Printing press lets Dawn down

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 3 July 2012 |  JP Staff Report

Dawn readers in Islamabad did not receive Tuesday’s edition after the paper’s local printing press broke down. The press later restarted, initially producing non-colour copies, as managers investigated the cause.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — On Tuesday, many regular readers of Dawn newspaper in Islamabad were left puzzled when their morning copy failed to arrive. What initially seemed like a routine delivery lapse turned out to be a rare technical failure—Dawn’s Islamabad printing press had broken down, halting publication for the day.

"It’s something that has never happened before," one insider told JournalismPakistan.com, expressing surprise at the disruption. The breakdown, although temporary, marked a significant setback for one of Pakistan’s most respected and widely circulated English-language newspapers, which also publishes editions from Karachi and Lahore.

In response to the issue, managers at Dawn’s Islamabad office convened on Tuesday to investigate the cause of the malfunction and explore ways to prevent similar breakdowns in the future.

Later in the day, another source close to the matter confirmed that the press was operational again, although the restarted run produced non-color copies. “The printing press is now up and running and there are just no issues at all,” the insider added confidently.

There is a possibility that Tuesday’s missed edition may be distributed alongside Wednesday’s paper to ensure readers don’t miss out.

While newspaper production hiccups do happen occasionally around the world, this specific incident is considered unusual for Dawn, given its long-standing track record of consistency and reliability.