Who Mr McArdle is
Mr McArdle works as the news editor of the Daily Gazette in London. He is a dry, kindly Scot who knows the paper needs stories that make readers take notice.
Edward Malone comes to him looking for an assignment that offers real danger. McArdle listens to the young reporter's unusual request and thinks before suggesting Professor George Edward Challenger.
What Mr McArdle wants
McArdle wants a good story for the Gazette, while Malone wants a chance to prove his courage. An interview with Challenger offers the possibility of news, but also the risk of a bruising encounter.
The professor has attracted attention through his South American journey and his quarrels with people who doubt him. McArdle half hopes for a strong report and half expects Malone to return bruised.
Mr McArdle and the others in the story
McArdle connects Malone's ordinary newspaper work with the adventure that begins around Challenger's claims. He sends the reporter to a man already known for throwing journalists out of his house.
Their conversation brings together the editor's practical concern for the paper and the reporter's personal wish to do something brave. That assignment leads Malone toward the expedition to a hidden plateau in South America.
Questions
Who is Mr McArdle in The Lost World?
Mr McArdle is the Scottish editor responsible for news at the Daily Gazette, where Edward Malone works.
Why does Mr McArdle send Malone to Challenger?
He sees a chance for a good newspaper story when Malone asks for a dangerous assignment.