back in the old days newspaper journalists used to type a 5-digit number at the conclusion of their articles instead of "The End." Would anybody know the number? I searched about the internet to no avail.
Advanced thanks
Advanced thanks
How Did Newspaper Journalists Used To Write "The End?"
- Thread starter Ken
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2005
- Messages
- 23,708
- Reaction score
- 10,657
- Location
- In a world of my own making
- Website
- shadowferret.wordpress.com
thanks SF.
Googled "the end or 30" and came up with lots of hits verifying this:
At the end of the story, drop three spaces and type "The End" or "-30-".
www.writers.ns.ca/shortfic.html
Finally, the –30– question: Old-school journalists used to type that at the end of their stories, to signal the conclusion of their stories for the folks on ...
Still sorta remember there being a 5-digit one, but I guess not.
Googled "the end or 30" and came up with lots of hits verifying this:
At the end of the story, drop three spaces and type "The End" or "-30-".
www.writers.ns.ca/shortfic.html
Finally, the –30– question: Old-school journalists used to type that at the end of their stories, to signal the conclusion of their stories for the folks on ...
Still sorta remember there being a 5-digit one, but I guess not.
Last edited:
Oh, good. I thought it was -30- also (that's 4 digits, if you count it up).
Back in the days of typewriters, I saw a lot of fiction writers putting -30- at the end of the mss also. Confused me to no end until someone explained where it came from.
Back in the days of typewriters, I saw a lot of fiction writers putting -30- at the end of the mss also. Confused me to no end until someone explained where it came from.
Shoot, I thought they just ripped the last page out of the typewriter with a resounding whoop, then rushed into their editor's office to torture the poor sod.
Guess I've been watching too many Kolchak reruns.
Guess I've been watching too many Kolchak reruns.
johnnysannie
Banned
back in the old days newspaper journalists used to type a 5-digit number at the conclusion of their articles instead of "The End." Would anybody know the number? I searched about the internet to no avail.
Advanced thanks
Old days? Old days?
I ended with - 30 - for the college newspapers, all the papers I've worked for, and still end my column with it each week when I send it to my editor.
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2007
- Messages
- 6,449
- Reaction score
- 1,321
It's from the Phillips Code, developed by a commercial telegrapher named Walter Phillips in 1879. This article talks about it and other telegraphing codes, but commits the common error of saying the Phillips Code was created in 1859.
johnnysannie
Banned
There are several theories. I was taught - in journalism class - that it was a signal to the typesetter to leave a space.
Here's what a link I found says:http://saila.com/journalism/thirty/
Here's what a link I found says:http://saila.com/journalism/thirty/
neat.
Thanks for the links.
Articles like this always interest me.
Will return after reading them.
"Its origins have long been the subject of after- hours discussion among news people, but Harnett leans to the most accepted theory == that '30' was borrowed from a telegraphers' code adopted by Western Union in 1859. In that code, many numbers were assigned a term. '73' meant best regards; '95' preceded an urgent message; and '1' meant very important.
http://www.deadmedia.org/notes/25/257.html
a Roman numeral translation of the XXX symbol put at the end of “very early, handwritten news items”;
http://saila.com/journalism/thirty/
"XXX" is still in use, though for somewhat of a different purpose, these days ;-)
73 everybody
Thanks for the links.
Articles like this always interest me.
Will return after reading them.
"Its origins have long been the subject of after- hours discussion among news people, but Harnett leans to the most accepted theory == that '30' was borrowed from a telegraphers' code adopted by Western Union in 1859. In that code, many numbers were assigned a term. '73' meant best regards; '95' preceded an urgent message; and '1' meant very important.
http://www.deadmedia.org/notes/25/257.html
a Roman numeral translation of the XXX symbol put at the end of “very early, handwritten news items”;
http://saila.com/journalism/thirty/
"XXX" is still in use, though for somewhat of a different purpose, these days ;-)
73 everybody
Last edited:
- Status