BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, JUNE 28, 1948 MORE ABOUT US

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 61, 28 June 1948, Page 4

BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, JUNE 28, 1948 MORE ABOUT US

On two or three occasions lately people have expressed surprise that the Beacon accepts items of news for publication without charge. It seems there is a certain amount of misunderstanding, in this district as to what is news and what is advertising. Since it is a newspaper’s primary function to carry news to its readers, and since to do that it needs the fullest possible cooperation from the readers themselves, the advertisers, and in particular local bodies and organisations, it is proposed here to try to clear up a few points that seem to have been a bit hazy in this district.

First, it is not the easiest thing in the world to say where news ends and advertising begins, but news can be defined generally as reports of events, meetings and opinions. News deals mainly with what has happened or what has been said.

Advertising, on the other hand, where it is not offering goods or services for sale, deals mainly with coming events. There are exceptions. A local body or a club makes plans' at a meeting for future expansion of its activities: In that case, a report’ of the meeting, though it incorporates “things to come” is legitimately news. Sports draws are news, but a note on the 6nd that says, “the bus leaves Bill Jones’s house at 2.15 p.m., and players are requested to bring their toothbrushes,” is advertising.

Generally speaking, social activities are news, and any contributions concerning them are always welcome, particularly for the “personal” column. It is intended later, if contributions warrant it, to set aside a portion of the paper for social news. In that regard co-operation from any quarter will be welcome. Sports results and other news items intended for publication on Monday should be in the letter slot in the door before 8 a.m. Monday. Sports draws, teams, or other items for Friday’s issue, should be handed in at the editor’s office AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE on Thursday. If annual reports of local organisations can be made available before the meetings at which they are to be presented, there will be a much better chance of publishing them at length than if they come in some time after the meeting. Recently, in this column, advertisers were asked to make a point of taking advertising copy to the office, and not to the factory. The reason is that our factory hands are too busy to handle office work, for which we have a clerical staff whose job it is to note advertisers’ instructions and take care of the copy. Those clerks are the ones who have to listen to complaints if any copy gets mislaid, fails to get in the paper when scheduled, or if there is a mistake in the charges. They cannot be expected to adjust such matters intelligently if they have had no chance to make the necessary records. All inquiries for new contracts, variations of contracts, and display space should come direct to the Editor.

Copy for replace advertisements intended to change on Wednesday should be in by noon on Monday, and that for Friday changes by noon Wednesday. As the factory does not work on Saturdays, advertisers would help if they would try to arrange for their advertisements not to change on Mondays. If a Monday change is absolutely necessary, the copy should be in by 10.30 Friday morning.

Casual advertisements must be in the OFFICE by 8.30 on the morning of publication. As a general rule, long advertisements, such as stock sales and statutory notices, should be in by 4.30 p.m. the previous day.