Newspaper Inquest Reports

[David Orsam]

For anyone interested in putting it all together, here is my list of what I perceive to be the different reporters at the Nichols inqueest on 3 September 1888. I find this list helpful because it ensures that I avoid looking at what is basically the same report more than once.

Reporter A (The Times)
Reporter B (The Star)
Reporter C (Daily News/East London Observer/Daily Chronicle, Illustrated Police News/Eastern Argus & Borough of Hackney Times)
Reporter D (Morning Post, Morning Advertiser, Evening Standard)
Reporter E (Daily Telegraph, Lloyd's Weekly News, Weekly Dispatch)
Reporter F (The Echo)
Reporter G (Evening News)
Reporter H (Evening Post)
Reporter I (Globe)
Reporter J (Birmingham Daily Post, Pall Mall Gazette)

Some of these were undoubtedly press agency reporters. The oblique strokes between the newspapers in C indicate that there are some significant differences between the reports but I still believe them to have come from the same source.

Some of the reports, especially from the Times, were syndicated and appeared in regional newspapers which are not included in the above.

[Pierre]

For anyone interested in putting it all together, here is my list of what I perceive to be the different reporters at the Nichols inqueest on 3 September 1888. I find this list helpful because it ensures that I avoid looking at what is basically the same report more than once.

Reporter A (The Times)
Reporter B (The Star)
Reporter C (Daily News/East London Observer/Daily Chronicle, Illustrated Police News/Eastern Argus & Borough of Hackney Times)
Reporter D (Morning Post, Morning Advertiser, Evening Standard)
Reporter E (Daily Telegraph, Lloyd's Weekly News, Weekly Dispatch)
Reporter F (The Echo)
Reporter G (Evening News)
Reporter H (Evening Post)
Reporter I (Globe)
Reporter J (Birmingham Daily Post, Pall Mall Gazette)

Some of these were undoubtedly press agency reporters. The oblique strokes between the newspapers in C indicate that there are some significant differences between the reports but I still believe them to have come from the same source.

Some of the reports, especially from the Times, were syndicated and appeared in regional newspapers which are not included in the above.

Hi David,

Are you specialized in the reliability and validity of different newspapers? If so, I have a question for you.

Regards, Pierre

[David Orsam]

Are you specialized in the reliability and validity of different newspapers? If so, I have a question for you.

Hi Pierre, I certainly am specialized in the reliability and validity of different newspapers, whatever that actually means. How can I be of assistance?

[Pierre]

Hi Pierre, I certainly am specialized in the reliability and validity of different newspapers, whatever that actually means. How can I be of assistance?

Great! I have absolutely no knowledge as to the reliability of the newspapers in 1888, and I am very suspicious about everything I read in them.

Do you happen to know anything at all about a newspaper called Sunderland Daily Echo?

Regards, Pierre

[David Orsam]

Do you happen to know anything at all about a newspaper called Sunderland Daily Echo?

I have heard of a newspaper called the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette, Pierre.

[Pierre]

I have heard of a newspaper called the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette, Pierre.

That´s the one. Do you know anything at all about this newspaper, or do you know where I could find some knowledge about it? Was it a reliable newspaper? Was it just like any other newspaper or was there anything special with it?

Regards, Pierre

[David Orsam]

That´s the one. Do you know anything at all about this newspaper, or do you know where I could find some knowledge about it? Was it a reliable newspaper? Was it just like any other newspaper or was there anything special with it?

What kind of information are you after? I mean, it was an evening newspaper published daily in the north-east of England (Sunderland being a north-eastern city). It wasn't a magic newspaper though, just a newspaper.

[Pierre]

What kind of information are you after? I mean, it was an evening newspaper published daily in the north-east of England (Sunderland being a north-eastern city). It wasn't a magic newspaper though, just a newspaper.

OK. How do you think the journalists at that newspaper was working, did they go to London or Whitechapel to interview people or attend inquests or did they just copy what other journalists wrote?

Regards, Pierre

[David Orsam]

OK. How do you think the journalists at that newspaper was working, did they go to London or Whitechapel to interview people or attend inquests or did they just copy what other journalists wrote?

Most regional newspapers relied on press agencies or syndicated reports from the London newspapers. In the case of its reporting of the Nichols murder, I believe that the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette was taking syndicated reports from the Star newspaper in London.

[GUT]

Hi Bill,

You point out a big problem within "ripperology".

The best way to solve it is to use only primary sources. You find many of them in The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Sourcebook written by Evans & Skinner.

Kind regards, Pierre

Sorry Pierre the Source book is great, but it isn't a Primary Source, it mau quote some, but it itself isn't ine.

[GUT]

I read them only as transcribers of original sources and I do not read their own ideas.

Regards, Pierre

Well at least that's an advance from when you were telling us you never read any ripper books.

[Pierre]

Most regional newspapers relied on press agencies or syndicated reports from the London newspapers. In the case of its reporting of the Nichols murder, I believe that the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette was taking syndicated reports from the Star newspaper in London.

Great, I never even heard about syndicated reports before!

But how could we know that they took that from the Star in the case of the Nichols murder?

Regards, Pierre

[David Orsam]

But how could we know that they took that from the Star in the case of the Nichols murder?

There's a big clue. Their report about the murder of Nichols on 1 September 1888 commences "The Star reporter says..." which is a bit of a giveaway. When it comes to the inquest, however, I think they were using a press agency report because it can be found word for word in other regional newspapers.

[Pierre]

There's a big clue. Their report about the murder of Nichols on 1 September 1888 commences "The Star reporter says..." which is a bit of a giveaway. When it comes to the inquest, however, I think they were using a press agency report because it can be found word for word in other regional newspapers.

Thanks David. I appreciate this.

Kind regards, Pierre

[DJA]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunderland_Echo