The Titanic Story Unfolding at a Newspaper - 1912

Anxious Relatives and Friends Seeking News at the White Star Line Offices. New York American (17 April 1912) p. 6-7. GGA Image ID # 10399d555c

Introduction

"The Titanic Story Unfolding at a Newspaper," published in Newspaper Writing and Editing by Willard Grosvenor Bleyer in 1913, provides a vivid depiction of the frantic atmosphere inside a New York newspaper office as the tragic news of the RMS Titanic's sinking was received. The article captures the chaotic yet methodical efforts of newspaper staff, from editors to reporters, working under immense pressure to gather, verify, and publish breaking news about the disaster. Through a minute-by-minute recounting of their actions, the narrative showcases the challenges and complexities of journalism during one of the most shocking maritime disasters of the early 20th century.

The scene in a metropolitan newspaper office following the receipt of the first news of the Titanic disaster, as graphically portrayed by an editor of a New York Morning paper, illustrates the conditions under which important information, received late, is hurried into print.[1] The account, in part, is as follows:

At 1:20 a.m. Monday, 15 April, [1912], the cable editor opened an envelope of the Associated Press that had stamped on its face Bulletin. This is what he read:

Cape Race, N. F., Sunday night, 14 April. — At 10:25 tonight, the White Star Line steamship Titanic called C. Q. D. to the Marconi station here and reported having struck an iceberg. The steamer said that it required immediate assistance.

The cable editor looked at his watch. It was 1:20 and lacked just five minutes of the hour when the mail edition went to press.

Boy! he called sharply.

An office boy was at his side for a moment.

Send this upstairs; tell them the head is to come; double column and tell the night editor to rip open two columns on the first page for a one-stick dispatch of the Titanic striking an iceberg and sinking.

Everyone in the office was astir in a moment and came over to see the cable editor write on a sheet of copy paper the following head [which he indicated was to be set up in this form]:

Titanic Sinking In Mid-Ocean; Hit Great Iceberg

Boy, he called again, but it was unnecessary — a boy in a newspaper office knows the significance of news the first time he sees it. Tell them it's about the Titanic.

Then he wrote this telegraphic dispatch briefly, and as he did so, he said to another office boy at his side: Tell the operator to shut off that story he is taking and get me a clear wire to Montreal.

This is what he wrote to the Montreal correspondent, probably at work at his desk in a Montreal newspaper office at that hour:

Cape Race reports that the White Star Liner Titanic has struck an iceberg, is sinking, and urgently requires assistance. Please expedite every line of information you can gather. We will keep the line open for you until 3:30.

He quickly instructed the boy, " Give that to the operator and find out if we received the mail on that Titanic dispatch." In a moment, the boy returned. "We've received confirmation on both," he said.

The city editor, who was just about to leave for the night, took it off. The night city editor, at the head of the copy desk, where all the local copy (as a reporter's story is called) is read, and the telegraph editor stood together, joined later by the night editor. The mail edition had left the composing room for the stereotypers and then to the pressroom, from where it would be distributed to readers across the globe.

Newspaper Boy Selling the Evening Newspaper with Large Headline "Titanic Disaster Great Loss of Life. Newsboy Ned Parfett was standing outside the White Star Line offices at Oceanic House in Cockspur Street, London, holding an Evening News newspaper with a headline titled "Titanic Disaster Great Loss of Life." GGA Image ID # 21a310eb17

The Titanic staff was immediately organized, for most of the staff were still at work at that hour. The city editor, demonstrating his leadership, took the helm and began coordinating the news coverage.

He said to the head office boy, "Get the papers for 11 April—all of them," and then send word to the art department to Suit everything to make three cuts, which I shall send right away. Each role is crucial in this process, and your contributions are highly valued.

Then to the night city editor: Get up a story of the vessel itself; some of the stuff they sent us the other day that we did not use, and I ordered it in the envelope. Emphasize the need for a comprehensive report, including the mishap at the start, a passenger list story, and an obituary of Smith, her commander.

