Anonymity in journalism is on the whole on the wane,
but the foreign correspondents of papers like The Times and The Daily Telegraph remain still " Our Own Correspondent " simply. Occasionally they should be given in their own person the recognition they deserve. At the moment I feel impelled to pay tribute particularly to the Telegraph correspondent in Washington, Mr. Denis Smith, who formerly served the Morn- ing Post there. Beyond any of his colleagues in the United States, or perhaps elsewhere, he has shown again and again a capacity to understand exactly what British readers three thousand miles away want to know. His report of President Roosevelt's speech last Saturday was a conspicuous case in point. Other correspondents summarised the speech competently. Denis Smith depicted the scene, indicating vividly the effect on the audience and what passages met with most applause, and, if necessary, why. This is journalism to admire, and there is not too much of it in the world. (Let me add that I have never met Mr. Smith.)
Previous page
