Q: My great grandfather had a long career in the newspaper industry. In his obit the final sentence reads: "It is with genuine appreciation of his early effort and his long career in the profession that the local newspaper fraternity writes “30” after the name of Samuel Longood." Could you please tell me the significance of the term “30” in the newspaper industry? - A.L.
A: Back when I started newspaper work in 1971, all articles were written on typewriters. I was told to end stories with " -30- ." It signaled that it was the end of the story and there were no other pages. No one could tell me why we used -30- then, and no one can tell you why now. Nobody knows for sure. But here's a link to an article from the American Journalism Review that will help you.
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1 comment:
Hello Park,
The 30 dash was used to end the article/story because in the composing room several stories were carried on galleys to the hot lead pages. The visual 30 dash distinguish the end for that story and were easly picked up and placed in the chase for makeup.
Al Serafini
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