There was no mention of Smith in the dispatch. Still, city editors retain such things in their heads for immediate use, which explains why they hold down their job; also, having, one might add, executive judgment is sometimes right.

Assign somebody to the White Star Line and see what they've got.

The night city editor returned to the circular table where the seven or eight men who read reporters' copy were gathered.

Get up as much as possible from the Titanic passenger list. She is sinking off Newfoundland, he said briefly to one.

And to another: Write me a story of the Titanic, the new White Star liner, on her maiden voyage, telling of her mishap with the SS New York at the start.

And to another: Write me a story of Captain E. J. Smith.

Then, to a reporter sitting idly about: Get your hat and coat quickly; go down to the White Star Line office and telephone all you can about the Titanic sinking off Newfoundland. We need this information as soon as possible.

Then, to another reporter: Call the White Star Line and find out what they have about the sinking of the Titanic. Find out who the executive head is in New York, his address, and his telephone number.

When the People Telling the Story, Become the Story Illustrated on the Front Page of the Sphere, 27 April 1912. GGA Image ID # 21a395374d

In another part of the room, the city editor said to the office boy, "Get me all the Titanic pictures you have and a photo or cut of Captain E. J. Smith."

Two boys instantly went to work, for the photos of men are kept separate from those of inanimate things. The city editor selected three:

Tell the art department to make a three-column cut of the Titanic, a two-column of the interior, and a two-column of Smith.

In the meantime, the Associated Press bulletins came in briefly.

The cable editor sent the story paragraph by paragraph to the composing room. Everyone knew what was going on upstairs. They were sidetracking everything else, and the copy cutter in the composing room was sending out the story it takes, as they are called, of a single paragraph to each compositor. His blue pencil marked each piece of copy with a letter and number so that when the dozen or so men setting up the story had finished their work, they might put the story together consecutively.

Tell the operator, repeated the cable editor to the office boy to duplicate that dispatch I gave him to our Halifax man. Get his name out of the correspondents' book.

Who wrote that story of the RMS Carmania in the icefield? Said the night city editor to the copy-reader who handled the homecoming of the Carmania, which arrived Sunday night, and the story was already in the mail edition of the paper before him. He called the reporter to his desk. The copy-reader told him.

Take that story, the night city editor, and give us a column. Refrain from rewriting the story; add paragraphs here and there to show the vast extent of the icefield. Make it a straight copy so that nothing in that story will have to be reset. You have just thirty minutes to catch the edition. Write it in twenty.

Was the assignment given to another reporter to get the passenger lists of the RMS Olympic and the RMS Baltic? All were alert, waiting for their names to be called, and every man was awake at the switch.

In the meantime, the Montreal man's story was being ticked off; on another wire, Halifax was coming to life.

Men, said the city editor. We have just five minutes left to make the city [edition]. Jam it down tight.

Already, the editor had made the three cuts. The telegraph editor was handling the Montreal story, his assistant the Halifax end, and the cable editor was still editing the Associated Press bulletins and writing a new head to tell the rest of the story that the additional details brought. The White Star Line man had a list of the names of the Titanic's passengers and found that they numbered 1300 and that she carried a crew of 860.

In the meantime, proofs of all the Titanic matters that had been set were coming to the desk of the managing editor, who was in charge overall but gave special attention to the editorial issue. All his suggestions went through the city editor and down the line, but he went from desk to desk, overlooking the work.

Time's up, said the city editor, but before he finished, the cable editor cried to the boy: Let the two-column headstand and tell them to add this head:

At 12:27 this Morning, Blurred Signals by Wireless Told of Women Being Put off in Lifeboats — Three Lines Rushing to Aid of 1300 Imperiled Passengers and Crew of 860 Men.

Did we catch it? I asked the cable editor about the boy standing at the composing room tube.

We did, he said triumphantly.

One big pull for the last edition, men, said the city editor. Let's beat the town with a complete paper. We are going in at 3:20.

