ON THE SAFE SIDE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3279, 26 July 1911, Page 6

ON THE SAFE SIDE.

This is the way the guileless reporter brought in the local item: *' J°hn Barleycorn, a bibulous person of not the most honest record, living at No. 23, Melrose Alley, was found last night at ten o’clock in tKe room of J. H. King, living at No. 47, Green Street, apparently in search of something. John assured Mr. K. that he Was looking for his bed; but Mr. K. was incredulous, and called the policeman on that beat, who arrested the intruder and took him to the police-sta-tion. Here he seemed to be so much under the influence of his namesake that he was locked up for further investigation. ‘Suspicious character* was inscribed against his name. But did it get into the paper that way? You bet it didn’t. The editor had lost a job or two as a result of libel suits, and he didn’t propose to lose one. again if he could help it—not on this item or any other item coming under his jurisdiction. So he edited it according to the latest modern methods, and this is how it came out in print: . “ John Barleycorn, so he says, a bibulous person, so his neighbours say, of not the most honest record, so the police say, living at No. 23, Melrose Alley, so the directory says, was found last night at ten o’clock, so the town clock says, in the room of J, H. King, so Mr. K. says, living at No. 47, Green Street, so the directory says, apparently in search of something, so Mr. King says. John assured Mr. K., so Mr. K. says, that he was looking for his bed, so Mr. K. says; but Mr. K. was incredulous, he says, and called a policeman, both he and the policeman say, who arrested the alleged intruder,’ so those present say. This kind of news-writing has its draw-backs, but they do not affect an editor, who is not of high literary taste, nearly so much as losing his job for being too positive in his statements concerning those who happen to fall within the field of newspaper observation.