The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, May 07, 1937, Page PAGE SIX, Image 6
ERRORS IN A NEWSPAPER
They Do Occur, But Odd* Are Extremely
Against Them.
The following 1h from the i>en of
Kdwurd M. Perkins, editor of the Ix>Hoy,
Now York, NuwsGazotto, and
will bo road with grout Interest by
newspaper men, and wo hope will put
Homo old coinplulnor to thinking before*
they call at The Chronicle olflco
to bawl us out about an error that oc<
ure :
"it is Wedueaday evening ami 1 am
comfortably enaconced in my own
personal chair that sort of fits all
around . . with my leg* stretched out
lazily if not decorously I am about
half way through the evening paper
when the tolepiiouo tinga-llngs a couple
?>r times ... 1 bad rather hoar a
hour grown, or think I had, than to
hear 'he telephone ting Wednesday
(.'Veiling tile Iia/ette-NOWS is circulated
throughout the village by that
time and has been pretty generally
read . . . before the second ting-a ling
1 am wondering to myself Juhl what
and how had the error in the paper
was ... after ajl these years I can
almost I' ll by the way the operator
makes I ho l ing ... if somebody Is
hopping mad at the editor they sort
of snap out the call to the operator
as if she was til fault for the newspaper
mistakes . . . like any other
human being, tills operator does not
like to be snapped at so she gives
vent to her resentment by pushing
the device that rings the bell . . ."1? I
tliis i'erkins, editor of the Gazette- |
News?" (brusquely) .... "It is* |
(meekly) .... "Don't you know any j
better than to say so and so? In- |
correct, every word If an(* ' don't ,
like it There is no excuse for nilstakes
of tiiat kind. Any 10-year-old
boy lias more brains tiian were asso- |
elated with the writing of Unit piece. j
ltrr-rr, brr-r-r, brr-r-r' . . . . i gonerully |
give tlie irate one all tbe lime lie (or j
she) will consume in working off tbe |
lust spasm, having discovered that
they feel better alter they have un- J
loaded and then I toll them how sorry I
1 am the error w as made and that a j
correction will appear in the next is- |
sue . . . sometimes 1 ciidenvoi to ex- I
plain that ) do not personally write
the entire paper, that 1 will check ?
and .see who was responsible for the
mistake and try and ascertain how it j I
happened . . . this generally brings ajl
i urt "Very well, but see that it does j |
not happen again "
"terrors in newspapers are as ines-; |
cupublr as tlie pioverbial death audi,
taxes . . it has boon said (hut a per- .
feet book lias never been printed, and j J
it is a certainty that a perfect news-1 j
paper never lias . . . following a re-1 |
cent complaint of error 1 went thru j
a copy of tlie News-Gazette to ascer- |
tain if possible how many chances of .
errors there were in that edition . . . j .
of tlie G4 columns in the eight page J
paper Ho columns were news matter I
and 2b advertising . . in the news |
matter there were Gil different items J
.... figuring the five traditional edi- |
toiial SV's (who, what, why, when aud^j
where) with each item there was pre- .
sent .1.opportunities for error on J
the part "t writers before tlie copy I
was si 111 to the linotype machines i |
tli,- no news columns contained | |
approximately n.xxi) iines of type in j
vim h i lu i e were ;J7,UU0 words and j j
i.Highly speaking I v.,t)00 letters, inak- .
lug ior a tu(a 1 of lM?,f?5."> chain es of j J
i.o.-lalw up to ill is point . . to make j I
, , 11. ? : oii ui error in a line, set on I
a Manly pe ui.n liine, the entire line 1 |
I..,, p.- i.-set inMeail ot changing !j
i 1. Ill er .1 - in 1 he i a -e of hand- j
j . ;i. ui the uldeti days . . on an ?
I
'll re Will I"- ahelll I'. > ' lOI- ,
l. i I n I" I"' made in each lolumn J
, ,is it i nun's from tlie lua- ( I
1 | P
. m, w, have 1711 more chaiiees |
,; err n in plai ing tlie corrected line I
i tie- rtch?. plai [ilus 1,2.?u oppor- ^ I
t itllta I for luispl.li ell letter.-. Ill these j
erred il lilies, or a total of l.i'Jn . . . I.
adding this l,% the above we have k.J
grand total ot lhJ.aaO possihilitus ot I
mistakes in the news columns alone I j
.'. and then there is the time or 1 j
peed element to he taken into I on j
mi' i at am ... in the Gazette-New s i
plant tin- two linotype machines are ,
ei iliii.vr lis released to the newspaper j
work Moiiih?y noon, giving them a
Iutal et about thirty hours in which
t,? set tlie new* matter and such ot
tl., ad missing as is produi ed oil the
mach ilus
in ih>- 2b i o.unu,. ei advertising
ilieTe vv eie , iliileieiu advertisements
. a i ejisouahie estimate in-1
du at ed ."',U"0 words in the advertise-,
ill' nt lor a total of 2.>.000 1> tiers . . .
or approximately 2\'.,""0 fiances of
,-rrof . . and errors in ...lidvertiselueiits.
particularly in prices, may bo
, os11 y the paper may not only
lose t lie revenue it niigbt ordinarily
leieive tor the space, but there are
tunes w hen the publisher is called
upon to make up the difference bo- >
t ween the price at which the article
was intended to be sold by tlie dealer
and the price at which it was advertised
in error . . . take for oxjun- j
pie a sack of flour the pricty^f which J
was indicated oil the advertiser's
1
copy ttt 97 cents . . . the type aettor
transpose* the flgurea to 79 cents und
in eoine way the tranapoaitlon eecape*
tiie proof reader* . . . Mrs.
