LINDBERGH AND THE PRESS

Evening Star, Issue 20311, 21 October 1929, Page 12

LINDBERGH AND THE PRESS

Lindbergh started out from ?tow York on his Atlantic llight with a contract with the 4 New .York Times ’ for a very fair sum of money to be paid to him for the story of his trip. The contract was made, as newspapers make contracts with fliers, with various payments to' be' made, according' as the flight might be accomplished, partially or completely. If' Lindbergh had not completed his flight to - Paris _ the ‘Times’ stood to lose a comparatively small sum. If-he completed his flight both the ‘Times’ and Lindbergh stood to win much larger sums. But neither Lindbergh nor the ■ Times ’ could possibly realise in advance .the great newspaper value of the completion of the flight plus ■ the personality of Colonel Lindbergh. . . Therefore a most pleasing incident occurred—pleasing in the sense that it showed the inherent decency of a great personage and a great _ newspaper (writes the ‘Saturday Evening Post’). Colonel Lindbergh upon arriving in Paris received from a newspaper sjm dicate an offer of 100,000dol for the story of his flight across the Atlantic. As soon as he could disentangle' himself ■from the drumfire of publicity that beat .upon him—a strange thing to him then, and a strange thing to him now—he cabled ■ the 1 Times ’ that he was under contract to it for a sum much less than lOOjOOOdo!, but that, of course, he purposed sticking by his contract. • At tho game time tho “ Times.’ wired Lindberg that' neither Tie nor it had realised in advance the news value of his accomplishment, and that therefore the ‘Times ’ was prepared to release him to/jthe lafgsr reward.The messages almost crossed. Lindberg stood by his contract, and refused to accept the release.:...The ‘Times’ made every effort to see that he should not lose by this fulfilment of faith. It sold the story of his flight to newspapers all dyer ithe. United States, in Europe, and-in South America. It bore all the heavy cost of selling the story and of delivering, it to its journalistic clients. : f • When Lindbergh-'arrived in the United States the ‘Times ’ handed him a cheque ‘for. more than half, of the 100,000dol that ho had been gallant enough to refuse.