FIRST ANTARCTIC REPORTER

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 49, 21 November 1928, Page 12

FIRST ANTARCTIC REPORTER

JOURNALISTIC ENTERPRISE ICE BARRIER RADIOS TO NEW YORK To Mr. Russell Owen, staff correspondent of the “New York Times” with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, belongs the privilege and honour of being the first newspaper man ever assigned daily reporting work in the Antarctic regions, if indeed, he is not the first journalist to cross the Antarctic Circle. Mr Owen, who is also aviation editor of the “New York Tinies,” has already spent some time in the Arctic regions He was assigned by his editor the task of reporting the North Polar Hights of Commander Byrd and of the late Captain Roald Amundsen, and in connection with the latter .he was of material assistance in enabling the “New York Times,” probably the greatest American daily newspaper, to bring off one of the biggest and most interesting “scoops” in modern journalism. By carefully watching the preparations for the departure, fiom King’s Bay, Spitzbergen, of the airship Norge, and working out the differeuce in time between that place and New York, Mr. Owen calculated that he could get the full story of the start of the flight to his paper in time for the same day’s editions. The “New York Times” does not spare expense in cable and wireless charges; nevertheless Mt. Owen’s cable messages at urgent rates made a fairly heavy bill. ’ Not only did the “Times” of May 12, 1926, print Mr. Owen’s messages that morning, but they formed an interesting feature of a front page spread in which the paper, printed iu New York about 4 a.m., was able to announce, in great headlines, “Norge Flies Over North Pole at 1 a.m.’ and other details. The “Times” had its own representative on board the Norge, and he sent the news direct by wireless to the newspaper office in a series of messages, the latest timed 3.30 a.m., which completely described the flight from Spitzbergen to the North Pole, enabling the whole story to be read in New York a few hours later. Mr. Owen, who is a native of New England, has successfully handled many other important assignments for his paper, including Lindbergh’s famous flight from New York to Mexico City. He has handled the Byrd Antarctic Expedition from its inception, and he is going south to sop it through to the finish. The “New York Tinies” has acquired the newspaper copyright to the story of the expedition, which is being syndicated by it throughout the world; so that Mr. Owen as a lone reporter on the Ice Barrier will be “telling the world” the daily doings of Commander Byrd and his men. He plans to send his messages, typewritten in his hut at the Bay of Whales, direct by wireless to the “New York Times” office, and it is confidently expected that the radio equipment of the expedition will ensure success iu this respect.

Ou September 30, the night before he left New York for New Zealand, Mr. Owen was the guest of honour at a farewell dinner given for him in the dining-room in the “New York Tinies” office. Mr. Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of the “Times,” presided, felicitating Mr. Owen upon his having received the most notable assignment ever given to a newspaper man. Mr. Rollo Ogden, editor-in-chief, also congratulated Mr. Owen and wished him success on the great adventure upon which he was embarking. Dr. John H. Finley, associate editor, and Mr. Louis . Wiley, business manager, added their congratulations and good wishes. Mr. Arthur Kroek, of the editorial stuff of the “Times,” contributed to die occasion a poem on the Owens, copies of which served as souvenirs, and Mr. F. T. Birchall, acting managing editor, and others of Mr. Owen s colleagues, expressed their pleasure over his good fortune in receiving so important a mission and wished him bon voyage and a safe return. Mr. Owen briefly acknowledged the good wishes of his friends and fellowworkers, and expressed his confidence in the success of the expedition. He is not expecting to return to the United States before the summer of 1930.