The Crossword as Platform for Journalism

Some of these forms, most specifically riddles appear in printed publications such as newspapers and almanacs. In the late 18th/early 19th century the charade (from the Portuguese charado) became popular. This form was usually written out as a riddle, though verse forms appear.

The Crossword was created in 1913 by Arthur Wynne, a British transplant to New York, for the "Fun" section of the New York Sunday World. The form proved popular in the city, a large reason why the New York Times crossword carries so much prestige in the crossword community. The form was instantly popular and a crossword craze swept the nation during the teens and 20s, with libraries limiting dictionary time, subways lending dictionaries to riders, and even the production of crossword-themed jewelry. There was even a moral panic associated with crosswords.

From the initial puzzle, sprang out various forms and shapes (popular was a Christmas tree shaped puzzle during the holidays). The form as we know it (the symmetrical square with black squares separating the clues) pretty much coalesced by and was mostly standardized by the mid-1920s. The puzzle also spread to many newspapers and currently exists in most daily newspapers and alternative weeklies.

One of the key contributors to the creation of the form was Margaret Farrar, who is considered one of the greatest crossword puzzle writers and is credited in large part with standardizing the rules and form of the game. Her initial work was at the New York World. though her work on the bestselling Random House book of crosswords in 1924, which was a huge bestseller, led her to become, when it finally began running the puzzle in 1941, the first crossword editor of the New York Times.

Most interesting about Farrar, according to well known puzzle constructor Merle Reagle, is that Farrar, aside from standardizing the formal rules of the game, also influenced and in some way standardized the discourse of the game. He describes her effect on the New York Times puzzle is so great as there is presently a "Sunday Morning" standard of decorum as far as content. This is probably a key reason that political or controversial topics have traditionally not been included in the crossword clues or content. Indeed, it foretells the future controversy n the 60s and 70s between Editors Will Weng and Eugene Maleska over the appropriateness of popular culture in the crossword.

Over the years there have been four editors of crossword puzzles at the New York Times: Farrar('42-'68), William Weng('68-'77), Eugene T. Maleska('77-'92), and Will Shortz(92-present). These four editors have set the tone for much of the crossword community, especially based on the editorial preferences of William Weng (who was considered very loose with his puzzles, favoring pop cultural answers and answers that weren't necessarily able to be found in the dictionary) and Eugene Maleska (who was considered a stirct constructionist, to co-opt the term, and hated any answer that wasn't found in a dictionary or atlas). This has created one of the larger threads of discussion that crossword constructors still bring up in some form or another to this day.

Will Shortz explains the appeal of crosswords as being a little corner where one can create order whereas the real world is messy and chaotic. This attitude about the puzzle is one shared by most, if not all, constructors. Because of this, constructors are fiercely apolitical and literal as a whole. Because of the mechanics of the puzzle, words and phrases (while able to be clued ambiguously) have to be specific in their construction. For Example

The community of crossword creators are, as expected, focused on wordplay and language. Much of the discussion of the construction is focused not on rhetoric or theme, but on use of words. Crossword construction site Cruciverb, for example focuses on issues such as "theme entry length versus non-theme entry" or "obvious" clues versus "obtuse" or "too reliant on word play" clues.

Interestingly, crossword constructors have begun seeing themselves more concretely as journalists in one manner: monetarily. With the contraction of the newspaper market (specifically since the recent closing of the New York Sun) and its respective platforms for crossword publication, there is a growing concern about both a market of distribution and in compensation for puzzles. Also being discussed alongside is the idea of placing the crossword in new media (both digital and not) which would change the established compensation practices.

While the relatively slow construction process may hinder the crossword as useful in timely, factual reporting (The fastest turnaround time for a New York Times Crossword was about 10 days). It may be useful as a forum for opinion and editorial discourse. This however, would require a very fundamental change in how puzzle constructors and editors view their roles within the larger context of both the newspaper in particular and journalism in general.