Making Friends with Editors

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 9, 1916

Making Friends with Editors

As ministers and other workers in the field continue to use the newspapers in connection with their efforts to herald the glad tidings of the Lord's soon coming, they find editors easy to approach, and willing, as a rule, to publish contributions from them. There are now a large number of workers who, through their persistency, have gained the friendship and confidence of editors, with the result that these men gladly publish their reports, and unconsciously make themselves valuable servants in the Lord's hands for the spread of the message.

Encouraging letters are being received from many parts of North America, in which the writers tell of their success in having articles published dealing with different phases of the truth. For the encouragement of others, the following thoughts on the newspaper work, all of which were received in one day's mail, are passed on. One of our evangelists now holding an effort in Stockton, Cal., says:—

“Though we have some difficulty in getting long articles published, yet for twenty-eight evening services we have succeeded in having inserted sixty-nine articles, which average seven inches.

“The newspaper publicity has helped us very much to keep our audience this winter. We have had a great amount of rain, but notwithstanding this, our congregations have averaged from one hundred to five hundred each night for the first four weeks. As we have but a small membership in this place, this company is made up of the people outside of the church.

“I usually get the church members to write letters of appreciation to the city editor of the paper they happen to be taking. One of our brethren received the following reply from the city editor of the morning paper: ‘We are in receipt of your letter, and wish to thank you for your subscription. We shall continue to print the sermons given in the Bible Auditorium as long as the meetings are held.’ The following morning an article three fourths of a column in length appeared in his paper, under the heading, ‘Says Seventh Day is the Sabbath. Evangelist Booth Quotes Texts to Prove His Assertion.’

“Some are taking their stand for the truth, and others are seriously considering doing this. We hope to have a good company before we close the meetings, which will last five weeks more, the Lord willing.”

One of the leading workers in southern Oregon says:—

“Just a word regarding newspaper work in southern Oregon. We are trying to take advantage of this splendid means of giving the message, although I am sure we let many opportunities go by to get articles in the papers. It is surprising how willingly the editors publish what we give them.

“Lately we have held six religious liberty mass meetings in our conference, and the papers all gave liberal space to reports of the meetings, sometimes giving a column on the front page, with good headlines. In one town where the Bible in the public schools is an issue, the editor of the leading paper asked one of our ministers to write a series of articles on the subject. Another editor where one of our workers is located asked for an article each week on some phase of our message.

“The assistant managing editor of the San Francisco Examiner a short time ago wrote the following: ‘The convention held recently in Loma Linda has attracted considerable attention. At last the Seventh-day Adventists are employing strictly modern tactics by having a real, live press agent report the proceedings in the papers.’”

A brother in California, who lives in a place where only one paper is published, says:—

“I have been corresponding for this paper for more than a year, furnishing on an average more than one hundred lines a week relating to our work and our institutions, and the going and coming of Adventists here.

“Of course this is a small town, and to a large degree it is to the interest of the editor to publish this; but I have found the larger city papers as willing to publish anything that I have furnished them, provided, of course, that it had news value.

“I enjoy this line of work, and trust that these efforts will bring the truth, or a knowledge of it, before the people, which will be productive of good.”

Each of these writers speaks courage. There are several interesting points in their letters that ought to be helpful to our brethren in future efforts in writing for newspapers. There is no greater agency than the secular press for making our work and our doctrines known to the world, and our opportunities for using it are unlimited. Surely no one should hesitate about giving the message through this medium when it is here for our use, and every worker should do his best to gain the friendship of editors in order to open the way for the publication of his contributions.