other stories. 

3. The Headline Measures the Importance of the Story. 
When a reader has only a few minutes in which to read his 
newspaper, he must choose his stories. Usually he wants to 
read only the more important ones, taking the chance that he 
will not miss much by omitting the others. It would be wrong 
to say that the country paper should not follow city practice 
to some extent in this matter. Stories are of a certain impor 
tance, depending upon the amount and content of the news, 
and to put a large head on an unimportant story would be 
wasting spa<;e. The biggest piece of news that has happened 
since the paper was last published will always carry the biggest 
head, and the other stories will have headlines in proportion. 
There is this difference in the country paper, however, that the 
story of most local importance should be given the biggest 
head. The death of the United States Secretary of State is not 
the biggest story of the week for the country paper if the 
town's most prominent citizen has died that week. The story 
of the local citizen's death will be read with more interest than 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 225 

the news about the national figure, and so deserves the most 
display. 

Qualities of the Good Headline 

The Headline Presents the Newsy Feature. In every story 
there will be something of greater news value than anything 
else in the story. That thing is the "feature" of the story and 
is the thing in which most of the readers will be particularly 
interested. In determining the feature of a story for a country 
newspaper the interests and activities of the members of the 
community must be kept in mind. The headline on a story 
in a country paper should give the feature of the story just as 
the city papers do, but the headline writer must be sure that 
the thing of greatest local interest is made the feature rather 
than the most unusual circumstance. 

The Headline Should Be Easy to Grasp. This holds true in 
country journalism as well as city journalism, not because the 
readers must get the story in a hurry but because they should 
be given a clear understanding of what the story contains. 
Country readers have time to read, but no time to devote to 
figuring out the meaning of incomplete, incorrect headlines. 

The Headline Should Be Complete in Itself. Country news 
paper headlines are often lacking in some of the important 
facts; facts that are to be learned only by reading the entire 
story. The reason that we have headlines is that they assist 
the stories. If they are not complete they are taking unfair 
advantage of the reader, tricking him into wasting time figur 
ing them out or in reading the story to solve the headline. 

There Should Be a Verb in Each Deck. Since the purpose 
of having a verb in each deck of the headline is partly to make 
the headline and the news more interesting, the headline in 
the country paper is also better if each deck has a verb. Verbs 
expressing action are best, since every person's interest is 
greater in current events. The verb in the passive voice tends 
to make th6 reader think that the news is stale. 

Definite Statements Are Best. The good headline, no matter 
in what paper it appears, tells the reader something definite 
about the news. It tells him exactly what is in the news story, 
not what general subject the story embraces. Vague, general 



226 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

statements are space wasters and make a headline look like a 
label. The most definite statement that the headline can 
make in the country paper is the identity of the person who is 
the subject of the news. For this reason many headlines in 
country papers have the name of the local person figuring in 
the story in the top deck. Since names are the greatest atten 
tion-getters in the small community, the headline which 
features a name is most valuable. 

Determining the Size of Headline Type. It will be seen from 
the foregoing discussion that many of the reasons for having 
large headlines are lacking in country journalism. There is 
no necessity for having type so large that it glares at the reader. 
Sensationalism, that is, trying to make news appear bigger 
than it is, has no place in the good country paper so the type 
chosen for headlines should not be exceptionally large. The 
headline type should be large enough to enable the reader to 
distinguish readily between stories and to tell which stories 
are of the most local importance. If this is possible, the type 
used is large enough. 

For all purposes in country journalism, a 24-point headline 
is large enough for the important stories of the average week. 
There may be times when a size or two larger is needed, but 
these times are as rare as the proverbial hen's teeth. If the 
town should burn completely to the ground the country paper 
might devote most of the front page to headlines, as some city 
papers do, but the chances are there would be no newspaper 
then. Very rarely is a size of type larger than 24-point 
needed for the first deck of the main heads. Other headlines 
should be in proportion to the largest one. Stories of second 
ary importance may have a top deck set in 18-point, or 14- 
point type; and smaller stories will probably have a one-deck 
head in pica type or ordinary linotype 7 or 8 point. 

Determining the Number of Decks. Some city papers use 
a method of displaying the headline down the column rather 
thaa across the page. This gives the paper a more conserva 
tive appearance. In the country paper only a few lower decks 
wiU be needed. There should be enough decks so that the 
whole story may be summarized in them; usually two lower 
decks will be sufficient. Stories of secondary importance may 
well get a head with only two decks in it, the top deck and one 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 227 

smaller one. The form that these decks shall take will largely 
be determined by the editor's preference, but the size type 
that they are set in should be somewhat smaller than that of 
the top deck. If the first deck is set in 24-point type the lower 
decks may be set respectively in 18 and 12 point or even 
smaller. Some of the best country papers never use anything 
but bold-face linotype capitals for the lower decks. 

