The Press as a Mirror
This article is the fruit of an analysis, made by the author for an American news agency, of the relative amount of space devoted to certain subjects by American, British and foreign newspaper& —En. Spectator.] AN idea of certain major differences between the British and American people—and their causes— can be gleaned from the amount of space devoted to various significant subjects by the newspapers.
Such an analysis of editorial apportionment was under- taken in the past year for the first time. While space forbids reproducing here the charts themselves and the many interesting classifications, the major results are given below.
Over three hundred papers were studied, classified, and measured. Four editions of each were used, mid-week days being chosen to avoid the slack Monday and heavy Friday editions. They were also " weighted " to adjust seasonal differences. Only metropolitan or city papers were used here, though the smaller papers were analysed. Technically it is impossible to compare papers so different in structure, nor will this article occupy itself with mechanical differences of appearance, size, typography, or style of writing. We can consider here only the conclusions which the editorial apportionments seem to suggest. And first it will be best to standardize certain classifications of " news " or public trends.
First there is the vague term " news." Every cub reporter learns that " if a dog bites a man, that is not news ; but if a man bites a dog—that's news." To be more specific, news generally means all arresting hap- penings of the moment—namely, local news, national, foreign, sporting, financial, social and dramatic news. Since this entire analysis is the first of this sort ever attempted,' the classifications are purely arbitrary. The second editorial division might be called " Specials "- Photographic pages, Radio, Weather, Personality Sketches, Current Articles and Letters, and Miscellaneous Topics. The third division is " leader " articles, known as editorials in America. The fourth group includes all features : Fiction, Women's Page, Comics, and Mis- cellaneous Features.
Considering, then, the differences between the British and American people by means of these analyses, the first and perhaps most significant conclusion is that the Americans are primarily provincial, while the British are internationally minded. American papers devote 17.2 per cent. of their editorial space to local events. The English papers give only 8 per cent. Discounting geo- graphical and political differences—or are they the same ? —America is still considerably more interested in neigh- bourhood gossip than her British sister. Now here is one of the most significant facts about American life. This local news, though it is more than double that of English papers, has waned about 200 per cent, in the last ten years. Why ? Partly because local Main Street has gone to Wall Street—Financial News having increased about 350 per cent. in the same time ; but also because America has gone sport-mad, showing a Sporting News allotment equal to Local News. This robbery of local space by Financial and Sporting News (though naturally a good deal of both are in fact local) is no mere coincidence. It is rooted in the economics : of America. In the past decade big security holdings have been split into odd lots, and been bought by many small investors ; large companies are owned more and more by their employees ; railroads have passed from foreign capitalists to the hands of the American masses. The first result is an increase of Financial News ; the second is that the American masses to-day own stocks, make money, find leisure for the first time in their lives, and so turn to pleasure—to sports. Hence Sporting News—and likewise Radio, Dramatic, and all sorts of Educational features—are so much on the increase.
By comparison it is interesting to note that the per- centage of Sporting and Financial News is about the same in both England and America. Sport has 16 per cent. as opposed to 14 per cent. in England ; Finance, 14 per cent. to 18 per cent. British. (The higher British figure is due to the smaller pages having to hold the minimum of 141 columns of Stock Exchange listings.) To pause a moment and consider what this increase of Sporting News and decrease of Local News in America means, it would perhaps not be too far-fetched to observe that Americans are growing nearer and nearer to Britons in temperament. They are beginning now to acquire the British leisureliness. They are beginning to forget business. The average Briton pictures the American as a powerful machine in horn-rimmed spectacles forging steel into gold. He thinks of him as being an uncultured, insensitive animal of great cunning but of no real intellect. But it is safe to prophesy that in twenty years England will find America, as a nation, quite as interested—if not as versed—in sports, the arts, and general culture as herself.
Another great difference in the newspaper analyses is the group " Features." American papers devote 20 per tent. of their editorial content to " Comic Strips," Women's Pages, Fiction and " miscellaneous features," such as Philosophy, Poetry, Gardening, &c. English papers give only 6.8 per cent.—or less than one-third of that amount. The conclusion is that America wants entertainment more than news.
While this is often deplored by British students of American life, a good percentage of the apparently tremendous interest in " slapstick " entertainment is due to geography. England has to be au courant with world news : that is why British papers have 11 per cent. Foreign News, while American give only 3 per cent. In actual comic strips, America allows 6 per cent. of her entire editorial content to half of 1 per cent. in England. Also in the preponderance of apparently useless features, a technical reason must be considered. Ainerican papers are much larger—often running to 60 pages and 240 on Sundays, as compared with 12 and 24 in England. Reading matter must therefore be found at low cost. News is expensive to get ; but features can be syndicated at amazingly low rates. It would be well to remember this in judging American " vulgarity " as reflected in their Press.
One other significant comparison is that American papers devote twice as much space to Society notes as the British Press2.2 per cent. as against 1 per cent. This again seems to point to a straining for American culture ; and the beginning of American aristocracy.
Comparison with France and Germany and other European countries throws a light on both British and American character as well as their own, but space does not permit discussion of this here.
Briefly, to sum up the conclusions suggested by the Anglo-American analyses, England is still mainly inte- rested in National and Foreign issues amounting to 28 per cent. of the entire editorial content, while Sport News is her second interest at 14 per cent. England still prefers first-person articles, which are practically extinct in America, and impressions and all expressions of indi- viduality ; while the American Press tends increasingly to standardize ar d to impersonalize.
England is a ir a';ure man ; America is a brilliant youth, How can one compare them further ?
WILSON MCCARTY.
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