Is the Police Gazette a Reliable Source?

[scribbs]

Looking into some of the fighters around the 1890's & 1900's, I have come across numerous fight reports from this publication. I wonder what the historians think in regards to information published in the gazette. I am sure I read somewhere that it was an unreliable source, but was this in regards to the other sensationalist material or did this seep into fight reporting.

[Senya13]

By that time I think it stopped having its own correspondents to send it the reports of fights from other towns, and used wire-reports instead. Even some local (New York city) bouts it didn't have its own report, but borrowed from NY Sun or others.

[apollack]

Yup. It is mostly relying on a dispatch or one of the local reports. For the most part, it is fairly reliable, but often it is just providing one perspective. It can be wrong at times. But I don't think there is a flagrant or willful attempt to fabricate. It is a nice weekly to use to get a sense for what is going on in boxing. Great for a general overview and some opinion and analysis. But if you really want to delve deep into a particular bout, then the best thing to do is obtain several local next day sources. You will often learn that the NPG relied on one of those sources.

[BDeskins]

I love old Police Gazette, they had a ton of boxing data, but as has been said, next day newspaper reports, in the town the fight took place, are the best...

[scribbs]

Thanks guys for your comments