“ Upon one occasion some observations were made upon one of Mr. Woodfall's reports in the Court of King's Bench , when Lord Kenyon was Chief Justice. In consequence of what the counsel had said on the report in question , in which a fact of
referspaper,which was involved, in question ,hence of whatWhen
some importance was involved , Lord Kenyon desired to see the
newspaper, which was handed to him . After perusing the passage referred to, his lordship enquired if the journalist was the gentle man who was so distinguished for accuracy in reporting debates,
and being answered in the affirmative, he said , that he had been so frequent a witness of that gentleman 's surprising correctness in reporting debates in the House of Lords, that he was disposed to give implicit credit to his precision in the present instance,
and therefore no more was said on the subject.” 38 Until a comparatively recent period , the parliamentary reporter
apparently shared with his fellow journalists outside of St. Steph en's the reputation of being something of an outcast from society. On a memorable occasion in 1810 when Sheridan had in an impas sioned speech favored greater freedom for parliamentary repor ters as well as general freedom of the press, William Windham had sneeringly objected to reporters on the ground that “ persons
should make a trade of what they obtained from the galleries, amongst which persons were to be found men of all descriptions; bankrupts, lottery-office keepers, footmen and decayed trades men .” “ He did not know any of the conductors of the press ; but he understood them
to be a set of men who would give into a
corruptmisrepresentation of opposite sides.” 39 Later, in 1867, Wemyss Reid found that “ In those days a gulf
that was regarded as impassible divided the members of the Press from the members of the House.” . . . The caste of reporters neither had, nor wished to have, any relations with the Brahmins of the green benches below them .”
But he found
compensation in the thought that “ our very aloofness from the inner side of parliamentary life , with its personal interests and its incessant intrigues , strengthened our position as independent
critics and observers.” 40 The social cleavage long remained,41 38 Records of My Life, II , 245 -246. The author gives a number of illus trations showing Woodfall's tenacious memory and ability as a reporter .
Macdonagh gives chap . XXXI to “ Memory Woodfall ” and discusses the value of his reports. 39 Hansard , VI, 330.
40 S . J. Reid, Memoirs of Sir Wemyss Reid , pp. 123, 124, 156 . 41 An anonymous writer in 1877 described the reporters as being “ com
