ANIMATED NEWSPAPERS

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14274, 15 August 1910, Page 7

ANIMATED NEWSPAPERS

Journalists. beware I Descriptive writers and special correspondents, if yo .have tears prepare to siied tiiem now ! for there is a rival in the held wJiich threatens to make all your words worthless. No longer need ye bite your yens seeking tiiu pointed phrase, the glowng adjective, the vivid noun. All the labour which ye spend iir thought and fancy to put the pictures of life into living language is to be made futile, Uecau.se an illustrated newspaper has been established which makes words unnecessary, it is the very Mirror of Life, the "Animated Gazette," in which all the great scenes of contemporary history are depicted with moving, lively reality. So, at least we are led to belive InMessrs Pathe, of London, and ever; other town, who are the proprietors and editors of the "Animated Gazette." It must be explained that this new enterprise in journalism is a cinematograph film which, we are told, "is edited and produced just like an illustrated newspaper, and is already seen by more than 10 million people each week." That is pretty good for a circulation, and we do not doubt the figures, because, for instance, there arc 500 cinematograph theatres in London alone, and they are to be found in every big and little town. Mr Valentia Steer, who has abandoned the old methods of Fleet-street for "animated" journalism, is the "editor" of tiie "Gazette," and to a correspondent of the "Daily Chronicle" he explained his method of work. He has his photo correspondents, and where an editor of the old style says, "Please write acoluum about ltoas-evelt," or whatever the story of the day may be, the Animated Editor says, "Please send me iit'ty yards of Roosevelt" (appalling thought! or a strip of Rolls at Dover, or a dozen yards or so of the sub marine disaster at Calais. The staff of photographers covers all the important events of the week at homo and abroad, there are "photo-cor-respondents" in all the big cities of Europe ami the result of their work in the "Animated Gazette" is displayed in einematgraph theatres all over the world. Journalism was never a restful profession either to the pressman or to liis reader, but when newspapers become "animated" life will become almost too lively.