BY ALEX LEADER-SMITH

In print | March 31, 2005

Superman never knew how good he had it. True, I doubt he enjoyed constantly thwarting the plots of nefarious evil-doers. But at least after a long day of saving the planet, he had his fame and reputation to fall back on — even if not as Superman (frequently confused with birds and planes), certainly as mild-mannered Clark Kent. For throughout time, from Clark Kent to William Safire to Peter Parker to April O’Neill, newspaper columnists, reporters, writers and photographers have been publicized, glamorized and given their own bylines. They are our societal icons.

Yet while these celebrated writers cover the New York Times editorial page and get bitten by radioactive spiders, the true journalistic superheroes labor quietly in the background. Newspaper editors are the brave souls who battle delinquent writers, malfunctioning software, and ever-approaching deadlines to bring you all your favorite publications. This week I chronicled a few days in the lives of our campus’ own unsung heroes, the editorial board of The Phoenix, to see if perhaps I could start fitting myself for superhero tights as well.

I first met the editorial board at their Thursday night meeting in the Publications Office. Everyone was there, but one editor stood head-and-shoulders above the rest: Editor-in-Chief Amanda Brown-Inz ‘06. Amanda wielded a fierce magic marker that she used to record stories on the Phoenix whiteboard. She was responsible for setting the meeting’s agenda, keeping the other editors on task, and upholding standards of common decency. If it weren’t for Amanda, you’d be reading stories like, “Alice Paul’s sister dorm to be named Hitler” and “Japanese Department Nuked,” instead of the tasteful satire gracing The Phoenix now.

Also in the forefront was Phoenix veteran Ben Kabak ‘05. Ben’s grizzled, ironic detachedness reminded me of Wolverine’s: Off-putting at first, but belying a deep dedication to the publication. True, he spent large parts of the meetings ambling about with a wiffle bat asking, “Can we make fun of the police?” and making “Your Mom” jokes. But when he looked me in the eye and intoned, “Write whatever you want about us. We will edit it,” I knew it wasn’t about concealing his wild Sager exploits. He certainly had The Phoenix’s best interests at heart.

Amanda kicked off the meeting with a critique of the previous week’s issue. No concern was ignored, no matter how large (“I don’t think anyone edited this page … AT ALL”) or how small (“Alex Ginsburg really needs a haircut”).

Soon, though, attention was turned to the present. Editors brainstormed new articles, reported on assignments in progress and slowly filled the whiteboard with ideas. I made occasional contributions, throwing my weight behind April Fools’ concepts that particularly struck my fancy — wouldn’t you have loved to read a report on Swat fencing entitled “Lance Dangerously?” Eventually, a tentative slate of topics was set, and the editors dispersed.

Returning to the next meeting Monday, we were briefed on what had changed over the weekend. Apparently there had been articles so tough that even the Phoenix reporting crew couldn’t crack them. A piece on the ultimate demise of the Japanese department had appeared quite juicy … until it turned out the Japanese department was still alive and kicking. An interview with MTV University Sudan reporter Stephanie Nyombayire ‘08 had terrific potential … until the Phoenix realized it lacked the resources to contact Africa. And an exposé on Psych Services was scrapped when not one patient agreed to comment. Clearly our psychologists could’ve done a better job getting these people to open up.

Of course, despite these setbacks, the Phoenix editors heroically prevailed. Breaking stories on Iraq War News Radio and Worth Health Center emerged to fill these short-lived gaps, and in the next 24 hours, columns and articles finally started rolling in (for an expanded list of completed articles, see column appendix, page 2).

By Tuesday night’s layout meeting, the staff was festive enough to celebrate Ben’s birthday with 22 candles and a cake. Ignored and forgotten by the outside world, the Phoenix crew certainly wouldn’t forget one of their own.

All told, I gained great respect for the Phoenix editors, watching them assemble the issue you hold in your hands. Gallons of blood, sweat, and tears went into every word, every column, every page. In fact, I’m considering joining the Phoenix editorial board, which I can only describe as a wonderful, spectacular, amazing, superb, incredible group. Because if I described them any other way, Wolverine might threaten to “edit” me.

Alex is a junior. You can reach him at aleader1@swarthmore.edu.

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