石卷日日新聞Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun (手書版)

U.S. museum honors handmade disaster-zone newspaper

BY TOSHIHIKO KATSUDA CORRESPONDENT

2011/04/20

The March 12th edition of the hand-lettered Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture (Provided by Newseum)

WASHINGTON--Copies of a hand-lettered newspaper, produced by editors and reporters after they lost their printing press in the Great East Japan Earthquake, will be displayed at a journalism museum here.

Seven copies of the Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun, an evening paper in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, were donated to the Newseum. They were originally posted at evacuation shelters and elsewhere in the disaster zone.

The museum said the newspapers are "a powerful testament to the timeless human need to know, and to the journalists' commitment to providing that information."

Working by flashlight, reporters at the paper wrote the news on poster paper using waterproof ink markers after editing and printing devices were rendered useless in the magnitude-9 quake and tsunami that followed.

The March 12 edition ran a banner headline that read: "Among the largest quake and tsunami disasters in Japanese history."

On March 13, the headline read: "Relief supplies arriving from all over the nation."

The Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun resumed printing March 18.

The travails of the staff at the paper were reported in the Washington Post. The article caught the attention of Newseum staff members who then contacted the Japanese paper.

"Without the benefit of any of the 21st century conveniences or technological advancements, and in the face of significant personal hardships, these journalists were distinctly committed to providing their community with critical information, and they used simple pen and paper to do it," said Carrie Christoffersen, curator at the Newseum.

The Newseum, opened in its current location in Washington in 2008, is dedicated to providing the public with information on the history and latest technology in the news business.