" half a newspaper, for all of us are engaged in. Commerce of one sort or another and news of‘ \oommerce is vital information. . o

e newspaper.v .

, we have been around newspaper offices; large and small, for more than thirty years but we still have the same feeling of excitement and anticipation when we.piok up each day's first edition. ,

Everybody who is interested , life at all feels that way about the newspap r he reads.

We found that out back in the doye when we need to deliver the Saskatoon star-Phoenix. Children from houses on our route would reoo each other down the block to get the paper first. And if we happened to miss a customer there would he a phone call to the orfice in the evening.‘ another call to us and then we would have to hustle our own copy over to the bereft reader's home. .

Our customers liked their newspaper; and they liked us because we brought it to their door every day. rain or Shine. In cold weather they would invite us inside to warm our hands and feet and havegn cup of hot chocolate. At Chrietnee they/gave'us tips. / ‘

News gets around in other ways; of oouree-by radio. TV. newsreels,‘wcrd of mouth ~ but it is as true today as it ever was that if you wont all‘the news and want it in detail you have to reed n newspaper.

i ' That's because publishing the news is still" ‘ the newspaper's principal concern. The features; the comics; the advice to the lovelorn are added attractions. News is the heart of the newSpaper;

' The most frequent complaint made against

today's newspapers is that they are "full of

' adsx" But eds are news, top, and important news

at~that. A,newspaper without eds would be only

Ads report on the activities of human beings9 end therefore have a rightful place in the paper. - For our newspapers are e daydto-day chronicle at - . man's life on earth; unblinkingly they record the splendid things he does and the mean and the foolish- ' ‘

And newspapers are created by human beings; not by electronics. light images or sound waves,

The technological.side of publishing, though it is wondrously complex these days.'is still secondary to‘the human side.- I

No matter how fat and sassy your newspaper may be it is still essentially a communication from one person to another. It is this unique relationship between writer and reader that keeps, newspapers going despite all the flashy gadgets that Were supposed to have made them obsolete.

A reporter goes out and gathers the news; he

.The world's most exciting Jobl'

1 There is nothing in this world quite like

wise but they on stl’ii his words:

Although they are the key men in the field of public information. reporters are themselves relatively unknown. They have often been portrayed in fiction and on the Screen} but seldom with accuracy. '

We have known hundreds of reporters in our

.time but even so we couldn't give you much'of an

idea of what they are like. They don't have any particular distinguishing marks or scers. But if we can't tell you what reporters are, we can tell you some or the things they're not.

Reporters are not loudneuths: most of the best ones we know are quiet; eyen shy. They are. not given to riotous living and ell+night poker; but neither are they prudes. And let us bury gorever the myth that reporters are hard—boiled: They are the biggest lefties you will ever nest: One more thing: they work herd; despite eppeerenoes. '

What all reporters share is an intense interest in the news and a conviction that there in nothing in this world as important as seekint it out and giving it circulation. They ere lever bored by events, great or smell. -

That is true of everybody connected with getting out a newspeper. Even clerks in the accounting departlent know they are port or a very specinl'enterprile; they ere newspaper people too. , ‘ .

our friends in radio and TV have sheen thet there are faster ways or getting the news out; ' but with all due~reepect to their fine work we must say that they haven‘t undo newspapers lei! necessary than they ever were.

For if news is important it must be {iron in detail and only newspapers can do that dob. There is no substitute for the eagle e rpporter creates when he sits down\et his-typewriter to write his story. He is fresh free the scene; Rh. smell of the news is still clinging to him.

He alone can tell you what it was like. how it happened and why.; , }

And what‘he writes comes straight to you:' in neat columns. under attractive heads and with pictures. All or the newspaper's resources. it.

' presses, its paper, its ink and its people. are » '

geared to the task of laying that story on yen: front porch. -

Publishers know that if they can get the story to you fast enough and in full you will want to read their paper. Even aside from the profit motive there is the‘challenge and stimulation of covering the news. It hits the publisher too.~ '

Maybe we're prejudiced, but‘we happen to

l

Tuesday. July 15'. 19581‘hs Guardian Page 9

<2

\I‘

write: noun what he sees and hears and whnt he writes in printed on paper.

That. in essence. is all there is to s newspaper. But what a greet deal it is, after all! In every age, what reporters have written has become the record of the time. , é I

' In this day of public relations and promotion‘ ell sorts of people come under the loose heading of "members of the press." But in most towns and cities and in every village and rural ere: the newspaper reporter is the only bone ride news—gatherer. .

Only he comes in contact with the row sewed: by: words ore picked up and broadcast to: and=

think it's mm s good one: sore then m on for your peper to.get oil the new. and te get 1% first hand - before the commentators. the

. pundits and the axe—grinders get through with its I

Everything you get in your paper besides: no", one most or 1+. is pretty entertsinin; stuff: is pure stony; '

)

Bennie Breithweite; e to,

police, fire. politics; general and editorial. Currently he is best known for his witty "Nobody Asked Us" column, which appears regularly in '

The Toronto Star.

\

. THE GUARDIAN

‘ ’!unn The Tcfindo our

newspaper can. has et on. time er3j another covered every major beett_

\\.

N