Japan Produced Handwritten Newspaper After Massive Tsunami

In the wake of Japane’s recent massive earthquake and accompanying tsunami, the daily Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun, based in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture, found itself without power… So it produced new issues during a crucial time using what was available to editors – paper, and pen.

For six days, six of the paper’s staffers researched stories before passing them on to three others, who then meticulously hand-wrote the news on poster-size paper, using flashlights when natural light was not available. These “newspapers” were then published, so to speak, by pasting them at the entrances of various relief centers, so that survivors could keep up to date with the day’s headlines, free of charge.

Seven of the handwritten editions of the Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun have been acquired by Washington, DC’s Newseum as part of its permanent collection, and some will soon be on display at Time Warner World News Gallery.

h/t Newseum

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