No Calgary daily paper to print Alberta election results Tuesday

NO PRINT EDITION OF THE EDMONTON JOURNAL EITHER

The Herald published this the day after Ralph Klein became premier in 1992

Stephen Hunt
CTVNewsCalgary.ca Digital Producer
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Updated May 29, 2023 

One long-time electoral tradition came to an end on election day, when Postmedia announced there would be no printed newspaper announcing the winner in Calgary.

In an email to subscribers, Calgary Herald editor-in-chief Lorne Motley said, "Unlike in years past, recent changes to the way we produce the newspaper means our printed products go to press too early to include final results

"In print on Tuesday, we'll have a piece from Don Braid that looks at the major issues that the new premier and government will grapple with, as well as a look at the next steps for our province overall, regardless of who wins."

That prompted a somewhat tart tweet from former Herald editor and publisher Peter Menzies, who said, "For those of you still holding to the prayer that print will survive, Postmedia papers will not have election coverage tomorrow."

The results were still readily available on the Herald's website, along with every other digital media outlet and social media too, so it wasn't as if it was going to be difficult to find out who won.

It was just that for a certain age group, the newspaper that announced the election results would often become a collectible, and a piece of history.

DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN

Sometimes, it also became a source of late-night comedy when the paper got the results wrong.

One of the most famous came in the 1948 U.S. presidential election, when the Chicago Daily Tribune went to press with "Dewey Defeats Truman" as its headline, only to discover, to its horror, that Truman actually defeated Dewey.

According to a 2007 Chicago Tribune article by Tim Jones, it turned out that a printer's strike was imminent that election, and the paper was forced to bump up its printing schedule to get the papers out in time for the following morning's delivery.

And in the lobby of the building where the Herald had its offices for around 40 years, but which has since been sold to U-Haul, there's a gallery of front-page headlines on the second floor, including the one from 1971 when Peter Lougheed of the Progressive Conservatives ended the three-decade-long reign of the Social Credit Party and became Alberta premier.

The headline said, "It is 'now' for Lougheed."

 

The Calgary Herald announced the election of Peter Lougheed on August 31, 1971

A note from the editor

Welcome to E-Day — one of the most important days in recent history for Alberta. No matter your point of view, tonight's election results will help shape the future of our province for years to come.   I hope you have been enjoying the Edmonton Journal’s coverage of the election campaign thus far. It has been a lively, yet divisive, race.    Election nights are exciting for any newsroom, although this one will be different as we continue to work remotely — as we have since the advent of the pandemic. There’ll be no shared election-night pizza, unfortunately. But our commitment to providing you with timely, accurate results, reactions and analysis remains the same.     So, what can you expect on election night? We will bring you up-to-the-minute results online at edmontonjournal.com with journalists covering Edmonton and the all-important provincial race.     Don Braid, the dean of Alberta political commentators, will weigh in with his thoughts in the aftermath tonight. Also watch for the insightful writings of David Staples, who will give us his view from the provincial capital. Veteran scribe Rick Bell, who always delivers the inside scoop, will also join in. And Chris Varcoe will keep an eye on the importance of the outcome for Alberta’s vibrant business community.    Unlike in years past, recent changes to the way we produce the newspaper means our printed products go to press too early to include final results. In print on Tuesday, we’ll have a piece that looks at the major issues that the new premier and government will grapple with, as well as a look at the next steps for our province overall, regardless of who wins.    Over the past number of months and the last four weeks of the campaign, we’ve worked hard to provide news, context and analysis of the campaign, as well as to provide a platform for candidates to speak to our readers directly.     Edmonton legislature reporters Lisa Johnson and Matt Black were joined by Calgary reporters Jason Herring and Josh Aldrich to cover the campaign daily as the parties painted very different portraits of how our province should be governed — yet all want our city and province to grow and change.     We gave insights on the key battleground ridings seen to be key to the outcomes of the race. The two main party leaders, Rachel Notley and Danielle Smith, had the opportunity to make their pitch in their own words on our weekend Editorial pages.    With just a few hours left in the campaign, we’ll be keeping our collective foot on the gas, ensuring that Albertans have all the information if they still need to vote, along with all the dramatic outcomes after the polls close.     Stay tuned to edmontonjournal.com for all the latest news. “Alberta Election 2023 Live” is being updated now with up-to-the-minute coverage.    Thank you for reading.   Sincerely,   Lorne Motley  Editor in chief, Edmonton Journal