The Norwegian Newspaper

Harry was happy. Harry didn't mind if he didn't make the scene. He had a full-time job. He was doing alright. It was a beautiful evening in spring, he had a fine wife, two kind kids, his doctor hadn't seen him in ages, and today was his birthday. Forty years old. Some say, from now on, he would be on his way down, over the hill, facing death, but Harry wanted to look at his life with a different mindset: he had made a success of the first half, and now he had the experience to make an even bigger success of the second half. Life starts when you're forty.

His good mood didn't wash away when he entered his office at the newspaper's newsroom. On the contrary. He loved his job as chief editor and he loved the idea of all those readers, starting the new day with a nice breakfast, a good morning cup of coffee, and the latest news, edited by Harry Nesbø, on his birthday. This edition had to be something special. Harry was looking forward to giving it his best.

Until he saw the articles the journalists had prepared for the front page.

This was not what Harry had in mind.

His good mood almost disappeared.

Almost.

It was Harry's birthday. He wanted this edition of the newspaper to be something special. All he had to do was sit down, do his job, and make this edition one that Oslo would remember forever.

«80 cars involved in tragic accident, 12 people killed and 54 wounded»

Is that a way to start a beautiful day? It is not.

Harry started his computer and corrected the article: «Miss Prince has acquired her driver's licence. 67-year-old Miss Victoria Prince has acquired her driver's licence. This is remarkable because it took her 256 lessons and she failed the test the first 17 times, but Miss Prince did not give up, and yesterday, her effort paid off with the success she desired so much. On our reporter's question about where her first trip would take her, she answered: "Oh, that's up to Tom, my driving instructor. After so many lessons, we've become good friends. I don't want to lose contact, so I keep taking lessons." We wish Miss Prince all the best and we hope she will enjoy her permission to travel in her own car.»

«unemployment goes up again»

Is that a way to start a beautiful day? It is not.

Harry rewrote the text: «New job opportunities stimulate economy, education and public health. Many sectors of our society have welcomed the government plans to stimulate every person who's been unemployed for one year or more. They consist of a combination of free classes for a new profession and an exemption of income taxes for the first two full years of his job as a new self-employed worker. Teachers will get lots of new and highly motivated students, public healthcare looks forward to seeing the number of depressed people go down fast, and many unemployed people are looking forward to this new chapter in their lives. In cooperation with employers and consumers, the ministry of employment has made a list of the most-needed professions. People who study can be guaranteed the desired reward of a job. The costs of education will be much lower than the costs of current support for unemployed people. Sectors that will benefit the extra available hands are healthcare, homes for elderly people, recycling garbage, and commercial services.»

«80 people killed in a terrorist attack.»

Is that a way to start a beautiful day? It is not.

Harry thought there was something far more important to tell: «100 different sorts of tulips are blooming this week. Spring has started in the most colourful way: blooming flowers dominate the parks and gardens of our cities. The most popular is the tulip. Its pink, red, orange, yellow and white flowers are the living proof that spring has arrived.»

Harry felt great. They would remember his birthday as the first day in Norwegian history without bad news on the front page. He updated all the headlines and changed every article. He even added some photos from the newspaper's archives. Five minutes before the deadline, he was finished. He checked everything one last time, closed his office, and went home, to get some sleep and wake up with the latest news.

* * *

It wasn't his alarm clock that woke him up the next morning; it was his mobile phone that didn't stop ringing until Harry answered it. The message was short and to the point: "You're fired."

"Good morning to you too, Boss. Is it alright if I wake up first?"

"It's alright if you wake up first, and after you woke up, you're still fired."

"And why is that?"

"You've invented a complete front page of nonsense and filled today's paper with it. People don't like to read about Miss Prince and her driver's licence. People want to read about fatal car accidents and bombs in the Middle East and unemployment going up."

Harry interrupted his boss: "Have you asked every reader personally? Or is this just your opinion?"

"It's the opinion of our bookkeeper, who tells me at the end of the year that we sold sufficient copies to pay the costs. Many people want to pay for the news we give them."

Harry interrupted his former boss again (the only risk he took was to be fired, and he was already fired, so he didn't care): "If you would give me the choice, I'd like to hear good news. Instead of you telling me I'm fired, I prefer to hear you talk about my promotion..."

The boss had become the boss because he never lost a fight, knowing when to change the topic: "This is about telling the truth. We're a serious newspaper. What's that nonsense about giving free education to unemployed people? The government hasn't even discussed it."

"Well, perhaps they should consider thinking about it. It's an excellent idea."

"I'm not even going to discuss this with you. You're fired. Have a nice rest of your life."

Harry's wife was already up. She heard half the conversation, the part her husband spoke, and asked: "What was that about?"

"I'm fired. Yesterday was my birthday. I thought that our readers for once could do without all that bad news, but my boss was furious about it and now I'm without a job. They say life starts when you're forty, but this is a start I didn't see coming. What do I do now?"

Harry's wife was not only handsome but also full of beautiful ideas. She thought about it and answered: "Call the reception of the newspaper and ask if they got any reactions from readers."

Harry decided to have a cup of coffee first, and a shower, and a shave. Then he called the reception of the newspaper.

"We've had about 200 reactions already. The phone hasn't stopped ringing.", the receptionist answered.

"And how many calls do you get on a normal day?"

"Between 5 and 20, mainly from subscribers who didn't receive the paper."

"I suppose getting 200 reactions is a good result, isn't it?", Harry asked.

"Not all were delighted, if that's what you mean. Most were surprised and asked why all that good news was there, many asked if it was true or if it was invented, and some called to say they liked it."

Harry decided: "Although I can't work at the Oslo Telegraph anymore, I did like that job and I'm good at it too. Nobody can stop me from starting my own newspaper. I'll call it «The Good News Paper». If 200 people call the office of the newspaper, and the morning has just started, it means there is a market for good news. Do you have anything urgent things to do today, dear? It's the first time in my life I start a new newspaper, and I might need some help. Fortunately, I read an article about a Miss Prince who didn't give up and acquired her driver's licence after 17 unsuccessful exams and 256 lessons, so I shouldn't give up either. There might be some unemployed people who would like to help, writing articles and taking photos. Good news should not be hard to find. I might give them free training. If we don't make a profit for the first two years, we don't have to pay taxes either. It's good that our government supports initiatives like mine. It motivates me to make this big new exciting step in my life. But perhaps I should start the day, buying a bunch of tulips for my wife; the bright colours are a perfect way to say 'thank you' for always being there when I needed help."

At that moment, Harry's phone rang again. It was a foreign number calling. Loooong distance. A voice said: "We have just read your work. We like the fact that someone helps the people of his country to look at our world with bright eyes and colourful tulips."

Harry answered: "Thank you. I can even give you better news: I'm going to start my own newspaper, filled with good news only."

"That's indeed good news. I have some good news for you too. If you like, you can get the exclusive rights for Norway to publish our series of seven novels about the Luxembourg Spy Department, as a feuilleton, both to get your paper filled and because those books are full of positive ideas and funny jokes. Your readers will love them and... we can even pay you a small amount of money in return for the favour you do us. I guess that money will be welcome during the startup of your new paper."

Harry closed the deal. The good news was doing what was expected: positive thoughts will always be followed by positive experiences. Things were going well, and that made him happy. It wasn't even his birthday, just a beautiful morning in spring.