Working for a 1930s Newspaper/Magazine

[laurose8]

Could anyone point me towards a book, or site, or something, which would give me some idea of the workplace routine for reporters and press photographers in the 1930s? I would like to know as much of the slang and worklore as possible. It would be nice if a character could laugh at an inaccuracy in the film The Front PageI'd mildly prefer info

Comments

[orange_fell]

There might be something useful in Dorothy L. Sayers' "Murder Must Advertise" (1933) which is set in a British advertising agency and deals tangentially with newspapers. It's been too many years since I read it so I can't offer anything specific, unfortunately...

[lied_ohne_worte]

Apart from the agency, there's a reporter in it who stumbles into the drug business. There is a little on his work, too, running around from story to story etc.

[laurose8]

Thank you both. It should help in something, and even if it doesn't, I get a good read.

[lied_ohne_worte]

Ah, I knew there was another.

There is a short story by Sayers, too, contained in the collection "In the Teeth of the Evidence", called "The Milk Bottles". It features the same reporter, who appears in a few places in her writings as a minor character bothering the protagonists.

[nuranar]

It's a decade later, but the US radio series "Casey, Crime Photographer" has that setting. You'll find it very cheesy, but it's bright and breezy with lots of quips and fast talking. It might help.

There are many classic movies with settings like that, too. Of course my mind's blank now, except for His Girl Friday (again 40s, and not technically in the workplace). I'll get back with more if you need them.

[laurose8]

Thank you. I have a high tolerance for cheese; and it sounds fun as well as helpful.

[nuranar]

Then enjoy! If you can't find it easily, "OTR" is the keyword for all old radio. There's a sizeable area on Archive.org alone, though there are some significant holes. A handful of things, like the Shadow, are still under copyright.

[duckodeath]

There's also Scoop by Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1938. He had worked for the Daily Mail so he had first hand experience working at a newspaper.

[laurose8]

Thank you indeed. It sounds just what I'm looking for.

later edit: it was just what I was looking for. Thank you for taking the trouble to point it out. Very useful!

[ifthen144]

You might look at Studs Terkel's book Working. Don't remember if it has a newspaper employee or not, but if it does, it might be a gold mine.

[laurose8]

Thank you. If that's 1930s, it certainly would be more than worth a look.

[ifthen144]

I'm pretty sure it would be, at least in part; it covers people's whole working histories, and was written quite a while ago. Anyway, it's a good read.

[laurose8]

Thanks for sharing.