Talcott Williams

“ A ‘city editor’ directs the reporters in gathering news. A ‘news editor’ keeps in touch with outside correspondents through the telegraph and the telephone. What pours in from the press associations and a paper's own avenues must be thoroughly sifted by ‘copy editors,’ who now throw out far more than they put in. For important news articles there are usually special writers. ‘Exchange editors’ read other periodicals with scissors in hand, clipping what they think will interest the public. Comment on the news of the day is in the hands of a trained corps of editorial writers. ”

“ Electricity is displacing steam. The automobile has been pressed into service for getting newspapers on the street; and for wider circulation special trains are employed.
No observer can fail to notice that under the new régime, where the editor-in-chief counts for less, the press of the United States is becoming less personal and more and more independent. True, nearly all American papers are the voice of some party, but they are not its slaves. ”

“ Special postal privileges in the United States—a rate of one cent a pound, paid in bulk, or one-eighth that for books, one-sixteenth that for merchandise, and one-thirty-second that for letters—and in other countries press laws have led to many judicial and administrative decisions which unite in defining a periodical as earmarked by recurrent publication and a subscription list made in good faith, and the newspaper as published at least once a week. ”

“ When the changes in paper manufacture at the close of the eighteenth century and in the bed-plate of a press at the beginning of the nineteenth century through the application of power to printing enlarged the sheets and altered their limit, the newspaper began to be folded for the weekly to a square octavo, and enlarged for the daily to a large ‘blanket’ sheet. ”

“ Public Opinion presents a résumé of current thought. New York still leads the American press. But what has been said of her journals is largely true of Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, Saint Louis, and San Francisco. And from certain other cities, sometimes small, are issued newspapers which have gained a national reputation. Such are the Springfield Republican, the Detroit Free Press, the Louisville Courier-Journal, and the New Orleans Picayune. The last years of the nineteenth century witnessed the rise of the Sunday issue of the great dailies. ”

“ Newspapers, by periodic appearance, divide sharply into weekly (usually devoted to a special field, social, political, literary, the general weekly being the exception) and daily. The special daily is the exception, the world's four largest capitals and some American lesser cities having dailies devoted exclusively to the stock market or sports. ”

“ The nineteenth century type of the weekly review was set by Leigh Hunt in the Examiner (1808) , which combined literature and politics. Under its first editor and Albany Fonblanque (q.v.) , it had a brilliant career, as an exponent of current radicalism. The Athenæum (1828) confines itself to literature, art, and music. Though it has had many rivals, it is to-day one of the most trustworthy reviews in the world. The Academy (1869) is similar in design, but runs more to literary gossip. The Saturday Review (1855) , once the most solid, is now the ‘smartest’ of English weeklies. ”

“ The Associated Press of the United States dates from 1849. Though these serve for the smaller papers, they are to the larger papers only hints to be followed up by their own agents. The telegraph, indispensable for gathering news, has been reënforced by the telephone, which is now finding its way into every village. These new sources for obtaining news have revolutionized the office. The editor who personally superintended the issue of his paper is of the past. There can never be another Greeley or Dana. The editor-in-chief of certain papers finds no time even to write a leader. ”

“ American universities of over 1000 students usually support a daily. The city daily necessarily covers four fields: (a) the events of the place in which it is published; (b) events without; (c) opinion, usually given on a separate page, known as the editorial page; (d) the quotation of stock, cereal, and other exchanges, and advertisements. To these are added combined criticism and record, in special articles and correspondence on special fields, as politics, sports, theatre, letters, education, etc. Usually the earlier pages of a newspaper open with news from without and pass to local news. ”

“ Though there were earlier sheets published at irregular intervals, the first Spanish newspaper seems to date only from the eighteenth century. Even for some time after 1800 Madrid had only its Diario. Indeed, the press in Spain had a hard career till the Revolution of 1854. Dailies in all the chief cities are now numerous. Madrid has about twenty, among which are the Imparcial and the Correspondencia de España. Among the Madrid illustrated weeklies are the Correspondencia Illustrada and the Illustracion Española y Americana. From the American standpoint, the news in Spanish papers is meagre. ”

