Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their readers with unimportant facts andstatistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president'spalace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refused to publish it.
The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace.' The editor at oncesent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.
The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them. Meanwhile,the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist two urgent telegrams,but received no reply. He sent yet another telegram informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired.
When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. Aweek later, the editor at last received a telegram from the journalist. Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he hadbeen sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a cable in which he informed the editor that hehad been arrested while counting the 1084 steps leading to the 15-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.
報刊雜誌的編輯常常為了向讀者提供成立一些關緊要的事實和統計數字而走向極端。去年，一位記者受一家有名的雜誌的委託寫一篇關於非洲某個新成立共和國總統府的文章。稿子寄來後，編輯看第一句話就拒絕予以發表。文章的開頭是這樣的：“幾百級臺階通向環繞總統的高牆。”編輯立即給那位記者發去傳真，要求他核實一下臺階的確切數字和圍牆的高度。
記者立即出發去核實這些重要的事實，但過了好長時間不見他把數字寄來，在此期間，編輯等得不耐煩了，因為雜誌馬上要付印。他給記者先後發去兩份傳真，但對方毫無反應。於是他又發了一份傳真，通知那位記者說，若再不迅速答覆，將被解僱。但記者還是沒有回覆。編輯無奈，勉強按原樣發稿了。一週之後，編輯終於接到記者的傳真。那個可憐的記者不僅被捕了，而且還被送進了監獄。不過，他終於獲准發回了一份傳真。在傳真中他告訴編輯，就在他數通向 15 英尺高
的總統府圍牆的 1，084 級臺階時，被抓了起來。
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