The enthusiasm was catching fire. Throughout the office, the noise was chaos — clicking typewriters, clicking telegraph instruments. Telephone bells ringing added to the whistle of the tubes that lead from the city room to the composing room, the press room, the stereotype room, and the business office, the latter, happily, not in use, but throughout the office, men worked; nobody shouted, no one lost his head; men were flushed, but the cool, calm, deliberate way in which the managing editor smoked his cigar helped much to relieve the tension.

Three-fifteen men said the city editor admonishingly. Every line must be up by 3:20. Five minutes more.

The city editor walked rapidly from desk to desk.

All up, said the night city editor, and three minutes to spare.

At the big table stood the city editor, cable editor, night city editor, and managing editor. They reviewed the completed headline that should tell the story to the world.

That will hold 'em, said the city editor, and the head went upstairs.

The men waited, talked, and smoked. Bulletins came in but with no essential details. Going to press at 3:20 meant a wide circulation. At 4:30, the Associated Press sent Goodnight, but at that hour, the presses had been running uninterruptedly for almost an hour.

[1] Telling the Tale of the Titanic, by Alex. McD. Stoddart; The Independent, 2 May 1912.

Willard Grosvenor Bleyer, Ph.D., Newspaper Writing and Editing: Handling a Big Story, Boston-New York-Chicago: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1913, p. 12-15. '

Key Points

1. Initial Reception of the Titanic News: The news of the Titanic striking an iceberg and sinking was first received through a brief Associated Press bulletin at 1:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912. This triggered an immediate reaction in the newspaper office, setting the stage for a race against time to report the unfolding disaster.

2. Rapid Mobilization and Coordination: Upon receiving the bulletin, the cable editor and city editor immediately took charge, directing staff to clear space on the front page, write headlines, and prepare additional stories about the Titanic, its passengers, and Captain E. J. Smith.

3. Multiple Sources and Communication Channels: The staff worked to secure more details through various channels, including telegraph, telephone, and dispatches from correspondents in different locations like Montreal and Halifax. The use of these multiple communication methods illustrates the complexity of news gathering at the time.

4. Roles and Responsibilities: Each team member played a critical role. Reporters were dispatched to the White Star Line offices, tasked with obtaining passenger lists and interviewing officials. Simultaneously, editors prepared background stories on the Titanic's voyage and the unfolding rescue operations.

5. Editorial Judgment and Decision-Making: The editors demonstrated quick thinking and decisive actions, selecting which stories to prioritize and coordinating the newsroom's overall response. Their ability to manage such a large-scale story under intense pressure was crucial to delivering a comprehensive account to the public.

6. The Role of Technology and Logistics in News Production: The article highlights the significance of the pressroom's logistics, including setting up type and printing editions under strict deadlines. The integration of telegraph systems and the use of newspaper boys to disseminate information are noted as essential components of the period's news operations.

7. Final Push to Print: The urgency reached its peak as the deadline for the city edition approached. The team successfully compiled and reviewed all necessary materials, ensuring that the story would reach readers as soon as possible. The final efforts reflect the dedication and determination to provide timely and accurate news.

Summary

The article "The Titanic Story Unfolding at a Newspaper" offers a compelling look into the inner workings of a newspaper office on the night of the Titanic disaster. It begins with the first shocking bulletin from the Associated Press, which sent the newsroom into a frenzy. Editors and reporters quickly mobilized to gather all available information, dispatching personnel to relevant locations and coordinating with other offices to secure additional details. The editors made critical decisions on which stories to prioritize, using every available resource to construct a comprehensive narrative. The culmination of these efforts resulted in a timely and thorough report on the disaster, underscoring the pivotal role of journalism in times of crisis.

Conclusion

"The Titanic Story Unfolding at a Newspaper" serves as a powerful testament to the resilience and adaptability of journalists in the face of breaking news. The article not only highlights the challenges of delivering accurate and timely information during a crisis but also underscores the dedication of newspaper staff to their craft. The rapid response to the Titanic disaster by the newspaper team exemplifies the importance of media in informing the public, shaping perceptions, and providing context during historical events. This account reminds us of the enduring role of journalism as a vital conduit for news and a cornerstone of public discourse.