Reflecting on Potter mania
I spent last week covering the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was, to say the least, really crazy. Not the people or the book, just the hype around Harry Potter in general.
I think, as journalists, we fear that we may potentially over cover an issue. There was no way to do so with this release. It was, no doubt, the most read book this weekend. (For the record, I finished my copy at 10:20 a.m. yesterday morning while eating strawberry waffles.)
After four Harry Potter stories, three of which were on the front page of the newspaper, the other was a GuideLive cover, I can definitely say we covered Potter fully and fairly. Michael Mooney did a great Potter story on Sunday as well. He reported it all Saturday as people like me were reading the book.
I think it’s fair to say, looking back, that the interns handled the Potter mania quite well.
Comments
Wow, 5 posts in 2 hours. That has to be some kind of record.
Posted by: Matthew Haag | July 23, 2007 11:18 AM
I think, perhaps, my post last week about getting motivated really got people motivated. :)
Posted by: Tara Cuslidge | July 23, 2007 11:21 AM
Who would win in a fight: Frodo Baggins or Harry Potter? Neither gets to use weapons, wands or armor, just a straight up brawl.
Posted by: Josh Davis | July 23, 2007 12:07 PM
I was in the business conference room eating lunch and I looked up at the week's front pages and saw that almost everyone had either a picture of the cover, a story about the book, or both.
That being said, every time the Times ran a Harry Potter story, it was near the top of the most e-mailed list, so I guess people still really wanted to know.
Also, with the leaked versions, there was at least a news element to the story besides the fact that the book is coming out, so it added some variety.
Posted by: Vasanth Sridharan | July 23, 2007 1:02 PM
I'd say Harry would win.
Posted by: Trish | July 23, 2007 1:15 PM
Josh, if that happens, everyone wins.
I'm no Tim Donaghy, but if I was a betting man, I'd only bet on a lot of slapping and hair pulling. I doubt either Harry or Frodo is packing a big left hook.
Posted by: Ross Taylor | July 23, 2007 1:26 PM
Harry. He'd put up with Frodo's whining for all of 5 seconds.
Posted by: Kip | July 23, 2007 2:25 PM
Ross--
As one of Mark Cuban's most vocal defenders, I hate to say this to everyone, but...
Told you so!
On a more serious note, this could potentially be a bigger storm of scandal and fury than doping issues in cycling and baseball, but perhaps less than the shooting, domestic abuse, and dogfighting in football. That sound you hear? Yes, something just hit the fan.
Posted by: Kip | July 23, 2007 2:46 PM
The real question is: who would win in a fight between Potter fans and Frodo fans? The answer is: merchandisers. And maybe the Daily Show.
This was a good week for interns all over the place here. Nobody forget the great work Sonya did on several 1A stories Sunday.
Posted by: Michael Mooney | July 23, 2007 3:25 PM
I can't help but notice that Mike is both 1) Not at the office, and 2) commenting on our blog. Congratulations, Mike!
In a conversation about which fantasy character would win in a fight, you're the biggest nerd.
Posted by: Josh Davis | July 23, 2007 4:08 PM