The type sizes should be so chosen that there will be a 
gradual shading into the reading matter. If a bold type is 
used for the top deck, a larger-sized type will be needed in the 
lower decks than if a lighter type were used for the first one. 
The attempt should be to take the eye of the reader from one 
size of type to the next, and so on until he comes to the read 
ing matter, without letting him realize that a change of any 
consequence in type size has been made. If large type is 
placed next to reading matter, it gives the page the appear 
ance of being set in very small body type, and it appears hard 
to read. 

Making a Headline Schedule. Every shop has some kind 
of headline schedule for convenience and to secure a uniform 
front page. In making such a schedule the editor keeps in 
mind the uses that he will have for various kinds of heads. 
There is no necessity for the country shop to use many different 
kinds of heads, since the types of news stories that are pre 
sented each week will remain about the same. Once in a while 
there will be some feature material that will require a head 
different from the ordinary news stories, but a special head can 
be set for this. Three sizes of heads will take care of most of 
the regular news stories. If there is one 24-point head for the 
main stories, one 14-point head for those of secondary impor 
tance, and one regular linotype capitals head for the small 
stories, these will be found sufficient. The average country 
editor has not time in which to write heads of many different 
counts, and it will reduce his work a great deal if he has a very 
simple head schedule. 

Write Out the Copy. When a good schedule is once made, 
it should be held to every week thereafter until the schedule 
is changed. If there is a certain count for a headline the count 
should never be less or more, even if the editor is sometimes 



228 COUNTEY JOURNALISM 

able to go out to the case and squeeze in an extra letter or two. 
The matter of writing headlines not only affects the con 
venience of the editor but it also affects the appearance of the 
front page. If the writer had not seen so many headlines made 
up at the case, he would perhaps have more faith in the coun 
try editor as a headline writer. Too little attention is given to 
the preparation of the copy for headlines before they are set. 
In those shops where the editor himself sets most of the mam 
heads he usually does not write' them at all but simply sets 
them up as he thinks of them. If one word won't fit, another 
one will, with the result that when the head is set it is a hodge 
podge of words with little sense to it and often with a violated 
word count. These violations show up plainly on the printed 
page but look less offensive in type. If the editor intends to 
set his headlines he will find it much better to write copy for 
them before he sets them, since in this way he can get the 
right number of units in the line and preserve the thought. It 
is much easier to think out a headline on paper than in type; 
the erasures are not so hard to make. 

Guessing at the Count. The matter of guessing at the num 
ber of units that will go in a line is another thing that should 
be barred from the country office. There are editors who do 
not try to set their own headlines, but who write them by 
guess. If they are good guessers, the heads may come to the 
right count; if they can't guess so well the heads show it. 
These editors do not count out the letters because they feel 
that they haven't time to do it. When a man has had many 
years 7 experience estimating types and type measurements he 
can come close with a guess, but guesses are not reliable. 
The little time that it takes to write the few lines needed for a 
country paper should be an argument for getting them all 
perfect. As it is, they are often much worse than those written 
by men who have hundreds to write in one working day. 

When to Write Headlines. The biggest reason for the poor 
headlines found today in many country papers is that this 
end of the publishing, that is, the headline display, is left 
until the last. No one thinks of setting up any of the larger 
heads until the make-up man is ready for them, and then they 
must come with a rush. Many of them could just as weU 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 229 

have been written and set up much earlier, and then they 
would have been ready when they were needed. 

If the editor would make a practice of writing the head for 
a story when he sends the copy out to the compositor, he 
would have better results. He is not nearly so rushed when 
he gets the copy in, as he is on press day when the heads are 
needed. Headlines on all of the stories of minor importance 
should also go out with the copy. This is easily done, for only 
a few words are necessary on such stories. As the stories come 
in to a city newspaper office, the man who is in charge of make 
up decides where he will put them and what heads they will 
carry. The country editor can do this much easier than the 
city man, for there is little possibility of a news break in the 
country so large that it would make it necessary to change the 
make-up of the page. In no case, perhaps, would he ever have 
to change the size of a headline. 

Headline Content. Without stopping to consider the 
essentials of headline writing, which the student should be 
familiar with before studying country journalism., we may dis 
cuss the content of the headline in the community paper. 
Since the country paper is not sold on the street, there is no 
need for the headlines to be sensational, in the sense that they 
play up the startling facts in the news. Yet they should have 
in them the facts of the story which are most likely to be in 
teresting to local readers. If the story has been well written 
the head will follow the story, having in the first deck the 
thing of most importance and in the following decks the less 
important facts. 

Since names are so important in the country paper, the head 
lines will very often have the name of some person in the com 
munity as a prominent part of them. Nothing pleases a 
country reader so much as to see his name in the headlines 
and his friends are also pleased with the recognition given 
him. Whenever a name can be made a part of the head it is 
well to make it so. One of the things that should not be in the 
head is a vague statement which means nothing to the local 
reader. If John Jones has done something worth telling about, 
it is much more striking to say in the headline that "John 
Jones Makes Discovery/' than it is to say "Well-known Man 
Makes Discovery." The well-known man might refer to some 



230 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

person entirely outside the community, and the interest of the 
local readers would then be much less. 

