Truman's Cheshire smile averted again (almost)
The grinning visage of President Harry Truman gleefully hoisting a copy of the Chicago Tribune with the banner headline "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" haunts the nightmares of every American editor. The truth is, it's amazing such errors don't happen more often, and the fact that they don't is a testament to the diligence and attention to detail of reporters, copy editors and press operators. These folks battle, if not nightly, at least several nights a week with the multiple challenges of getting into the paper the latest developments from important breaking stories, accurately, with appealing headlines that convey the emotion and the facts of a story in a handful of characters and with copy that is clear and free of typos or errors of fact.
Oh, we miss occasionally, we admit. How could anyone not - especially when, as last Sunday night, the information we're working with can change even as we're putting it into the paper?
In order to deliver newspapers to the doorsteps of customers who can be 50 miles or more away from our printing facility, a series of actions must take place the moment we push the button on the press. Missing that press start creates a cascade of disruptions that can keep us from getting you your paper when you need it.
When the Cubs, Sox, Bulls or Blackhawks are playing a big game in California that may not end until 10:30 p.m., 11 or later, our reporters, editors and press operators coordinate efforts closely. Reporters write as they watch so they can put the final touches on the story's lead the second the game ends. Editors map out specific space so the story can be slipped onto the page with a minimum of maneuvering. They write potential headlines in advance so something can be available immediately. Press operators and editors stay in constant contact, and, depending on how big a story is, may even shuffle editions and zones to buy some extra time.
It's a complex operation, and we repeat it in countless variations throughout the year - important political speeches, election nights, late-night storms, local government meetings, and, yes, awards shows. Awards shows that themselves can deliver DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN-size errors on the precipice of our unforgiving deadlines.
So it was that last Sunday night, as the interminable celebrity thank-yous to Mom, Dad and assorted colleagues no one knows droned on, our movie critic Dann Gire and our night production staff poised nervously in front of their keyboards. The clock ticked. Computers hummed. Casey Affleck fumbled for something to say. Emma Stone rattled on. Literally moments before our pages had to be delivered to the press, "Bonnie and Clyde" stars Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty at last made the one declaration that millions of people had waited hours to hear.
No sooner had the words "La La Land" spilled from Dunaway's lips than Gire was finishing up his report on Oscars night and the best picture victory, then bolting to the night desk to help with technical details involved with both the print and online publication of our stories. The team turned away from the television screen and focused on duties that had to be completed before a rapidly closing press window slammed on them.
They completed their work even as the producers of "La La Land" were still accepting their statues and saying their thanks. Then suddenly, there was confusion, doubt and the awesome specter of Harry Truman's Cheshire smirk. All as the production window slammed shut.
The pressroom opened it a crack, and Gire sidled into a copy editor's seat to write a new lead, the editor quickly revised the previous headline of "Oooh La La" into "Oops La La" and rebuilt the pages that included Gire's story. The team averted a "Dewey" moment by mere minutes and then went back to clean things up for later editions.
Unfortunately, the early editions included references near the end of the text that hadn't completely scrubbed the Oscars' "La La Land" gaffe, so we had to take some lumps from readers who noticed the confusion. We're sorry, of course, that all our editions weren't pristine. But we're glad we provided the correct information in every edition - despite having to work with incorrect information at our most vulnerable time.
It's a hazard that always lurks for newspapers balancing on the razor-thin margin between up-to-the-minute accuracy and the tyranny of the minute. We survived this episode without a historically embarrassing memory. Unfortunately, it did little to dispel those nasty nightmares.
Jim Slusher, jslusher@dailyherald.com, is a deputy managing editor at the Daily Herald. Follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jim.slusher1 and on Twitter at @JimSlusher.