'Big story' brings out the spirit of dedicated staff
"We are not as large as the largest, but we are as strong as the strongest."
Motto, Goodfield State Bank
Goodfield, Illinois (Pop. 686)
In Friday's Time out!, you'll read Dann Gire's reviews of two movies opening this week ("Soul Men" and "Role Models") as well as his insights on a variety of other film-related news. Want to know where he was Tuesday night?
Interviewing supporters of John McCain in downtown Chicago.
Television critic Ted Cox reviews the HBO television program "Summer Heights High" in Time out! tomorrow and has a story in today's L&E reflecting on election coverage. Want to know where he was Tuesday night?
Wandering through the throng in Grant Park, gauging the reactions of suburbanites to Barack Obama's election and collecting their impressions of what Obama must do to help heal the nation's political wounds.
How about sports reporter Mike Spellman? He was working in the Arlington Heights office collecting information and reporting the results of referendum questions in Lake County. Local courts reporter Barbara Vitello? Covering political races for Cook County clerk of the circuit court and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. Music writer Jeff Pizek? At a rally for failed congressional candidate Jill Morgenthaler.
Food writer Deb Pankey didn't work the elections Tuesday night. She came in while it was still dark Wednesday morning to cover lingering election stories and help mop up race results where needed.
I could go on for pages with countless examples from every Daily Herald department and bureau of people pitching in to lend their reporting and editing skills to an area of coverage that is far-removed from their regular day-to-day responsibilities.
The Daily Herald has a large geographic footprint, so to some extent, calling all hands on deck for an overwhelming story like the elections is a necessary strategy. But the paper has some other qualities as well that carry our reporting well beyond what is merely necessary. These start with an organizational mission to provide suburban readers the most useful, timely and complete information possible. And, they include a commitment to thoughtful planning - conducted largely in this case by staffers like politics and projects editor Joseph Ryan and assistant news editor Michelle Brandon. But perhaps most important among them is the whatever-it-takes attitude of nearly every reporter, editor, photographer, artist, editorial assistant and clerk in the place.
I was chatting with Gire Tuesday morning about his already exhausting work schedule and the complications to it caused by the addition of an election assignment.
"This is what we do!" he exclaimed. "This is fun."
It almost seemed as though he would feel insulted if we didn't ask him to participate.
The sense of historic magnitude was impossible to ignore Tuesday night as the election results for the presidency began rolling in, and that excitement certainly pervaded the newsroom. But just as palpable, just as infectious, were the energy and excitement with which people attended to the details of much less spectacular campaigns for state representative, county board member or the local tax initiative.
Seeing it all come together a couple of times a year always puts me in awe of the people I work with and reminds me of that motto for the local bank in the small town where I grew up. We may not be the biggest newspaper team in town, but no matter how big the story, with our scrappy spirit and unbending devotion to readers, we more than make a game of it.