Times got mine tragedy into print

The Times says it managed to stop the presses, call back the trucks and publish last night's awful turn in the news from Tallmansville, West Virginia. Many other papers got caught giving readers the old news about the miners being found alive. Here's the recap email sent to editors by Assistant Managing Editor John Arthur:

1) we closed the paper at 11 [pm] with news that most miners were alive.

2) we stopped presses at 12:10 [am] when we heard that was incorrect -- all but one were dead.

3) Marcy Springer, Alex Brown and Michael Edwards led charge to retool the page with new story and art and we went in with a new front at 12:45 a.m.

4) Pressroom called back all trucks that had left. Thousands of papers were thrown out. We're awaiting final number.

5) As a result ALL printed copies of the paper in California had the correct, updated report. Delivery to subscribers was significantly delayed but complaints were minimal, says Circulation.

6) The NewspaperDirect fax paper, with its limited circulation in NY, DC and elsewhere, got the original front with the "miners alive" story. This front also was posted on some media websites and is being cited in stories today. We've pulled that PDF off the website and we are trying to get the actual front page up.

Thanks to everyone who made this happen. No paper looks as good as we do today.

Wonder if they heard Elizabeth Stromme's complaint: She tells me that she began calling at 7:30 am and kept being told the paper was delayed by breaking news and would arrive within forty-five minutes. At 2:30 she emailed that it had yet to be delivered.

8:13 PM Wednesday, January 4 2006 • Link
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