When the decision to print the paper was made, returns from the US election were coming in very slowly and time was running out before the deadline for the edition. The Tribune staff, based on the early returns, decided Dewey would be the next President. After the newspaper was delivered to the street, more returns came in and showed that Truman would be the ultimate winner and be re-elected as President. The already delivered “error” newspapers were gathered for return by staff members sent out to pick them up from newsstands and homes in the Chicago area. Not all were collected, however, and the photo of the victorious President Truman holding the paper aloft has become iconic.

While clearly no-where near as disastrous as that, I was amused this morning to find that the Weekender newspaper dated 25 April 2009 has made a similar mistake by “calling” the results of the Western Cape poll prematurely.

“DA resports to coalition for control of the Cape” says the headline, and the story goes on to say:
“Intense negotiations between political parties in the Western Cape are on the cards as they try to forge coalitions of sufficient strength to take control of the province. The horse-trading will be necessary because of the Democratic Alliance’s failure to win an outright majority in the province…”

Hmmm. Ooops. With 51.33% of the vote in her handbag, Ms Zille is now to be Premier of the Western Cape, regardless of what coalition she manages to forge. Of course she may still decide to enter into an alliance with other parties, but the point is she doesn’t have to. She has won.

I’m surprised the Weekender got it so wrong. As a Cape Town resident I have been watching the results closely for the past 36 hours. And for most of them the party hasn’t dipped below 50% at all and, when it did, it was only for a short while. If they wanted to err on the side of caution they should have printed the opposite story “Majority seems likely for the DA” would have been a more accurate, safer and, as it turned out, correct headline.

Just shows the perils of Old Media who should, in an age where there is instant news all around us, capitalise on their one biggest strength – offer great insight and detailed analysis. In a rolling news environment when a story is still live when you go to print, don’t take any chances because it gives new media pundits the chance to ridicule you and tweak your nose. Tweak tweak.

The email below speaks for itself. So I won’t give you any background except to say that I sent it off this afternoon to the Weekender newspaper – as/when/if they reply I’ll keep you updated here. Email as follows:

OK now I am seriously pissed off.

On 11 September I subscribed to the Weekender at Winex. I paid by credit card, which was debited at the time for R360.

There was some delay in the subscription starting (see emails below). Eventually the first copy arrived on 25 October – six weeks, several emails, broken promises and phone calls after I had subscribed.

I have just checked my bank statement and noticed that R446.28 was debited from my account on 28 November. This attracted a service charge from my bank of R12.

My question – which should be self explanatory by now – is this: Why why why why was my account debited for this subscription when I had already paid??????? Why? For the love of the planet, the birds, trees and everything in it, why? The only reason you had my banking details at all is that, when I was complaining that my subscription had not arrived, I gave you the bank details requesting a refund. You didn’t refund me. YOU DEBITED ME. Why? Can someone – anyone- explain?

This is not acceptable. This is far from acceptable. This is so bloody ridiculously unacceptable any last vestige of goodwill I had toward your paper has gone. Editorially the paper is awesome – well written, great design, some of the best content there is in South African journalism. But isn’t it amazing the extent of the brand damage crap admin can cause? No matter how much I enjoy the paper, I no longer wish my front lawn to be sullied by its presence on Saturday morning (it arrives late anyway, it’s easier for me to get in my car and go and buy it. Not that I would, now. I’m just saying that I could if I wanted to.) It is too stressful being a subscriber of yours. I thought it would be easy. The cheerful woman at the subscription stand at Winex gave me hope. But I realise now that, maybe, that was the wine speaking. Or hearing. Whichever. It was the wine. Not reality.

So here is what is going to happen:

1. You are going to credit my account R446.28 plus the R12 service charge. Let me do the maths for you…..you are going to credit me with R458.28. And you are going to do so TODAY. I don’t care if your financial manager has to draw it from petty cash, get in his car and drive to FNB to deposit it him or herself. It is my money, removed from my account without my permission. That is stealing. It is against the law. You may not take money out of someone’s account unless you have the permission to do so. You have never acquired nor sought such permission from me. It is illegal. Like downloading pirated music. Smoking in aeroplane toilets. And driving the wrong way down a one-way street with stratospheric alcohol levels in your bloodstream and your pants around your ankles. Illegal. Wrong. And just a little bit sinister.
2. You are going to cancel my subscription. Immediately. I never, ever, ever want a copy of Weekender in my house. Is there any way at all I can make this clearer? Cancel it. Remove all record of me from your system. Give me my money back and forget that I ever existed. I have had six copies of my 52 week subscription. The remaining 46 copies? I honestly, genuinely don’t give a flying monkey’s butt what you do with them. Sell them to some other poor sod. And I’m going to be generous and not ask for a pro rata refund of my subscription of R360. Keep it. Buy yourself a little something. Like a new accounting system. Or spend it on marketing – entice people to subscribe to your paper and then screw them around endlessly. It obviously gives you great amounts of pleasure to do so.

Can I make myself any clearer at all? Is there anything vague or ambiguous in what I have written? If so, please let me know and I will write it out with giant wax crayons and post it to you. Or come to my blog – a copy of this letter will be going up there. Maybe the pretty background will help you understand it better.

Thank you.

Tony Lankester

PS Someone called Gugu from your “Subscription hotline” is currently running around your building trying to find out what the story is. Please be kind, track her down and tell her not to bother any more. It’s over. We’re done. It was fun, but it is over.

PPS Why are you charging customers R446 for an annual subscription when your website says the price is R416.50?