It is sometimes impossible to put the name of a local man 
in the headline because of the length of the name. When the 
name will not fit in the headline, the next best feature to play 
up is the local importance of the story. Various methods are 
used in playing up the local feature in the headline, but per 
haps the most used word is "local. 33 When this word is used 
in only a few heads it is good, but it is one of the most over 
worked words in the headlines of country papers. It is short 
and says what is wanted but there are other ways of saying 
the same thing. 

The name of the town in which the paper is located, or of 
the community from which the news comes, can often be profit 
ably used in the headlines. It means more to say, "Lewisville 
Wins from Balsam in Tuesday's Game" to the residents of 
those towns than it does to say, "Tuesday's Baseball Game 
Won By Locals." This use of the town name is also subject to 
abuse, and it is not seldom that one can find it used in a dozen 
or more headlines in one issue of a country paper. The best 
features become the least effective if overworked. The follow 
ing example shows the use of a man's name and the" name of 
the town in the same deck. It is a very good headline for a 
country paper. 

HANGARTNER OPENS NEW 

BEAVER BAY GARAGE 

The name of local business places can well be featured in the 
headline when the story concerns some institution. It means 
little to readers of the country paper to see that "Grocery Busi 
ness Sells at $5,000.00" but they are immediately interested 
if they read that "Johnson Sells Grocery for $5,000.00." The 
point of perfection is the making of every head so full of local 
interest that readers will be drawn to the story and will under 
stand what the story is about. 

Making Heads Complete. If the headline does not give the 
reader an understandable fact it has not served its purpose, 
and many of the headlines found in country papers do not 
State a fact completely. It is not enough to give two or three 
words which have something to do with the story, but these 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 231 

words must be so tied together that their relation to one 
another can be readily grasped. In the example given below, 
no one would know what was meant unless he went on and read 
part of the story. A better head for that story would have been 
one which told of the withdrawal of candidates which left two 
tickets with two candidates each. Not all of this can be put in 
the top deck, but whatever is used there should express a com 
plete thought, 

Two Tickets 
School Race 

Another method of making headlines when words do not 
count out right, is the one of leaving out the subject of 
the news. When such a head is met the reader knows that 
something will take place sometime but he does not know what 
it is. In the example given below no one would know what the 
event was going to be that was to take place in Hibbing, 
August 16. Omitting the subject of the news and starting the 
head with the verb leads to unclear and incomplete headlines. 
The subject of the news is the most important part of the 
headline and it should come before the verb. 

WILL BE HELD IN 
HIBBING AUGUST 16 

Proper Punctuation of Headlines. When more than one 
thought is included in a single deck, there must be proper 
punctuation between the two thoughts. Any mark which 
makes a break in a thought will not do, as the accompanying 
example will show. If a semicolon is not used between the 
two thoughts the reader gets the impression that there is a 
mistake in grammar. Always separate two complete thoughts 
that appear in the same deck and you will avoid the appear 
ance of incorrect grammatical statements. 



232 COUNTRY JOURNALISM 

Italy Having Much 

Rain, Less Sunny 

It is many years since the practice of using a mark of 
punctuation at the end of a headline went out of date, but 
some editors still persist in doing it. The period is for use 
where a complete stop is wanted, and this is not the case at the 
end of any deck of a headline. The purpose of the headline is 
to lead the reader into the reading matter and so a complete 
pause is not wanted. No punctuation at the end of the first 
deck is the best policy and there is really no necessity for any 
at the end of any deck. The punctuation at the end adds 
nothing to the appearance of the head, 

Old Settlers 
Next Thursday. 

It is quite a common practice with some editors to split 
words at the end of a line in the headline and to run the rest 
of the word in the second line. This is a poor practice, because 
it makes the reader jump from one line to the other to get the 
thought of the headline, and because it destroys the unity of 
each line. It is never necessary to split words in headlines if 
a little time is taken to try different combinations. The ap 
pearance of the headline is spoiled by one divided word and the 
thought is broken. These two reasons should be sufficient for 
avoiding the division of words in headlines. 

CITY WATER WORKS OP 
ERATES AT LOWER COST 

The dash is made to serve a multitude of purposes in the 
headlines in country papers and it is often used where some 
other mark belongs. The dash may be used to separate two 
independent thoughts only when one is an unexpected change 
from the other. If the thoughts have a close connection the 
semicolon is the proper mark to use. 



COUNTRY JOURNALISM 233 

JOHNSON HAS GOOD HUNTING 

BUT IT IS FOR LOST GUN 
This is a right use of the dash. 

ELECTION WILL BE CONTESTED- 
NEW VOTE COUNT 

This is the wrong use of the dash. 

If the editor will remember the rules for the uses of marks 
of punctuation and will apply them in writing headlines, he 
will have no difficulty. The rules are the same for headlines 
as for text matter with very few exceptions. In general, the 
fewer marks of punctuation it is necessary to use in headlines, 
the better they will be. 



CHAPTER XVI 
MAKE-UP 

The Purpose o Make-up. An orderly arrangement is more 
pleasing to the human eye than is a mass of elements with 
no design. We like to see the lawn trimmed or the yard 
clea