There are two versions of the cover of the Charleston City Paper this week thanks to what is the journalism equivalent of an unforced error in tennis.
The printed version, which you can find starting Friday at more than 700 locations around the area, shows a smiling picture of former Gov. Mark Sanford. It illustrates a story inside the paper that showcases his third separate bid to win a seat in the U.S. Congress. (He first ran in 1994 and won three terms. Then after serving as governor from 2003 to 2011, he ran in a special election in 2013 and then won full terms in 2014 and 2016.)
Unfortunately, this week’s City Paper cover became moot Wednesday evening when news came out that Sanford was suspending his campaign. Instead, he said he would push his much beloved agenda of fiscal conservatism – the very thing that was the focus of the story – through a nonprofit.
All of this caught us flatfooted. We sent the printed version with him on the cover to our printer Wednesday afternoon, but didn’t find out about the change until after the paper was printed. (We have to send electronic files of each week’s issue early to the printer, which is in Seneca, so it can be delivered Thursday night and our drivers can make their rounds on Friday morning.)
Quite frankly, with what happened, we kind of feel like we got a little Appalachian-trailed on this one, even if unintentionally. (IYKYK).
When we recovered from what happened, we decided to do three things: Update the cover story that’s online with an editor’s note, offer this commentary as a more detailed explanation of what happened and update the printed cover with a big red X over Sanford’s face to illustrate how things changed.
We’re not mad at Sanford, but a little disappointed that we got put in this situation. Oh well. But we suggest that you rush to wherever you pick up the printed issue each week and grab a copy. It’s now sure to be a collector’s issue. We just hope we don’t see it on eBay.
For his part, Sanford apologized Thursday. “I am so sorry,” he texted. “My doubts had been growing and a conversation … broke the dam and it cascaded from there.”
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