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In the olden days, before the Internet, newspapers served as the main source of news; locally and internationally. Today, most people get their news from the Internet, so kudos to those who are reading this paper.
Today, however, is not about the news or the newspapers. It is about the people who deliver the newspaper. Today is Newspaper Carrier Day, formerly known as Paperboy Day, and there are a number of ways to celebrate.
The holiday honors the very first paperboy in America, 10-year-old Barney Flaherty.
Newspaper lore suggests Flaherty was the first person to respond to a job advertisement, meant for adults, in the “New York Sun” newspaper on Sept. 4, 1833.
Without child labor laws to abide by, Benjamin Day, the publisher of the “New York Sun,” hired Flaherty on the day that he applied.
Together, David and Flaherty paved the way for all the young newspaper carriers across the country. Children have long dominated the newspaper delivery workforce, but not anymore.
“For reasons including the demise of afternoon papers, a shift to centralized distribution and earlier delivery deadlines, adults in cars now make up 81 percent of the country’s newspaper carriers,” writes the Associated Press on NBCnews.com.
There are a number of ways to celebrate Newspaper Carrier Day.
Those who still have home delivery could tip their newspaper carriers or make them a thank you card. Remember, they deliver the news in rain, sleet or snow.
For those who were or are a newspaper carrier and know all about the rigors of delivering the news, visit www.globeslcc.com and share your paper route stories with the rest of us.
There are opportunities to become a newspaper carrier for those who have never been one. The job does require stealth, a reliable car and a trustworthy alarm clock, but is the perfect job for college students because of the hours.
Have a happy Newspaper Carrier Day!
I never owned a newspaper route myself, though my brothers did when they were much younger. I would at times have to deliver them either by walking or by car driving around the neighborhood. There were times when it was overwhelming especially at Thanksgiving, where all the ads are bigger than the newspaper itself. I would get lots of ink on my hands when I had to fold the newspaper so I could put a rubber band around it. Though know I try to read the newspaper in print so I can read the funnies and have something to read while I’m at school. Its sad that the newspaper print is going out of style and being replaced by internet. I’m bad at that because I read the Deseret News mostly by online instead of print, though I read the Salt Lake Tribune by print while I’m at work.
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