“ The journalism of the Revolution, when for newspaper purposes no common communication existed between colonial centres, was limited in influence and circulation to the place and region in which each paper was published, and even the New York Journal, in which the Federalist appeared, had small influence outside of New York City. ”

“ The history of journalism in Australia is scattered with failures from 1810 to 1860. But to-day the dailies and weeklies of large circulation are numerous. Though the press has been established in the small towns, the great journalistic centres are Melbourne and Sydney; and next to them, Adelaide and Brisbane. We may cite for Melbourne, the Argus, the Age, and the numerous journals devoted to building, mining, stock-raising, and shipping ”

“ New York has found indispensable a few dailies and numerous weeklies devoted to finance and each important branch of trade. Such are: the Financial News (daily) ; the Journal of Commerce (daily) ; Bradstreet's; the Iron Age, etc. Each department of knowledge and each profession also has its weekly. Of the many illustrated journals Harper's Weekly is the oldest. ”

“ After arrangements were made whereby it could be furnished throughout France at the same price, its daily issue rapidly increased till it reached a million. French newspapers contain less news than the English or the American. Space is thus found for the feuilleton, a literary essay, sketch, or short story, an indispensable feature of the French journal. Paris is famous for her weeklies devoted to art, fashion, literature, and the professions. Outside of Paris, the larger towns support several dailies. ”

“ Wales depends largely upon the newspapers of the border counties. She has, however, several English journals of her own; as the North Wales Chronicle (Bangor, 1807) ; the South Wales Daily (Cardiff, 1872) , in the Liberal interest; and the Western Mail (1869) , in the Conservative interest. A few newspapers are printed in the Welsh language. Among them are Y Genedl Gymreig (The Welsh Nation) and Baner ac Amserau Cymru (Banner and Times of Wales) . ”

“ They continued to be issued until the downfall of the Western Empire.
The Peking Gazette, Tching-pao, “News of the Capital,” has appeared since 713 to 741 in the T'ang dynasty at the Chinese capital, and has for many centuries been issued daily. It is printed in a Government edition sent to officials, and in a popular edition with regular subscribers, reprints also appearing in the provinces, both having been furnished from an early period. It consists exclusively of Imperial rescripts, council decrees, and official news. It is undoubtedly the earliest daily in existence. ”

“ A broad area under a common language with a homogeneous population, universal education, easy means of communication, the cheapest mail facilities known, newspaper tolls cheaper in proportion to average distance, though higher for short distances than elsewhere, and a constant interest in political and social affairs, complete freedom from censorship or restriction, except that provided by the libel laws, have given 5 per cent. ”

“ For providing the Sunday newspapers with stories by popular novelists, syndicates were formed just after 1890. The syndicate purchases the manuscript from the author and sells the right of simultaneous publication to one newspaper in each of the great cities, thus making a handsome profit. The proceeds from the transaction have tempted Stevenson, Kipling, and many other well-known novelists. Much miscellaneous manuscript now passes through syndicates. The counting room of the newspaper we can enter only to remark that an expert is required to look after the advertisements. ”

“ During this period, as with the New York Tribune, the real influence and weight of its editor rested, not upon its daily edition, which in this case was always out-topped in New York City in circulation by two or more papers, but upon its weekly, which circulated throughout all the North. Political and religions weeklies during this period were the most profitable of newspaper properties, and the most potent of political, religious, and social factors. Ten years after the close of the Civil War competition began in the telegraph service, both by cable and by land ”

“ Now a daily without illustration is rare. American humor finds expression in Puck, Judge, and Life; criticism in the Nation, in many other weeklies, and in the Saturday or Sunday editions of the dailies. The Times publishes a Saturday supplement composed wholly of book reviews and literary comment. Among religious journals, which often include literary criticism, are the Observer (Presbyterian) ”

