March 28, 1918 - Don Martin writes to Commodore Bennett about the need to get accredited

Don Martin diary entry for Thursday, March 28, 1918: 

Wrote a long letter to Mr. Bennett telling him the only way for the Herald to get real news from the front is for it to have its correspondent accredited. Am anxious to know what his reply will be. I don’t care to stay here unless I have opportunities to visit the front every day. As a matter of fact the job of covering the war is a police reporters job anyhow, and most of the correspondents are of the police reporters class.
       Don Martin was not alone in this rather harsh assessment. Chris Dubbs wrote of the American war correspondents that arrived in Neufchateau in March 1918: “They had been city reporters, crime reporters, drama critics, or sports columnists, more experienced at covering city council meetings or writing human interest stories than at interpreting military strategy.” [“American Journalists in the Great War, p 210-11, Univ. of Nebraska Press, 2017]
Interest centers yet in the big German drive. Reports are rather disquieting but I feel confident the French and British will turn the tables on the Germans within a day or two. Americans are having no part in this biggest of all battles.

Got a lot of mail, including letter from Dorothy.

Weather cool

      Don Martin’s letter to James Gordon Bennett, dated March 29, 1918, gives an interesting look into how the American war correspondents operated, and about his unique situation as a 'visiting correspondent".He clearly wants to get into the major league.

Dear Sir:

      I have visited all the points where Americans are in the line and have been able to get material for several mail stories, which I have written, and for a few articles which I telegraphed to the European edition. Because of the activity elsewhere things have been quiet here but developments along our sector suggest that it may soon furnish important and interesting news.

      Had I the facilities for getting around that the other correspondents have I feel confident I could get some good beats and could also get material for first class special articles. I could then go the trenches or to any point on the line wherever I might wish and could get out with the men at the front in such a way as to keep me in intimate touch with the situation. As a visiting correspondent I can get out from time to time and no doubt can continue to get some good stuff but so long as I am not accredited I am at a decided disadvantage and when the big developments come, cannot be assured of being in on the ground floor. There is no one place from which the news of Americans is distributed. It has to be gathered at the division headquarters, of which there are three now, and only those correspondents who have daily use of the automobiles, as the accredited men do, can visit the headquarters. Frequently it happens that a good piece of news breaks which I might get exclusively for Paris and perhaps New York as well, but as I am a visiting correspondent, I get it only when it comes here for general distribution. Occasionally the Chicago Tribune man [Floyd Gibbons], who goes around daily to the fronts, gets good items a day before a visiting man can possibly have them.

      The Tribune, Sun, World and Times have accredited men here. The Times man arrived two days ago. He says he has orders to beat the Herald and World and, if necessary to do so, to cable at the highest commercial rate. From what I have seen of him, and know of him, he will not set the world afire. Besides these accredited men there are accredited correspondents for the Associated Press, the United Press, the International News, the Scripps McCrea outfit, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago News, Philadelphia Evening Ledger, Philadelphia Public Ledger, Boston Globe, Saturday Evening Post, the Newspaper Syndicate and the Evening Sun. I know most of the men personally and can ride about with them as their guest but it is not satisfactory and I know the Herald will not obligate itself to any newspaper.

      I am the only unaccredited correspondent here.

      I am explaining all this to you so you may have a full understanding of the exact situation at the front. The government provides automobiles for the accredited men. Now and then when special visitors come a party is made up and all are sent out to such points as they wish to visit. If I were accredited – were placed on the same basis as the others – I should visit the various fronts every day; would live with the men at the front, would go into the trenches, all of which may be done with perfect safety, and would get some corking good stories. Many of the correspondents here are police reporters, sent by the associations and many good stories slip right by them.

      So far, on the few occasions when I felt I had stories worth cabling to New York, I suggested to the Editor in charge in Paris that he relay the dispatch. This system might prove unsatisfactory if a big story came up, as one no doubt will. I am told that a story cabled direct to New York will reach there in from ten to twenty hours ordinarily, while one relayed through Paris frequently does not get through for 36 or 40 hours. The other correspondents have cards issued in Paris, giving them authority to send cables. Without them one cannot cable unless he pays for the dispatch himself. When the cable company in Paris issues a permit a correspondent’s name is placed in a book here and after that he can cable whenever he wishes. Unless his name is in the book the Frenchman will accept nothing. However, as you wired, I shall send matter to Paris and will tell the Editor there to relay when I believe the story is worth while.

      I have looked the situation over thoroughly and have given you my best views concerning it. I think that, during the next few weeks and certainly during the next few months, this sector, which is being steadily lengthened, will be productive of big news and I believe that if I am placed on an equal footing with the other men here, I can hold my own, and very probably considerably more, with anyone else.

Most respectfully,

                                     Don Martin