Ronald Reagan and the headline battle

We heard shuffling and scraping down the hallway. Mike turned and smiled. He knew what was across the nook.   

A senior employees reporter emerged on his knees, palms folded in prayer, and stated: “Mike, please please please let me write the story.”   

The story of the yr. The story that would assist an aspiring scholar journalist land a giant time job. Ronald Reagan had simply introduced he was not putting his future presidential library at Stanford.   

It was April 23, 1987. 

Editor-in-chief Mike Newman ’88 and I had been enhancing tales on the mainframe terminals within the Every day Sports activities division cubicle. Mike was on this quiet spot as a result of he had choices to make.  

He knew it might be an early evening for the sports activities web page. I used to be the co-sports editor on obligation. No video games or matches on this Thursday. All we had had been previews and our writers submitted early. Mike requested me to remain and evening edit (i.e., chilly copy edit, write headlines and cutlines, troubleshoot). Mike knew (although I didn’t) that each one hell would quickly break unfastened. 

Newman was a person of few phrases. He impressed loyalty. I stayed.   

I used to be no fan of Reagan. I grew up in a union household that revered Franklin D. Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson. However after I put the sports activities part to mattress, I wrote the headline: STANFORD LOSES REAGAN LIBRARY. I despatched it again to the typesetter. She printed and pasted it throughout the entrance web page flat, the place it awaited the articles. Again then, articles had been printed on sticky paper and laid out on backlit flat tables for last proofreading.

It was a cool evening to be an observer. Despite the fact that we had no cell telephones or e mail, the phrase obtained out and one after the other, all of the senior employees writers confirmed up, clamoring for a by-line. It was fascinating to look at their dedication and desperation. I marveled on the calm decision-making of Mike and his information editor. They assigned 4 tales and trucked no dissent. A number of outstanding writers obtained shut out. I had by no means seen people so indignant. However everybody within the information division flew into gear, making calls and pounding the terminals. 

For greater than three years, a contingent of Stanford college had fought vocally towards the probability of President Reagan establishing his library on the Hoover Establishment. As I understood it, most presidents positioned their library at the most effective college of their dwelling state. I assumed Stanford was the most effective college in California. 

The writers finally seen the headline. Everybody however Mike and I hated it. They yelled at me. All evening, they despatched totally different headlines to the typesetter, took mine down and pasted theirs.  

“Reagan Withdraws Library” — “College win Reagan Battle” — “No Reagan Library at Hoover.” 

I reprinted and pasted it once more. STANFORD LOSES REAGAN LIBRARY. 

They stated “Mike received’t like this,” and returned to yell at me after Mike stated he favored it.  

“It’s not a loss!” — “Reagan doesn’t even learn!” — “Conservatives will change Stanford if it comes!” — “[Expletive] that [Expletive]”.   

I stated again and again:  It’s a Presidential library. It’s uncommon. It’s a loss. They didn’t agree. 

At round 11 p.m., the typesetter handed me a folder with a sheet of six copies of the headline, saying “I’m bored with reprinting these.” I had to make use of all six. 

At midnight, every little thing was achieved. We pushed everybody out. Mike himself took the curler and pressed down the STANFORD LOSES REAGAN LIBRARY headline. We positioned the flats in a field and drove to the printers down close to San Jose. We ate breakfast at a 24-hour diner. I all the time say I obtained my diploma from Stanford, however I obtained my training at The Stanford Every day.

Christopher Fialko ’88 was a member of The Stanford Every day throughout his time at Stanford. He’s now a felony protection lawyer.