Bob's Corner
From our weekly issue dated October 14, 2009
National Newspaper Week was designated for last week: Sunday, Oct. 4 through Saturday, Oct. 10. So I'm a week late. And I know, anyway, that for the masses, the observance of National Newspaper Week ranks with National Burned Tortilla Week and National Sample Sea Weed Week.
But those of us in the Fourth Estate, well, we kind of like the recognition. It doesn’t put more cash in our tills or bigger numbers on payroll checks, but it’s nice to be recognized in any fashion other than irate phone calls and vitriolic letters that often are anonymous.
Novelist Jeffrey Archer in his work, The Fourth Estate, made this observation: “In May 1789, Louis XVI summoned to Versailles a full meeting of the Estate General. The First Estate consisted of 300 clergy. The Second Estate, 300 nobles. The Third Estate, 600 commoners. Some years later, after the French Revolution, Edmund Burke, looking up at the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, said, ‘Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all’.”
I know that some in the media, especially the "major media," have inflated egos and take themselves way too seriously. (I differentiate between the media -- encompassing radio, TV and newspapers -- and the press, which to me is comprised only of newspapers). Chauvinistic, I know, but after some 45 years as a newspaperman, what can I say? Anyway, it’s not that we don’t take our work seriously; it’s ourselves we make fun of.
This is not the first time, nor will it not be the last, that I will say: Anyone who has not worked at a newspaper will not understand the how and why of what we do. Working on deadlines is a wonderful experience; kind of like having stitches placed without pain killer. So we do not try to explain to or argue with those who disagree with us on matters of content or placement. We listen, and take the commentary in stride; working to note it sincerely and keep it in mind for future reference.
If we are guilty of actual errors, we print corrections. It’s a fascinating endeavor, putting out a real newspaper. And Happy National Newspaper Week to all (Belatedly).
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