The Struggles of a Young Paper -or- The Privatization of Censorship

Published May 1, 2007

You may remember the first 7 issues of The Water Tower- the cute, double-fold format- printed in Georgia, VT when things were cheap and local. Sadly, as is the trend, our printer was bought by Gannett (the largest newspaper publisher in the US that owns, among many others, the Burlington Free Press and USA Today) which then shut it down in an effort to consolidate (and monopolize) local printing.

We scrambled to find a new printer that could take us on in a matter of days, and we chose The Times Argus. Our relationship, albeit expensive, seemed happy enough, until we started to dick around.

Sunday 4/22, 10:00pm- The Water Tower editors agree to run “Measuring Up” by Kristen McClaran along with a cartoon penis line up on the front page of The Water Tower.

Monday 4/23, 12:30pm- Our files are sent in and confirmed by the printer. We are told that everything is set to be printed that night.

5:30pm- Hazel receives an email from the printer saying they refuse to print The Water Tower due to “what amounts to pornographic content.” Hazel makes numerous phone calls, but the press seems to have sent the email just as everyone capable of making a decision left the office. The people in the print room (who work all night) refuse to make any decisions without the consent of the office bureaucrats (who work all day).

Tuesday 4/24, 12:41am- Hazel receives and email from the head-bureaucrat stating, “It was not necessarily the cartoon that was found potentially problematic, but rather the sexually explicit comments made in the column supporting the cartoon.”

Tuesday morning- There are no papers available for curious and expectant readers.

Noon- Hazel resends the issue of The Water Tower to the printer, this time without the “pornographic” content. The bureaucrat agrees to print this one issue, and then drops us as a client.

8:00pm-phone call to the press room confirms that the issue has been printed. “What did you guys write anyway?” Asks the press-manager on the phone. “I say, ‘freedom of the press,’ but these guys are losing it” he laughs and then adds, “to tell you the truth, the papers are hiding under a desk.”

9:00pm- Editors Hazel and Laura drive out to Barre to pick up the papers. Four of the press employees are outside on a cigarette break when they pull up. All four are reading The Water Tower. “Is this why you got dropped?” asks one man, pointing to Kurt Weiss’ front page article, “Fuck Red Onion.”
“We also had a penis article,” says Laura, as she walks out the door with the papers.

Wednesday 4/25, 10:00am- Water Tower staff insert photo copies of the article and cartoon into every issue of The Water Tower.

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