The question may in part be answered by noting the sources of
his news.' In London , these are the lobby of the House of Com mons, the alleys near the Bank of England , the National Liberal Club and other prominent London clubs, the smoking-rooms of the leading London hotels, the various embassies , and perhaps the British Foreign Office,and the large business houseswith which the correspondent must establish connection . He has a wide
personal acquaintance and shares the fashionable life of the city ; he is a good conversationalist, he entertains and is in turn enter
tained , he gives " tips" to inferior officers in exchange for " tips" on news.10
But the very multiplicity of authoritative sources of informa
tion becomes in itself a handicap. The special foreign correspon dent, especially in Europe, is bound by unwritten regulations
that often prevent him from availing himself of these oppor tunities; he must not give the names of his informants ;11 he must conceal the source of his news; he must not give official news
without the consent of officials; he may be expected to color the news so as to give a good impression ; hemay chafe under restric
tions and conditions where, like the diplomat, “ he must get as much as possible and give as little as possible. ” A foreign cor respondent is under more or less suspicion , and not unreasonably , since he is often a secret agent of the government, and he therefore
works at a serious disadvantage. Officials regard him as an easy prey and may mislead him ; all information that is important is
given him under the stipulation that he must not disclose it ; the editorial office is anxious to emphasize the authoritativeness of
the information, while the more the source is unimpeachable the greater is the reluctance to have it disclosed. The information given may carry with it the permission to print, but later be semi-officially contradicted ; journals that are utilized by govern 9 T . C . Crawford says: “ Almost the entire worth of a piece of information
depends upon the person who furnishes it.” — “ Special Correspondents at
Washington,” Cosmopolitan , January, 1892, 12 : 351- 360.
10 E . A . Dithmar, “ The European Correspondent,” Bookman ,May, 1904, 19 : 244 - 257.
11 “ The American newspaper correspondent in Europe in timeof peace can not get used to the fact that he can not quote the names of his informants." - W . von Schierbrand , “ Confessions of a Foreign Newspaper Correspon
dent,” World' s Work, April, 1903, 5 : 3355 -3358.
