Page:Newspaper writing and editing.djvu/177

 CHAPTER VII

SPECIAL KINDS OF NEWS

Special News Fields. Although practically all kinds of news stories conform to the general principles explained and illustrated in preceding chapters, the application of these principles to particular kinds of news may be considered in detail. On all but small papers the gathering and the writing of news in such special fields as sports, society, and markets are regarded as sufficiently different in character from general reporting to warrant having special editors for these departments. Each of a number of special kinds of reporting requires more or less expert knowledge, which a reporter who specializes in that field acquires as a result of training and experience. Sometimes, however, a general reporter may be sent out to cover an athletic contest or a society event, and he should be prepared to do either successfully. Every reporter should familiarize himself with the best methods of handling all kinds of news.

Sporting News Stories. The constantly increasing importance attached by newspapers to news of sports, particularly to that of baseball, makes it important for reporters to know the peculiarities of sporting news stories. The reporting of athletic contests is not always an easy task even when the reporter is familiar with all the details of the sport. In a football game, for example, it is difficult to determine which of the players carries the ball or makes a tackle in a given play unless the reporter knows each player and can recognize him