One way to explore the history of publishing is to see a performance of the musical Newsies, which is on stage this month at the Lake Benton Opera House.

I attended a performance last weekend. It’s based on the true story of the newsboy strike of 1899 in New York City, which was a response to the labor practices of world famous publisher Joseph Pulitzer.

The action takes place after the Spanish American War. News of the war had motivated many people to buy newspapers, but then the return to peace caused sales to drop off.

As their strike unfolds the newsies get unexpected help from Pulitzer’s daughter, who writes for the paper using a pen name. The musical concludes as the strikers are granted a fair share of the profit margin.

Several fundamental truths about journalism come across in Newsies. They include the way newspapers are a team effort, how they function first and foremost as businesses, and how they can often act as a catalyst for change.

It takes a wide variety of people to make a newspaper reach its full potential, a wide range of professional knowledge and skills.

Reporters and photographers get the visibility, but a paper also depends on editors, publishers, sales staff, office workers and printing technicians. It’s also supported by the paper carriers who get each edition to the doors of readers.

Papers are always money driven. They need loyal readers, and they need the steady advertising that facilitates profits. In order to exist, it’s essential that things balance out when it comes to dollars and cents.

Every day is filled with decisions that influence the process of reaching daily, monthly and annual business goals.

I always enjoy finding out what will be going into the paper the next day. It’s a process that often evolves as a particular day unfolds, as unexpected events happen that demand the attention of journalists.

In the end it’s all about producing editions filled with topics that capture interest, that inform people about their community and that make them care about what’s happening.

It’s not always an easy task. There’s a need for planning ahead and for taking innovative approaches. Above all, it requires consistent effort.

I personally have no regrets about making journalism an important part of my career. Words and language always came easily for me. Reporting made sense as a way to earn money before graduate school. Then I liked it so much that I put off my graduate degree for 14 years.

It’s never the kind of work that someone does just for the paycheck. Instead there has to be a feeling of fulfillment, a sense that we want it more than any other job.

The reward is the chance to have the first word about important news developments. You become a guest at everyone’s breakfast table, one who shares the latest events and issues.

Someone who stays in journalism for the long haul learns to accept the stereotypes that sometimes get applied to journalists, including the idea that we highlight controversy. Contrary to what some of the public believes, we don’t try to make a big deal out of something trivial. We do, however, want honest controversy to get addressed in an open, informative way.

We’re individuals who often march to our own drums. There’s an idealism and a desire for perfection among journalists that you often don’t find in many other workplaces.

We believe in going the extra mile to tell important stories. Eventually they’ll stand the test of time. They’ll outlive us and become historic firsthand accounts.

Newsies tells a story from a great era in the publishing industry. It was interesting to see that era depicted on stage, and to think about how much of the spirit shown in 1899 remains a part of journalism more than a century later.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent