By now, we all know the bad news:
A government shutdown drags on.
The nation remains divided over the Affordable Care Act. Worse, consumers trying to gain online access to health insurance exchanges – the cornerstone of the legislation – initially find themselves staring at error messages and blank screens.
As if all of that isn’t bad enough, the Braves’ run at their first World Series title in 18 years comes to a crashing halt – in just four games.
It’s been a lousy few weeks, hasn’t it?
But these three stories provide a perfect opportunity to step inside our newsroom and join us for some behind-the-scenes moments as we grapple with covering three big stories – each with its own challenges.
We begin with the government shutdown.
As the clock nears midnight, it’s clear that Congress won’t be able to resolve its ongoing dispute over the new health care law.
On most nights, our presses would have already started printing the paper.
But this isn’t a typical night. So we start one press late and hold another one until 12:30 a.m.
It’s a routine we’ll follow more than once as these stories unfold.
With a shutdown officially underway, a team of editors and reporters goes to work.
Their job? Paint a picture of how the shutdown touches the lives of Georgians. The ripples, we quickly learn, extend far beyond the tens of thousands of federal workers in our state.
A group of young rowers discovers it can no longer practice on the Chattahoochee because it’s run by the National Park Service.
A woman applying for a student loan arrives at the federal building in Rome and leaves without a copy of her W-2 form because the office is closed.
A 79-year-old retiree wonders whether her Meals on Wheels will stop arriving if the shutdown lasts more than a few weeks.
As the shutdown enters its eighth day, we begin to wonder about its recurring placement on our front page.
If you had joined us at our morning news meeting, here’s what you would have heard:
“It just feels like the story is resting on the same spot day after day.”
“We’re reacting to things as they come to our attention. We need to stay alert and react to what’s happening.”
“And we need to keep finding fresh local cuts.”
“But nothing is happening. It’s going to start feeling like dead space.”
“Sometimes inaction is the news.”
While a group of reporters focuses on the shutdown, another turns its attention to the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare.”
The new health law is facing its biggest moment yet – the launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace. It’s supposed to help people who don’t have health insurance through their employers.
We’ve been raising tough questions about whether the system would be ready.
Turns out it wasn’t.
Access denied.
The system is down.
Please wait.
That’s how we begin our story on the experiences of Georgians trying to access the site.
As one small business owner in Fayette County tells us, “What a mess!”
During all of the chaos, a reader drops me an email and asks if we’re going to follow up on all of the troubles.
Two days later, we share the story of one woman who has been trying to enroll for days – only to be stymied by software glitches and overwhelming traffic. After six frustrating hours on a Sunday morning, she’s finally able to buy a plan through the website.
“I am totally exhausted,” she tells us, “but also totally relieved.”
Relief.
That’s what the Braves are supposed to provide.
As the National League Division Series begins, we re-examine our travel budget and roll out special poster pages. Yes, it’s early, but we begin planing for the best and even sign a contract to publish a book if the Braves win the World Series.
From the very beginning, the Baseball Gods seem to be working against us.
Game 1 doesn’t start until 8:37. Game 4 begins at 9:37. That’s less than 90 minutes before we’re supposed to begin printing.
We work out later press starts and post updates on our websites. As the newspaper begins its journey to your front porch, our writers keep writing and our editors keep editing so that we can remake our digital version of the newspaper.
After Game 2, we have hope, a sense that the Braves might just win this thing.
All of that, of course, comes to heart-breaking end in Game 4 in Los Angeles.
The next morning, an email from the book publisher seems to signal the finality of it all.
“Tough loss. I thought they had it and felt good about their chances heading back to ATL. Let’s keep the contract we have in place … and hope the Falcons get it going.”
Now, why did he have to bring up the Falcons?
After all, haven’t we had enough bad news over the past few weeks?
