From Shoney’s to the Front Page and the loss that became this Reporter’s win

The day after this year’s general election I wrote the lead story for our special edition that capped local results.

While crafting that masterpiece of journalistic excellence I continually thought about a similar day 44 years ago in November of 1980, when Ronald Reagan swept Jimmy Carter for president.

I was The Cub Reporter at The News Herald, the New Guy, covering East Burke in all its glory.

Bill Poteat was the county and political reporter. Ron Garland covered crime and courts. Chuck Liddy and Mark Phillips were photographers. Charlie Atkinson was sports, Edna Mae Herman covered Morganton. Jennifer Caldwell, education. Ted Hall was managing editor and Gene Willard was editor.

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1980, post election, the team gathered in Willard’s office for the morning rundown. Everyone got assignments. It was a daily routine.

Hall led the conversation.

“Poteat,” he said. “Write the recap. What’s this about a recount? You know who to talk to. It’ll be the lead story.”

“Garland,” he said. “Check with the cops. Any problems on election night? Probably not, but you never know. You know what to ask.”

“Liddy, Phillips,” he said. “We need some art for the Front. You know what looks good.”

“Edna Mae,” he said. “We need Morganton’s reaction. You know your way around City Hall. Get some comments.”

“Caldwell,” he said, “same for the schools. You know the drill.”

Everyone was jotting notes in their Reporter Notebooks, those back-pocket pads with silver spiral binders at the top.

“Atkinson,” he said. “I doubt the election has any impact on sports, so…,” Hall paused and said, “Do you guys even KNOW there was an election? HAHAHA.”

All the reporters yukked it up at the Sports slam. Except Atkinson. He found no humor in it. Sports was always stepped on by the news staff.

“What’d I leave out?” Hall said. “Nothing? OK, remember, deadline is early today so be sure … Yes Allen. You have something to say?”

I had raised my hand earlier, what with being left out of the assignments.

I said, “Want me to get reaction from Valdese residents on —”

“No,” Hall said. “Caldwell’s interviewing students there.”

I said, “Or maybe what people in Drexel —”

“No,” Hall said. “Poteat’s talking to that precinct.”

“Rutherford Coll —”

“Nope,” he said, “no room.”

I said, “I could get to Hildebran. That’s a Republican-heavy town and —”

“No need,” Hall said.

I paused. Hall paused. Willard paused. All the reporters looked down at their shoes or up at the ceiling.

Except Liddy, the proverbial wise guy. “Just give him the day off,” he said to Hall. “Again. HAHAHA.”

I said, “Maybe I could help —”

“Tell you what, VanNoppen,” Hall said. “It’d be good to get a Man-On-the-Street piece about why Carter lost locally.”

“He lost,” I said, “because over 70% of the county voted Republican.”

“But that’s not WHY he lost,” Hall said. “Don’t ask people why Reagan WON. Ask why Carter LOST. That could make a good feature. We can stick it inside somewhere.”

“Yeah, VanNoppen,” Liddy said. “The LOSER story. Section Z. Back there behind yard sales. That’d be good reading. HAHAHA.”

It was a cold morning. In the 30s. No way I’m standing in front of the Post Office freezing, I thought. A restaurant is where I need to be, where it’s warm, where there’s coffee, and people breeze-shooting all the live-long.

I went to Shoney’s and the Holiday Inn. Two hours later, I returned to the newsroom and started in on the absolutely fascinating, can’t-put-it-down, lame-game, Man-On-the-Street hoo-haa story.

It was surely a story that would be buried among the Pot Roast-special ads and the ten thousand other grocery store promotions.

I saw Poteat across the room. He was all business, hunkered down, concentrating hard on his prestigious story for the Front Page, the above-the-fold keynote, the one loaded with weighty analysis.

We all made deadline. The presses started rolling. It was lunchtime. The news team probably went to Village Inn Pizza, one of our favorites.

The papers hit the streets. And what was above the fold? Not Poteat’s recap. Hell no. The Man-On-the-Street story! The captivating headline read, “Carter collapse caused by what he didn’t do?” (And readers asked, Say what?)

Recently I reread that story. The local comments then were identical to those heard today after last week’s election.

“We want to be proud of America. We don’t want to be third or fourth rate …” said Bill Lane from his breakfast booth at Shoney’s.

“I’m ashamed to be part of a country that elects a man like Reagan for its president,” said H.H. Franklin.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back … was high inflation,” said Hamp Bishop.

“After the debate the tide started going out (for Carter) and stayed out,” said O.F. Saunders.

I shared these observations a couple of days ago with The Paper’s Editor Emeritus (and the former political writer for the Herald), Bill Poteat.

“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” he said.

Maybe, but by Friday, Nov. 7, 1980, a couple of days after that memorable event, I was back on my game with a Page One story that started, “The husband of the mayor of Hildebran plans to take the lead in an effort to get his wife’s town killed.”

Now that’s some good reading.