The Gold Coast Bulletin 125 years of publication March 28, 2010

[Mechanic]

The Gold Coast Bulletin, having started life in 1885, is celebrating 125 years of publication this month. In a special souvenir magazine and a feature in the news section presented images of the newspaper's history and republished stories that editorial thought worthy. It was, however, disappointing that they gave little or no coverage, in the Weekend Gold Coast Bulletin, to the actual production history of the paper. They did include a couple of photos of the old production machines but failed to list them in any caption except for the switch on of the new $43 million offset press. The cover of the magazine did graphically acknowledge that letterpress was part of the print industry history with a collage of letterpress type, but without editorial comment.

The report included two photos vital to the production of twentieth century newspapers.The first, an operator, using a Linotype, coincidently the first machine was built in 1885. The second of the Rootes family, a family that had a long history with the newspaper, is photographed standing beside a stereo molding press. No mention was made of what either machine was or the part these machines played in the setting of metal type pages or the conversion of those pages into the stereo plates required for the rotary letterpress machine.

Now the process in modern newspapers is computer to plate. The trades of photoengraving, composing and stereotyping and the associated machines are part of a history that is now not worth a mention. The lack of proof readers was highlighted by the incorrect year being published in the first line in the magazine 1895, instead of 1885.

I wrote to the Editor expressing my disappointment.