BURSTWe’d be nowhere without them.
The Morning Star salutes its 62 carriers on 42 routes on this International Newspaper Carrier Day, Thursday, Oct. 8.
The days comes during National Newspaper Week, and helps emphasize the vital role newspapers still play in communities.
“Newspaper carriers, young and old, play a crucial part in ensuring that this important form of communication reaches us, come rain or shine,” said daysoftheyear.com.
The importance of International Newspaper Carrier Day stems from its role in acknowledging and appreciating the efforts of the carriers, who brave various challenges to deliver the news. They make an indispensable contribution to the flow of information, and their dedication helps maintain an informed society.
International Newspaper Carrier Day’s origins go back to the mid-19th century when the first newspaper carriers, often young boys, began delivering newspapers to city dwellers.
The first officially recognized newspaper carrier was Barney Flaherty, who started his route at just 10 years old in 1833 after being hired by Benjamin Day, the publisher of The New York Sun. This marked the beginning of the newspaper carrier profession, which quickly became a common job for young people.
Initially, newspaper carriers were mostly young boys who delivered papers on foot or by bicycle, as indicated by this week’s fabulous picture from the Museum and Archives of Vernon. The photo shows two carriers taking an ice cream break at the Vernon Army Camp.
But over the decades, delivery methods have changed, with adults now out delivering newspapers using cars, especially in more spread-out urban or suburban areas.
Despite the decline in print newspaper circulation due to digital media, newspaper carriers still play a vital role in distributing physical newspapers.
And we love our carriers at the Morning Star.