“ The Belgian press, held in firm restraint during the Spanish, Austrian, and French rule, became practically free on the independence of Belgium (1830) . Antwerp with its seven dailies has been far outstripped by Brussels, which has now about twenty dailies. The chief are the Indépendance Belge, the Etoile Belge, and the Journal de Bruxelles. At Antwerp and at Ghent dailies are published in Flemish.
Holland. The papers of Holland were long noted for the accuracy of their commercial news. Since 1830 they have given more attention to politics. ”

“ In the reign of Charles II. the development of the newspaper was checked by the rigid enforcement of the licensing act of 1662. Under that régime nothing but an official organ could long survive. The repeal of the licensing act in 1695 opened a new era in English journalism. Newspapers at once sprang up in London and in other cities. Besides news-letters, flying posts, and mercuries, appeared the Edinburgh Gazette, a semi-weekly (1699) ; the Daily Courant, the first English daily (1702) ; the Review, established by Defoe for the discussion of political questions (1703) ”

“ It is one of two dailies in Auckland. The Times, Wellington, is a typical and leading daily. A Maori paper, Te Pakio Matirki, is published by a former chief, Tawhiao. The newspaper has followed the colonist to Cape Colony, Natal, and to other British possessions in Africa, and throughout the world. Cape Colony has several weeklies and three dailies, of which may be mentioned the Cape Argus and the Cape Times, both daily and weekly. ”

“ The Standard, now the chief Conservative newspaper, was started in 1827, as an evening edition of the Morning Herald. It made a stout fight against Catholic emancipation. Its cause lost, it lived a lingering life until revived in 1876 by its able editor, W. H. Mudford. Other popular London dailies are the Globe (1803) ; the Echo (1868) , the first London halfpenny newspaper; the Pall Mall Gazette (1865) , which John Morley turned from its conservative ways into a powerful Radical organ; Saint James's Gazette (1880) ; the Evening News (1881) ; the Star (1888) ; Westminster Gazette (1892) ”

“ This is also true of the numerous dailies of Lisbon.
Russia. The earliest newspapers of Russia were issued under the direction of Peter the Great, first at Moscow and then at Saint Petersburg, to report the progress of the war with Sweden. The first gazette, the Vedomosti, appeared in Moscow in 1702. The issue of 1703, preserved in the Imperial Library at Saint Petersburg, was reprinted in 1855. Political journalism, however, has never been permitted in Russia except in defense of the Government policy. ”

“ Christiania now has five and Bergen three dailies. In both Norway and Sweden semi-weeklies and tri-weeklies are common. The press of Denmark dates from the Danske Mercurius (1666) . Down to 1830 the papers of Denmark were made up mostly of extracts from foreign journals; and those outside of Copenhagen are still very poor. Copenhagen now has thirteen dailies, morning and evening, of which the oldest is the Berlingske Tidende (1749) . The Aftenposten enjoys the largest circulation. At Reikjavik in Iceland are published two small journals. ”

“ There are also reviews for distinct trades, professions, and pastimes; the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News (1874) ; the Cycle (1893) ; the Musician (1897) ; the Economist (1841) ; the Statist (1878) , for the markets of finance ”

“ Nichi Nichi Shimbon (1872) , Count Ito's organ, Hochi Shimbon, Jisi Shimpo, Nippon, Kohumin Shimbon, Kohumin, and Noromo. The Miro Miro is a comic paper. In 1883 Japan had 113 newspapers and periodicals, of which one had 1900 circulation; in 1888, 550, and in 1900, 745, of which Tokio had 201, Osaka 56, and Kioto 51. The dailies number 150, of which 17 in 1888 had a combined circulation of 130,200.
The United States. The newspaper has an importance in the United States attained nowhere else. ”