JOURNALISM IN THE STATES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 246, 10 July 1908, Page 5

JOURNALISM IN THE STATES.

i A writer in-the. " Queen" -throws some in- ■ teresting light on-' the. subject 'of ■ journalism'■■in'.' the :United. States.: Thore are about ' 18,200 papers in the Sta,tes, ;and, .on almost single; one, womon are employed. The 'proprietors;r&ognise thattho kind of-mat-ter which' -women .write.is,necessary. to .their ■financial' success,; and 'the. chronicling ;, of women's doings: is just as interesting to the public as any other items of neivs. Every, branch of journalism,is crowded' by women,, but,;the.. ; majority try;to' go on itho staffs; of newspapers,;, where there . is., more chance, of promotion to . highly-paid- billets. The general rate of '.payment seems to Hbe very , low, and it is said that the assistant a ; scientific journal, for, which ;it is ■ considered ian honour to ; work, receives only - £2_;a week; ,an .empty honour.. .The! writer, . who ; Vmakes a" |;o6a' income,' is - tho newsgetter,, more • especially the' procurer of scandalous sensational stuff. ■' There - seems tp. be nothing, which ,the editor of an Ameri-, can paper will not .ask .bis ivoinen lvrit-crs to do for copy: AOhe:giri;wasitold' to walk . about the streets '.of.;- New .York;. atthight, and. .get. herself- arrested' so-'that;her'. sensational ' reports.- might ■ prove :tbat..the -police - molested respectablo ypung;.women.: S Another girl had to: beard a - politician.,at' a; man's=club, while -Any woman oii the daily, press may be called on to look up . some subject; at any- hour of the-day or'night.', i. ' ■Women are . also . chiefly:-omployed for the trivial, and.contemptible; work which fills so manyicolunihs.'ot'the daily papers. They fer- . ret out: all: the';'silly •:viilgar: ;stories,' and/ per-. : spnal incidents in .which the American reader: ; seems to revel.- vlt is said- that !papers: : 'pf the . most reputable standing: filled columns day .aftor; day :. f with -accounts - of-, a' quarrel between a ladyio'f;,the smart -set" and' her father, for whom, she kept'..house; this -perfectly .ordinary bickering between undistinguished people' was., given as much prominence as an event, of,- the 7 greatest international -importaricbj i and finally .'culminated in ail .-interview. jwith/the .'daughter, in, which, the-iwomari reporter devoted three columns to tho description of; tho bedroom in which she was received, and equally exciting de-tails.'r;.-.'v >-■'■ .For ivork of that kind .women are most highly paid, earning; as much as from £10 to £20 a week. Of course, to make such an income she works.? at tremendously ■ high pressure,; and :must 'fitted-by-nature with a good stock of -assurance,: independence, and lack of sensibility, v .-To. the ordinary woman of decent feelings such work would be an r*' V. ,i