(1)
Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock advocates government ownership of the telegraph lines of the country in a report made to Congress today.
(2)
Ambassador James Bryce explained the method of drawing up bills to be presented for adoption by the British parliament, in addressing the members of the congressional committee at the hearing on the bill providing for the congressional legislative library.
Unusual or significant conditions under which the address was delivered, or the report made, may become the “feature” and may be played up, as in these stories:
(1)
Despite the pouring rain, nearly 5,000 people heard Senator La Follette discuss the issues of the campaign at the Auditorium last night.
(2)
By their demonstrations of approval and frequent expressions of enthusiasm the members of the legislature gave evidence of their endorsement of the policies of President Taft when he addressed them in the State House this afternoon.
The Body of the Story. Whatever form of lead is used for speeches, reports, or interviews, the body of the story generally consists of paragraphs of direct verbatim quotations, combined often with summarizing paragraphs. As the interest lies not only in what a man says but also in the way he says it, verbatim quotations are usually preferred to indirect ones. It is frequently necessary to condense speeches and reports so much that large portions must either be omitted or be briefly summarized. It is desirable, as far as possible, to avoid combining in the same paragraphs both direct and indirect quotations, or both direct quotations and summarizing statements.