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Time - Man of the Year
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Time_Man_of_the_Year_Compact_Publishing_3YX-Disc-1_Compact_Publishing_1993.iso
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1993-04-08
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FROM THE PUBLISHER, Page 4
Time's journalists pride themselves on being able to turn on
a dime, producing thoughtful, thoroughly reported stories on very
little notice. But our quadrennial presidential-election issue
demands deadline journalism on an altogether higher plane. The
magazine is coming out a full four days earlier than usual --
yet we were determined not to sacrifice the in-depth research
and forward-looking analysis that readers have come to expect.
Part of the solution: squeeze the interval between final
editing and distribution of the magazine from the normal 36
hours down to 12.
For operations director Oliver Knowlton, the work began
two months ago, mapping out deadlines for copy, page layouts
and photography. By election night, everything was in place. A
charter plane stood by in Little Rock, Arkansas, ready to rush
a cover picture of President-elect Clinton to an imaging center
in Houston for final transmittal (President Bush's headquarters
is in Houston; his picture would have to travel only across
town). Says Knowlton: "From a production viewpoint, it's murder.
I swore four years ago I'd never do this to myself again -- but
here I am."
The job was also an editorial decathlon. Thanks to
Oliver's airtight deadlines, everything in the magazine had to
be written, edited, double-checked for accuracy and put to bed
by 6 a.m. Wednesday, no matter how late the returns were. So
assistant managing editor Jim Kelly and senior editor Tom
Sancton prepared two complete story lists, one in anticipation
of a Clinton victory and one in response to the last-minute
surge by George Bush. While a few stories appeared on both
lists, most hinged on results that wouldn't be available until
the final hours. There would be either a story on what President
Clinton will do in office or an analysis of Bush's upset
victory, but not both -- yet both had to be in the works. So
correspondents with Clinton and Bush and with other crucial
candidates sent in a steady stream of interviews and analysis
throughout the night, as the staff at TIME's New York City
headquarters fought to put it all together.
For associate editor Priscilla Painton and senior writer
Walter Shapiro, it was the end of a long road. Since July one
or the other has been at Clinton's side almost nonstop. Some
pundits think this kind of close-in coverage blurs a
journalist's objectivity. Counters Painton: "You can read all the
position papers and interview all the campaign staff you like,
but there is nothing like spending 17 hours a day with someone
to get a feel for his presidential character."
Elizabeth P. Valk