MORNING COFFEE in the house is not complete without the presence of newspapers. And newspapers can not get to the home of their readers without the services of a newspaper deliveryman. For hundreds of years, newspaper pamphlets have played an important role in the print media and sustained the economy of many impoverished families. They connect the print media with their readers and become one of the odd jobs for children to help their parents.
The newspaper loper first appeared in New York, USA, in 1833. Bruce J. Evensen in American Journalism and Experiences records the work of Benjamin Day, a publisher of a penny press called New York Sun.
Day has worked to print the inaugural edition of New York Sun on September 3, 1833. He is too beautiful to do the same thing the next day. "So he put up an ad for the unemployed to peddle his newspaper," Bruce wrote.
A 10-year-old boy read the ad. She went to New York Sun's office and told Day that she was interested in getting the cheap newspaper. How to buy multiple copies. But there is a discounted price that can be obtained from different prices.
The boy's name is Barney Flaherty. He started working the next day. "Being the first of thousands of newspaper runners who then sell their wares throughout the day and bed behind the city on the day," Bruce continued.
Then print media publishers in the United States. The specialty of the customers is that they do not have to look for newspapers on the sidewalk. They just wait for the newspaper to come to the house. Here the newspaper delivery job began to narrow: no more peddling newspapers, as well as delivering newspapers to customers' homes.
The names sohor never visited as a newspaper deliveryman in his childhood. Among others are Harry S. Truman, president of the United States 1945-1953; Martin Luther King Jr., a leader of equality; and Warren Buffet, a great businessman. NBCnews called newspaper pamphlet has become a living rite for most children in the United States.
Newspaper Letters in Indonesia
In Indonesia, the presence of first-time newspaper loper has not been precisely tracked. But they were already milling about in the big cities of the Indies in the 1920s.
The 1920s became a growing business of print media in the major cities of the Dutch East Indies. This business is growing in the city because the people of literacy are more Latin in the city than in the village. The colonial government first built schools in the city at the beginning of the 20th century rather than in the village.
The growing number of literate urban people in the city encourages an increasing need for information. Print media provides a variety of information. On this side they need people to channel information to their readers. While on the other hand, some people also need work. Including school children.
R.H. Iskandar Suleiman, a former student of the Hollandsche Indische School (HIS) -the grade of elementary school-in Batavia in 1920, expressed his memories of working as a newspaper delivery boy. She needs money for school fees and family life.
Iskandar had a career with Sugimin, a student of Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (Mulo) -a junior level-around his residence. He knows Sugimin's daily life outside school hours.
"Sugimin financed his school from his own sweat as a newspaper crane (Het Nieuws van den Dag) newspaper every afternoon," Iskandar writes in "From Grandma's Up to Stand Up", contained in Prism, No. 10, October 1979.
Iskandar told Sugimin that he needed a job. He wants to be a krantenloper like Sugimin. His wish came true when Sugimin took him to the publishing office of Het Nieuws van den Dag. Here he got a job from the paper as a krantenloper.
Iskandar works from 15:00, after school. "I have to deliver a newspaper in the Menteng area for 96 addresses, mostly Dutch homes," Iskandar wrote. He finished working at 20.00.
During the delivery of newspapers, Iskandar many gained experience of joy and sorrow. "Unfortunately, because I can receive almost 10 silver a month (big enough amount at that time, and sorrow, because I often get a nasty dog trouble and nagging subscriptions, if the newspaper is slowly delivered)," added Iskandar. Several times he also despised his school friends.
Iskandar did not bother about the insults of his school friends. He went through this job until he sat on the bench MULO. This phase of his life path begins to change. Someone offered him a job at the press.
Iskandar took it and later told him the ins and outs of the press to become editor of Muhammadiyah magazine, the monthly organ of Muhammadiyah.
The story of a newspaper delivery work change someone's life is also experienced by Andi Hakim Nasution, former rector of the Bogor Agricultural Institute 1978-1987.
"I used to be a newspaper runner," said Andi in Femina Vol. 20, 1992. He recalled that time in 1947. The difficult times for many families in Bogor because of the situation of the revolution. But by becoming a newspaper pamphlet, he can help the family economy.
Another experience of being a newspaper deliveryman came from Herlina Kasim 'The Pending Emas'. He volunteered for the liberation of West Irian during 1960-1965. In Soasiu, North Maluku, Herlina seeks the weekly publishing of Karya.
"My week is meant as a tool in this area to shake the spirit of the people facing the West Irian problem," Herlina writes in Herlina Pending Emas.
Herlina concurrently served as general and loper leader. "Fuss too for me. In Soasiu there is no street name and house number, my newspaper is between people who would like to subscribe, "Herlina continued. But the work received less welcome. The more days, the more demanding the demand. Even if the work is free print media.
Even Herlina had trouble finding someone who wanted to become a newspaper delivery boy. He compared the newspaper's punctual work in Jakarta with Soasiu. "As far as I know, the passengers in Jakarta or the newspaper sellers have good income and are working odd, some are in school," Herlina noted.
Why is it that Soasiu people are not interested in being a newspaper deliveryman? Herlina said it was because the work was not paid, but the obligation to the nation and state to help spread the idea of West Irian liberation.
Now the newspaper papers are faced with a new problem: the industrial revolution 4.0. This revolution changed the direction of the media business from print to digital form. And it will affect the future of newspaper delivery work. Will they survive or crush the industrial revolution 4.0?