Jonoa read* in tiie puper that Hour
Is 79 cent* a sack at Mr. (irocer's
and ahe inimediutely calls for a eack
of i lie 79 cent flour . . . theu the grocer
culls the advertising inunager
and tells him lliat lie is going to
ell urge the 18 cent* difference to tlio
newMpuper on every sack of flour that
is aold ill accordance with the advertised
price . . . and la that u headache
pitia a cramp in the caah drawer
. . all in all there appeared to have
been about 217,000 opportunities for
error in Just one Ihhuc of the (JazottoNews
... in forty-one and a half
years as a country editor und publiHhcr
I luive been responsible for
2,l?io editions of u newspuper witli
His,720,000 chances to err . . , the
very fact that 1 am still alive IndicuteH
conclusively tiial the people in
this world are pretty kind and charttable
alter all . . . even ho, I don't
like to hear the telephone ting-a-Ung
on Wednesda.v evening."
The llritlsh house of commons romuined
in session for twenty hours
and fifty-three minutea while the body
debated bitterly over a bill to provide
relief for poverty-stricken residents
of Industrial and agricultural centers.
SMALL TOWN RECRUE8CENCE
That there a definite trend today
uway from the largo centers of
population, back to the rural areua
and the small towns, Is evident to all
who truvol und are capable of observing
the change taking place in
such surroundings.
It Is aptly pointed out in a recent
editorial In the News-Reporter, of
Washington, tla., that u trip this
spring through the south leaves one
dominant impression, "an impression
thut the country und the small town
I have come back in to their heritage.
[ Many scenes contribute to the reallcu -t
I lion?tidy fences, freshly painted !
houses,- terraced Holds, busy street
corners, and shop windows inviting
t ho townfolk into local stores."
This district change in living habits
now taking place can undoubtedly be j
attributed to the realization, by mod-1
ern youth,'that life in the smaller'
towns and In the country holds new j
promise of full living, of successful ,
years und of happiness.
Opportunities for success In the
country were never greater, with the
advance of scientific agriculture, with
the development of such professions
as forestry, soil conservation and all
their allied endeavors. Modern youth
sees these opportunities and is not
slow to secure the needed training j
ami to turn hia native gift* to excellent
account In the revitalized i>roI
reunion of an agricultural people.
The unfortunate ruah to the cltlea
of a decade or two ago left thouuanda
of our lineal CltiZeuu stranded and
iiuproverlahed in an induatrial world
overatocked with labor. That the tide
haa begun lta flow away from congealed
urban, Induatrial centera la u
proiniaing indication of u better life
for future generutlona of Americauu.
It will mean, of course, a rostoration
of that deep, genuine and baaic
culture which, half a century ago,
centered in the email towna and in
their homea. it will, mean more of
thoae magnitiecenl home librarieu, better*
churchea, more alive and better
equipped to meet the needa of the new
world; better achoola, bettor roada,
and better couditiona generally.
Jt will, in abort, mean the bringing
of the beat in modern living couvoniencea
to the amaller cltlea and the
farina, for youth once having taated
of modern comforta and opportunities,
will not be denied.?The Atlanta Com
atit ution.
N
Jlelgium haa regained ita prewar
neutrality statue by consent of England
and France. In caae of invasion
of Helgium, both France and Great
Hritain ure under obligation to go to
her aid.
?rir<1
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r- 51.49 I
Any S.A.E. I FED. j
Grade I TAX PAID
"CARDINAL" MOTOR OIL
2 Gal. "yQ 100 Per Cent
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I Western Auto Associate Store I
CAMDEN, S. C. ; j
W*m fflBWud
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I Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8
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TWO DAYS | jji
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Window |
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WE HAVE MANY ^ ?1
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Smoking Stands ijl
Card Tables ^ ||l
Magazine Racks ^ ||l
Tables ^ [ I
Lawn Furniture ? ! I
Chairs ^ ! I
Secretaries x j I
China Closets $ ijl
Pictures | 11
Mirrors | Oil
Table Lamps $
Shades jfll
Chests ] j^H
Luggage \ SI
Radios || jyfl
Stoves ] I
Ranges !i ]
Home Furnishing Company I
[ | | Broad Street Camden, S. C. jfl