A funny thing happened....
I didn't think I'd be here to see this.
The Post's final days seemed a lifetime away when I started work at the paper fresh out of college in 1989. Sure, people talked then about the possibility of The Post closing in 2007. But I was certain I wouldn't be in Cincinnati long. My plan was to work hard, make my mark and move on to a bigger city.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the rest of my career. The Post, it turned out, was full of surprises.
Al Salvato, a veteran reporter who was the first to welcome most of the new hires, warned me early on that I might get more than I counted on from The Post. "This is a great place to work," he told me my first week on the job. "And these are some really good people."
He was right on both counts.
The Post was a boon for a young reporter. It had veterans who could show you the ropes but not so many that they'd grab all the good stories. There was plenty of work to go around and a we-try-harder spirit that made all the clichés about teamwork ring true. When one of us scooped the Enquirer, our bigger cross-town rival, we all celebrated. And in those days, we celebrated a lot.
The Post had its faults, certainly. But day in and day out it gave the Enquirer a run for its money. It also gave its reporters opportunities they might not get at larger papers. For me, that meant a chance to work on big stories with talented reporters right off the bat, from Pete Rose's lifetime ban to the Lucasville prison riot.
I also got to travel, something I never expected. The Post sent me to New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta and at least a half dozen other cities. Wherever The Post took me, I met people I otherwise might never have known. Soldiers returning from war. Doctors treating AIDS patients. Children dodging gunfire on the way to school.
So, yes, The Post was an amazing place to work. But that wasn't the only reason I stayed longer than I'd planned. The reporters, editors, photographers and artists at The Post were just as Al had described them: Really good people.
The guy who sat next to me, Michael Clark, turned out to be a terrific reporter, but he also was the best man at my wedding. Photographer Melvin Grier took great photos, but he also taught me that good journalism could be art as well as craft. Barry Horstman worked harder than anyone, but he also was a constant reminder that it was OK to have fun on the job. And my editor, Lisa Warren, rescued both my stories and my family: When my son was born, she came to my door with enough home-cooked food to feed a small army.
There are many others, of course, too numerous to mention. They are friends now, as well as colleagues. We have attended one another's weddings, celebrated the birth of children, toasted new opportunities. Every gathering, every email we exchange, is a reminder that The Post was and always will be more than just a job.
The proof, for me, is that I'm still in Cincinnati. If The Post hadn't been such a damn good job, I never would have stuck around long enough to put down roots in this town. I also wouldn't have the family and friends who make my life worth living.
Most of us eventually left The Post, myself included. We did it for all the obvious reasons. Better job security, more money, a new challenge. But it's a tribute to the place that, for so many, leaving was not an easy decision. Even though we knew The Post would one day close, it was still tough to say goodbye.
Al, who died suddenly last year, knew that better than most. He continued to work at The Post a few days a week even after he took a teaching job at the University of Cincinnati. The Post was still a part of him. My guess is Al still wanted to be around those good people he'd told me about all those years ago.
In his absence, those people have continued to put out the best paper possible despite a shrinking staff and budget. They work hard, fight for scoops and produce stories and photos that remind us every day why The Post will be missed.
I don't think Al would have been the least bit surprised.
Dan Horn worked at The Post for nine years and now is a reporter for the Enquirer.
Publication date: 12-31-2007
