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 quickly on the field. In baseball games the reporter must be able to keep a complete score from which to write his story and make his summary score. Quickness and accuracy of observation are essential in getting the facts correctly in any sporting event.
Reporting a Football Game. A football game affords a good opportunity for the student reporter to get excellent practice in covering an athletic contest. In preparing to report a game, he should get from the coach or the captain the correct line-up of each team and the names of the officials. If the line-up is written on a piece of cardboard and arranged so that the exact position of each player can be seen at a glance, the writer can refer to it constantly in reporting the plays. The way to arrange the line-up is shown below:
| Chicago | Wisconsin | |
| Williams—L.E. | | | R.E.—Halpin |
| McDonald—L.H.B. Frean—L.T. | | | R.T.—Muldon R.H.B.—Lynch |
| Johnson—L.G. | | | R.G.—Peake |
| Smith—F.B. Pinch—Q.B. Hool—C. | | | C.—Du Plain Q.B.—Keeler F.B.—Holt |
| Skillub—R.G. | | | L.G.—O’Neil |
| Kidder—R.H.B. Dillon—R.T. | | | L.T.—Minton L.H.B.—Dye |
| Reisen—R.E. | | | L.E.—Schmidt |
The reporter watches both teams carefully to see which men make each play, and as soon as the teams line up again, he notes the position that each of these men takes, so that he may identify them from his line-up card. As the game progresses he is able to recognize some of the players who repeatedly take prominent parts, and he need not refer to the line-up so frequently. The reporter may take notes on the plays as they are made, or, if it is necessary to mail or telegraph the story very soon after the game is over, he may write a running account as the game progresses, adding the lead after it is over.
In the choice and the arrangement of details, the story of a football game is not unlike other news stories. In the lead are placed the essential facts, which are the result, the score, the causes of victory and defeat, the teams engaged, the time and place of the contest, and any important circumstances. Because every reader is most interested in the result, that fact is usually “played up” as the feature. Why one team lost and the other won, or why the score was tied, the second fact in point of interest, is likewise given a prominent place at the beginning of the lead. A characterization of the playing of each team, an account of how and when the scoring was done, mention of the work of star players, and a description of the crowd, the condition of the field, and the weather, are the other details which are put in the lead. Following the lead is the story of the game told in as much detail as the assignment requires. If a short account is desired, only the important plays are given; if a full report is wanted, every play is described. After each score is made, and at the end of the report of each quarter, the complete score up to that point is given. At the end of the story are placed the line-up, a summary of the plays, and the names of the officials. The story given below may be taken as typical:
New Haven, Conn., Nov. 23.—Harvard trampled over Yale with a score of 20 to 0 on Yale field today, when the crimson eleven, taking advantage of Yale’s back field errors, made two touchdowns and two field goals. This victory carries the football championship of the East to Cambridge.
Harvard scored a touchdown and a field goal in both the first and third periods. The first score came when Storer recovered the ball which Wheeler, the Yale quarterback, dropped on being tackled, and sprinted twenty-five yards to the goal line. Hardwick kicked goal. A minute later, another Yale muff gave Brickley his chance to kick the first field goal.