Allow this old newspaper man a moment to boast.
I had nothing to do with this but I have great pride in my newspaper today. I fell asleep late last night before the election results were in. So when I woke up this morning I hurriedly reached for my phone and tapped it on even before putting on my glasses. Holding the phone up close to my face I saw the result.
People who know me know exactly what was going through my mind as I read the first article and clicked on the video of President-elect Donald Trump’s acceptance speech, still no glasses – in the dark – phone inches from my eyes. (I’ll go into my feelings and thoughts in another blog!)
I then saw a link to Pennsylvania newspaper front pages and I decided to see how it got played by newspapers, many of which I have friends working at, from across the state. I knew the result came in very late and many newspaper had headlines ‘Too Close to Call” and that was all. Understandably their deadlines were not set late enough for such a late result. I figured ours was too.
Next I called up our website thederrick.com and there it was!!!
We got it!
We got the historic headline and it was on the date it should be.
I cannot tell you the pride I felt especially after looking at so many papers that did not. Some very good metro papers even. And there we were an under 20,000 circulation community newspaper with the headline of record!
This may not seem like a big deal to the average person looking at this blog right now, but let me explain.
This election result came in way past deadline. Way past! A deadline extended because we knew it would be late. But it wasn’t extended that late! There reaches a point we still need to print, prepare and deliver our newspaper – so the deadline can only be extended so far and usually once you go over deadline it starts costing the newspaper money.
In this day and age where newspaper budgets are already tight this is a bad idea for the employees to lose the paper money. So extending a deadline is a huge deal. A HUGE deal!!
The paper was done and put to bed which means it was sent to press and the staff had left the building. Then somewhere around 3 a.m. it was announced – Donald J. Trump was declared the winner.
Now our organization prints two versions of a very similar paper. The Derrick and The News-Herald that serve two neighboring communities. The News-Herald was first on the press and was printed and finished. Thousands of copies printed bound and sent. So The News-Herald had a similar headline as many of the newspapers across the east coast that the race hadn’t been decided yet.
The plates for The Derrick were set and I believe had already begun production when (I hope in my heart of hearts) that famous old newspaper line “Stop the Presses” was screamed across pressroom! (To be honest I doubt it was said, but give me a moment here of heroic fantasy!)
Our lead page designer Chris Bell was almost home in Rocky Grove when he answered his cell phone to hear our managing editor Luka Krneta tell him that he needed to come back. Chris started his shift about 10 or 11 hours earlier so I’m guessing he wasn’t all to happy that he answered his phone!
Chris had earlier in the day told me a story about when he worked the Bush/Gore election and they printed one paper with the headline they had at the time only to find out the AP was wrong and they had to correct it in the other paper. Back then it was a morning paper and and afternoon paper.
Chris came back in and worked another couple hours, the pressmen and women in the production department had to work extra and yes it probably cost the paper some money to be able to deliver The Derrick with the headline of record. Chris then corrected The News-Herald for the online edition.
So very proud that we had the right people doing the right thing in order to present our readers with something unique to small communities across the entire east coast.
A paper of record!
NOTE: Top photograph was from Trump’s campaign stop in Erie back in July that I made while covering the event.
