The best way I can describe the editorial process (in fact, the entire production) of the Sun Day, from my perspective right now, is what outer space looks like to James T. Kirk through the windows of the USS Enterprise when moving at warp speed. My entire visage is a streak of faces, names, information, and advertisements zooming by on my way to The Next Edition.
I enjoy the forward momentum, though. I even relax in it a little, and I thank the Community and businesses greatly for powering the Sun Day’s rapid progress in Sun City. It is, after all, better than an old car (mine) choking and sputtering down the road, its driver (me) tense behind the wheel, pleading with his ailing machine to “Come on, get there, get there.”
But, alas, things rushed are bound for error—this said by a man who believes in the lesson of the tortoise: Slow and steady wins the race. Unfortunately, slow is a four-letter word in the news business, and in the allegory of journalism, the hare never sleeps.
Even now as I write this about a half hour before the paper is due to the printing company (or a half hour after it was due, I should admit), I can hear the whir of the press, prodding me to “Come on, get there, get there.”
I don’t overlook the irony of racing to play catch-up with a stationary machine, but such is the nature of a print deadline.
All this said, there’s one thing I’ve learned in getting the Sun Day up and running:
Think like a tortoise, but move like a hare.
Despite the speed at which we have had to work, we are pleased with the progress of the paper. We gather and hope that you are too, despite any errors that have occurred. Please, keep sending us your feedback and ideas. The wisdom of the ages has taught that information is key to progress, and as you inform us, we can inform you. So I once again, thank you for your contributions.
Now I am about to boldly go where no man (except for Dwight Esau) has gone before … the Sports section of the Sun Day.
And since you are reading this, that means I “got there.”
