‘Flood special’ paper popular

Press, 24 October 1978, Page 17

‘Flood special’ paper popular

PA Dunedin The special issue of the “Clutha Leader” on the Otago and Southland floods has found buyers as far away as Britain and America, according to the newspaper’s editor (Mr A. Lewin). The special 16-page issue was the only newspaper south of Taupo to give full coverage of the flood, at a time when newspaper journalists south of the Auckland province were on Mr Lewin said that 70,000 copies, at 20c each, were printed. The “Clutha Leader” normally publishes about 3000 copies three times a week, but after printing 5000 copies of the flood issue last Monday it found the demand so great that another 65,000 copies were printed. “The staff did everything, from collecting the news to

pasting it up and then delivering the copies,” Mr Lewin said. Some drove all night delivering throughout Otago, Southland, and Canterbury. . The newspaper had a staff of five journalists providing the news . copy, and all the photographs were provided by amateurs. Seme of the staff gave their overtime to the floodrelief fund, and the newspaper will give all the proceeds of the issue, other than production costs, to the fund. The newspaper has received mail from all over New Zealand and from Britain and the United States, where expatriates with relatives in the south want copies. The “Clutha Leader” journalists were not affected by the strike, as they are covered by a separate award for newsapapers with a circulation of under 4000.