March 25, 1946: Why Can’t We Get Facts?

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 25, 1946.

Why Can’t We Get Facts?

There are times when it’s a little difficult to understand just why so much misinformation should get around to confuse and worry the public. We made an observation last week about the “cosmopolitan atmosphere” in Valparaiso and about how the world is certainly getting smaller and smaller.

The next day a local mother picked up the receiver of her telephone and talked to her son in Tokyo, another proof, if any more were needed, that the farthest point on the globe can be brought to your living room in a matter of hours.

Mr. Henry W. Sauter, district manager of the Indiana Associated Telephone corporation, tells us that, to his knowledge, the call from Japan’s capital to Valparaiso was the longest circuit ever carried here, and the fact of the matter is, that unless we start contacting the moon, we can’t cover much greater distances on this old earth.

But the point is this: If GI’s can get in touch with the home folks for a conversation even though they are separated by thousands of miles, it strikes us as strange that there should be any justification for nations to flounder around in a welter of misunderstandings which seem to arise out of conflicting reports of what’s going on and what isn’t.

One explanation is that censorship is perhaps still keeping the world’s efforts for establishing a sound basis of peace hog-tied. Censorship and deliberate misrepresentation on the part of enemies of good-will.

Oct. 1, 1955: This Is the Story of The Vidette-Messenger

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 1, 1955.

This Is the Story of The Vidette-Messenger

There Are 8 Departments In Operation

By ROLLIE BERNHART

What do you know about your newspaper today?

As a kick-off to spotlight National Newspaper Week, Oct. 1-8, here are some pertinent facts about The Vidette - Messenger and the departmental organization which daily provides a steady information and advertising source for its more than 7,100 subscribers and their families.

It should be significant during National Newspaper Week to know the various departments of the organization, which unifies itself into a cooperative system to eventually produce your daily Vidette-Messenger.

The Vidette-Messenger is now in its 28th year of operation, more than a quarter century since the merger of The Daily Vidette and The Evening Messenger on July 5, 1927. The publisher is Mrs. L.M. Whipple, and Avery B. Weaver, is the general manager and treasurer.

More than 7,100 of the current total net paid circulation of 7,208, are in the Valparaiso retail trade area.

There are eight full scale departments, all of which directly and indirectly aid in the production of the newspaper. They are: executive, editorial, office, composing room, press and stereotyping departments, display advertising, classified advertising, and circulation department.

The Vidette-Messenger employs 28 full time and five part-time employees throughout the various departments.

In addition to the six-man editorial staff, managed by Herbert Steinbach, there are 11 county and area correspondents, who contribute news regularly to appropriately headed sections of the newspaper.

Members of the editorial staff, in addition to Steinbach, are: Karl Henrichs, city reporter; Miss Betsy MacFie, county reporter; Charles Zulich, sports; Mrs. Irene Bosstick, society; and Rollie Bernhart, reporter-photographer.

County Reporters

County correspondence is received in the editorial rooms from: Boone Grove, Union Center, Wanatah, Wauhob Lake, Wheeler, Chesterton, Boone Grove, Kouts, Hebron, Liberty township, Crocker, Lake Eliza and East Porter.

Two special photographers, Arthur E. Anderson, Chesterton; and Chet Dynewski, Boone Grove, contribute photos on special or spot assignments.

Ever-mindful of the importance of the school as a news source, the V-M has Miss Karen Angle, currently a VHS senior, as its school reporter. James McGill, a VHS junior, and a part-time V-M photography and engraving department employee, doubles in brass as school photographer.

The three employees in the advertising department headed by Robert L. Bibler, make all store contacts, layouts, run proofs and check all copy for the myriad of advertisements which appear in the daily run of The Vidette-Messenger. The assistants are Leo Kinman and Miss Lou Rohr.

No observance of National Newspaper Week would be complete without the recognition of one newspaper section which serves hundreds of readers all over the city and county, the classified section. This department is in the capable hands of Mrs. Wilbur Rothmann, aided by various members of the office force.

Business Department

In the business department, Mrs. John Robertson is the head bookkeeper, with the general department functions under the direction of Weaver. Mrs. Phyllis Voiles aids in this department, and serves as general switchboard operator.

Holding down perhaps one of the “roughest” jobs in the newspaper business is Mrs. Cleve Panter, who proof-reads the majority of the daily news copy eventually printed in The Vidette-Messenger. Miss Jo Anne Muster does this chore Saturdays and is part time assistant in the office.

At the five linotypes there are: Mrs. Robert Muster, Ivan Larson, Paul Reibly, Ward Williamson and Robert Randall.

In the composing room (those experts who can read better up-side-down than some persons can read right-side-up) Jack Allett, superintendent, Joseph Reibl and Kenneth Graham hold forth.

James Mull manages the press and stereotype departments, capably aided by John Parks and Art Wooten.

As reported by Vince Anderson, circulation manager, the net paid circulation of The Vidette-Messenger today, is 7,208. The distributed circulation figure is 7,425. Circulation department assistant is Mrs. Hazel. Russi. Part time employees are Paul Brown, Floyd Turner and Delmar Graham.

65 News Carriers

To carry and distribute these papers throughout the city and county, the V-M has 43 carriers on routes in Valparaiso, and 22 of “the nation’s youngest businessmen” on the out-of-town routes.

In addition to Valparaiso, newsboys deliver the daily V-M to Hebron, Kouts, Chesterton, Porter, Wheeler, Wanatah, Boone Grove, Boiling Springs, Lincoln Hills and the lake areas north of the city.

The Vidette-Messenger is also distributed and delivered by motor route to Liberty and Westchester townships. There is also one contracted motor delivery to dealers, and five special paper pick-ups for neighboring town distribution.

These thumb nail sketches merely brush the surface of the departments and personnel, who undergo a sometimes distracting but efficient daily “deadline” as the gamut is run in order to produce The Vidette-Messenger.

For as an editor of a southern publication recently wrote, “the staff that can survive the dull prosaic nature of day-to-day newspapering, then rise to whatever the challenger might be and perform it brilliantly, boldly and without regard to hours or to self, with nothing more than public service in mind, can really make a newspaper great.”