REPORTING, the business of reproducing, mainly for news papers, but also for such publications as the Parliamentary or Law Reports, the words of speeches, or of describing the events in contemporary history by means of the notes made by persons known generally as reporters. There was no systematic report ing until the beginning of the 19th century, though there was par liamentary reporting of a kind almost from the time when parlia ments began, just as law reporting (which goes back to 1292) began in the form of notes taken by lawyers of discussions in court. The first attempts at parliamentary reporting, in the sense of seeking to make known to the public what was done and said in parliament, were made by the Gentleman's Magazine in 1736. Access to the houses of parliament was obtained by Edward Cave (q.v.), the publisher of this magazine, and some of his friends, and they took surreptitiously what notes they could. These were subsequently put into shape for publication by another hand. Such reporting was a violation of the standing order of the House, passed in 1728, declaring the publication of any of its pro ceedings to be a breach of privilege, and on the attention of the House being called in 1738 to the reports in the Gentleman's Mag azine it threatened to proceed with the utmost severity against the offenders. Thereupon Cave published his reports as "Debates in the Senate of Lilliput," and instead of giving the first and last letters of each speaker's name, employed such barbaric terms as "Wingul Pulnub" for William Pulteney. Dr. Johnson composed the speeches for the Gentleman's Magazine from 1740 to the names of the speakers being given in full. Though he said he took care not to let the "Whig dogs" get the best of it, he really dealt out argument and eloquence with equal hand to both political parties.
In the latter half of the century the newspapers began to re port parliamentary debates more fully, with the result that, in 1771, several printers, including those of the Morning Chronicle and the London Evening Post, were ordered into custody for publishing debates of the House of Commons. A long and bitter struggle between the House and the public ensued. John Wilkes took part in it. The lord mayor of London and an alderman were sent to the Tower for refusing to recognize the Speaker's war rant for the arrest of certain printers of parliamentary reports. But the House of Commons was beaten. In 1772 the newspapers published the reports as usual; and their right to do so has never since been really questioned. Early in the 19th century, greater freedom of access to both Houses was given to newspaper re porters. By the middle of the century special galleries for their accommodation were provided in the legislative chambers of the new palace of Westminster erected in place of the old which was burned down in 1834. The press gallery of the House of Lords was first used in 1847, and the press gallery of the House of Com mons in 1852. At this time the London newspapers had a monopoly of parliamentary reporting. Only their representatives were admitted to the galleries, which secured them this virtual monopoly.
The Times established a supremacy for the best parliamentary report, which has never been shaken. The other London papers, however, gave less and less attention to the debates while at the same time the public throughout the country wanted to know more fully what their representatives were saying in parlia ment. Gradually the leading provincial newspapers adopted the practice of employing reporters in the service of the London journals to report debates on subjects of special interest in local ities ; and these reports, forwarded by train or by post, were printed in full, but of course a day late. The London papers paid
little attention to debates of local interest, and thus the provincial papers had parliamentary reporting which was not to be found elsewhere. Bit by bit this feature was developed. It was greatly accelerated by the arrangement of placing telegraphic wires from London at the disposal of provincial newspapers—of course on payment of a large subscription—from six o'clock at night till three o'clock in the morning. This was the beginning of the "special wire" which now plays so important a part in the pro duction of almost all newspapers. The arrangement was first made by the Scotsman and by other newspapers in Scotland in the 'sixties. The special wires were used to their utmost capacity to convey reports of the speeches of leading statesmen and poli ticians; and, instead of bare summaries of what had been done, the newspapers contained pretty full reports. When the telegraphs were taken over by the State in 187o the facilities for reporting were increased in every direction. News agencies undertook to supply the provincial papers. These agencies were admitted to the reporters' galleries in the houses of parliament, but the re ports which any agency supplied were identical; that is to say, all the newspapers taking a particular class of report had exactly the same material supplied to them—the reporter producing the number of copies required by means of manifold copying paper. Accordingly attempts were made by leading provincial newspapers to get separate reports by engaging the services of some of the reporters employed by the London papers. The "gallery" con tinued to be shut to all save the London papers and the news agencies. The Scotsman sought in vain to break through this ex clusiveness. The line, it was said, must be drawn somewhere, and the proper place to draw it was at the London press. But in 188o a select committee of the House of Commons was appointed to consider the question. It took evidence, and it reported in favour of the extension of the gallery and of the admission of provincial papers. The press gallery of the House of Commons was accord ingly enlarged and representatives of the leading provincial news papers were admitted at the opening of the session of 1881.
What is commonly called "descriptive reporting" has in some cases nearly shouldered the reporting of speeches out of news papers. The special correspondent or the war correspondent is a "descriptive reporter." The "interviewer" came into great promi nence during the 'eighties and 'nineties. The variety of work open to reporting causes considerable difference, of course, in the professional status of the journalists who do such work. This subject generally is discussed in the article NEWSPAPERS, but one instance of the recognition of the modern reporter's responsibil ity is worth special mention. In the year 1900, in the English case of Walter v. Lane (see COPYRIGHT), it was decided, on the final appeal to the House of Lords, that the reporter of a speech, printed verbatim in a newspaper, was under the Copyright Act of 1842 to be considered the "author." Absurd as it might seem to call the reporter the author of another man's speech, the decision gave effect to the fact that it is his labour and skill which bring into existence the "copy" to which alone can right of property attach. Strictly speaking, he is the author of the report of the speech; but for literary purposes the report is the speech. It must, however, be borne in mind that there may be more than one verbatim report, and therefore more than one "author." See also NEWSPAPERS ; SHORTHAND; PRESS LAWS ; TELEGRAPH.