Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/317

 A LABORATORY EXPERIMENT IN JOURNALISM 301

Toward the middle of the quarter, when individual tastes and abilities have been partially disclosed, the class is organized as an editorial staff. This gives occasion for useful discussion as to the respective duties of managing editor, news editor, city editor, copy-reader, et al., and also provides a means for handling more systematically the daily grist of copy. But a staff suggests a paper, and something definite and tangible to be done at a given time in an efficient way. The mere turning out of haphazard, unrelated copy palls after a time upon active young persons. So a year ago last June it was proposed that the last exercise of the course should be the preparation of complete copy for one issue of a daily paper. Everything was to be done up to the point of sending the matter to the composing-room. No line was to be written before nine in the morning nor after midnight of the day on which the trial was made. The class entered upon the under- taking with enthusiasm. The rooms of the University College, in the heart of the city, were put at the service of the staff. By one o'clock these quarters were transformed into editorial offices. Amateur reporters were rushing off on assignments in company with the professionals of the city dailies. The editorial writers had already been at work, and when the copy began to come in, the copy-readers set about their task. The reports of the City Press Association and of the Associated Press gener- ously furnished for the occasion arriving by messenger at frequent intervals, were eagerly seized upon by the city and tele- graph editors. As fast as the completed manuscript came from the copy-readers it was turned over to the make-up man, who had spread out before him eight forms drawn on manila paper. Following the suggestions of the managing editor who on this paper stayed until the forms closed the stories were estimated for length, space was marked off in the columns, and thus the pages were filled up. About midnight the excitement reached its height as the last copy was turned in and the brown paper forms were "locked up." As a bit of make-believe, with a certain amount of incidental profit, the attempt was a success. But it left much to be desired. The results were too vague a big roll of manuscript and a few sheets of wrapping-paper. There was no