When the News Makes News: Daily Paper Folds After Five Days

After working a magazine job I was not always so fond of (primarily due to extremely delayed deadlines: I like to get things done and move one) and the boss's tendency to want anybody and everybody to transcribe her ludicrous handwriting, I got a job offer. From a new daily newspaper. It was an offer to paginate and copy edit.

I was excited. I'd worked for daily newspapers for a decade before being laid off. I took the layoff in stride: A chance to try something new. New hours, new responsibilities, new challenges. What the hell, why not? And I had no choice anyways.

But those months of working on a magazine with deadlines written in invisible ink made me miss the pace of the newspaper. I missed accomplishing something each day, and working a bit ahead on this or that feature design or on the odd feature story. It was active, it was energizing, especially when news broke. Even if I wasn't doing the front page, the energy in the office was great. Everyone was tittering, excited, making jokes or comments about someone's response to a question. It was a swirling beehive of activity and I loved it.

So when I got the job offer to work for this new paper, the Detroit Daily Press, I was thrilled and excited. I'd get to design a bit again, edit copy, try to craft a clever and accurate headline, and I'd be around the people who I truly considered my own.

Starting at the DDP, I only knew a couple reporters from an old job, but I soon felt comfortable with everyone I'd met. A slew of personalities was there: the newbies, the veterans, the calm ones, the egotistical ones, and the artsy and the clever ones. Dry quips were being bandied about. Everyone was drinking coffee or Diet Coke like it was the life force. And we were busily getting things in and done. Here's a page with three stories and two pictures! I need a brief to fill this out. Any headline ideas? Hurry, hurry, hurry! Deadline is approaching!

It was crazy but exhilarating. We got the first edition out, somewhat late, but we felt good, accomplished. We were all tired, a bit punchy and energized but happy as hell. We made it!

It got easier night after night, and after putting out the fifth edition, on Black Friday, no less, we came in the following day to start all over again, and we were all called into the common area for an announcement. I wondered, was it good or bad? I had a hunch it wasn't good, but what could the bad news be?

Well, it was bad. We were having issues with getting out issues. We were working out computer glitches, but we were improving rapidly. We were having problems at the print plant, with drivers leaving or the presses said to be breaking down. We were having issues with getting advertising and subscribers. People were having a hard time finding papers at stores and gas stations. It was rumored that one drug-store chain was not allowed to sell the paper. Some said it was a bar code issue. Others said it was the competition trying to do us in.

But the news, it was not good. The publishers, not without sorrow, as I saw it, told us we were on hold. We weren't closing, but would shut down until the new year so they could sort out the bugs. They promised we'd still get paid for the work we had done, and we'd come back next year better than ever.

God, I hope so. I was really enjoying myself. I was back in a job I loved. My friends were energized to be back at a newspaper, reporting on the news. The younger kids were excited to be given a chance to write. The editors and designers and photographers were happy to get a chance to create headlines, well-written copy, strong designs and good art.

We went home stunned, joking about how much beer we'd be drinking that night, exchanging a few phone numbers or e-mail addresses, vowing to connect on Facebook in the meantime.

Of course, it being a newspaper, it's loaded with nosy people, so the drama isn't just fading away. The competition picked up the news. Writers for our paper and the competition had things to write.

One cited a conspiracy launched by the competition, the Teamsters and the unions, the goal of which was to crush our newborn paper. Comments are bouncing all over the web.

It's interesting, to say the least, and in time surely more, much more will come out.

For now, I'm enjoying the soap opera and am giving thanks that my husband is working, and have my fingers crossed that we'll be back in January. I've still got some design ideas in my head and some headlines to write, after all.