Technology changes, ideals do not
Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Last week marked the 30-year anniversary of my arrival as an employee at The Enterprise as a youthful childless newlywed fueled by a passion for the power of journalism that most of we Watergate-era journalists experienced.
We were the generation that was going to change the world (as every generation before and since has been.)
There were government scandals to be investigated, wrongs to be righted and righteous indignation to be stirred up as we sought to preserve and protect truth, justice and the American way of life. Yes, we were Super Journalists (though we lacked the tights and capes).
Our goal was to make a difference in our world, and we probably did, though not as earth-shattering as we might have dreamed.
As in most lives, aging made us a bit more realistic about our goals and our role in the universe. Through the years many of the co-workers of that era have moved on to bigger titles at larger papers, or to jobs outside of newspaper journalism. A few, like me, have hung around.
We are now parents (and grandparents), editors and retirees. And, still, we are people who want to make a difference in the world.
We’ve learned that whispering can sometimes be more effective than shouting.
We’ve experienced huge changes in how we do our jobs: from typewriters, carbon paper and rubber cement to personal computers with flat screen monitors and comparatively minuscule hard drives. Today’s newsrooms are as much about technology as they are journalism.
Stories, once output in galleys — long strips of type that literally were “cut” with a razor blade — now flow almost effortlessly onto computer-generated pages that become reality with the push of a button.
Photographs that used to involve negatives, chemicals, photographic paper, enlargers — and most importantly, processing time — now are available virtually instantly as they move through our publication process totally in digital form. And they are in color, throughout the paper, every day.
The Internet, once a mysterious concept we heard about when we attended national conferences, has gone from fantasy to reality becoming a huge part of what we do.
The idea of downloading reading material to a small hand-held device has advanced from mere proposal to the commonplace.
The Associated Press, which 30 years ago consisted of a noisy machine in the newsroom with ringing bells, now is Web-based.
Times have changed, and we’ve had to as well. Some of those changes have been more difficult than others, but they’ve all been necessary to our survival in an increasingly competitive business.
We’ve been visited by floods and scandals, tragedies and triumphs, and through it all, The Enterprise has been a part of our lives, and a big part of mine.
* * *
Wednesday night will be busy at The Enterprise as carriers and staff collect and distribute what is always the biggest paper of the year. The Thanksgiving Day newspaper holds the details of all those Black Friday sales. For many households, making plans for bargain-shopping is as much a part of Thanksgiving as parades and turkey.
Putting those newspapers together, filling up extra racks and delivering those extra-large volumes demands some extra work.
Newspapers across the country have recognized that and started charging a premium price for this issue.
The Enterprise is joining their ranks.
As noted on recent statements sent to subscribers: “All print subscriptions include delivery of the Thanksgiving Day edition at an additional $1 charge.”
Non-subscribers who purchase the paper from newspaper racks or over the counter will be charged the Sunday rate of $1.75. It might be a small price increase, but the bargains revealed inside will more than offset the small premium for the larger newspaper.
Last week marked the 30-year anniversary of my arrival as an employee at The Enterprise as a youthful childless newlywed fueled by a passion for the power of journalism that most of we Watergate-era journalists experienced.
We were the generation that was going to change the world (as every generation before and since has been.)
There were government scandals to be investigated, wrongs to be righted and righteous indignation to be stirred up as we sought to preserve and protect truth, justice and the American way of life. Yes, we were Super Journalists (though we lacked the tights and capes).
Our goal was to make a difference in our world, and we probably did, though not as earth-shattering as we might have dreamed.
As in most lives, aging made us a bit more realistic about our goals and our role in the universe. Through the years many of the co-workers of that era have moved on to bigger titles at larger papers, or to jobs outside of newspaper journalism. A few, like me, have hung around.
We are now parents (and grandparents), editors and retirees. And, still, we are people who want to make a difference in the world.
We’ve learned that whispering can sometimes be more effective than shouting.
We’ve experienced huge changes in how we do our jobs: from typewriters, carbon paper and rubber cement to personal computers with flat screen monitors and comparatively minuscule hard drives. Today’s newsrooms are as much about technology as they are journalism.
Stories, once output in galleys — long strips of type that literally were “cut” with a razor blade — now flow almost effortlessly onto computer-generated pages that become reality with the push of a button.
Photographs that used to involve negatives, chemicals, photographic paper, enlargers — and most importantly, processing time — now are available virtually instantly as they move through our publication process totally in digital form. And they are in color, throughout the paper, every day.
The Internet, once a mysterious concept we heard about when we attended national conferences, has gone from fantasy to reality becoming a huge part of what we do.
The idea of downloading reading material to a small hand-held device has advanced from mere proposal to the commonplace.
The Associated Press, which 30 years ago consisted of a noisy machine in the newsroom with ringing bells, now is Web-based.
Times have changed, and we’ve had to as well. Some of those changes have been more difficult than others, but they’ve all been necessary to our survival in an increasingly competitive business.
We’ve been visited by floods and scandals, tragedies and triumphs, and through it all, The Enterprise has been a part of our lives, and a big part of mine.
* * *
Wednesday night will be busy at The Enterprise as carriers and staff collect and distribute what is always the biggest paper of the year. The Thanksgiving Day newspaper holds the details of all those Black Friday sales. For many households, making plans for bargain-shopping is as much a part of Thanksgiving as parades and turkey.
Putting those newspapers together, filling up extra racks and delivering those extra-large volumes demands some extra work.
Newspapers across the country have recognized that and started charging a premium price for this issue.
The Enterprise is joining their ranks.
As noted on recent statements sent to subscribers: “All print subscriptions include delivery of the Thanksgiving Day edition at an additional $1 charge.”
Non-subscribers who purchase the paper from newspaper racks or over the counter will be charged the Sunday rate of $1.75. It might be a small price increase, but the bargains revealed inside will more than offset the small premium for the larger newspaper.
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