The Year in Newspaper Carrier Heroism

By: Andrew Beaujon | Poynter

In his Thanksgiving address, President Obama thanked “the first responders and medical professionals who work through the holiday to keep us safe.” With all due respect to firefighters, police officers and all the others who form a barrier between civilization and chaos, there’s still a group whose contributions to public safety go largely unremarked: Newspaper carriers.

The early hours and travel down residential streets this job requires means newsies are better positioned than even homeowners to notice when something is amiss. They are uniquely qualified to notice early morning fires while residents slumber, for instance. Herewith, a catalog of just some of the ways newspaper carriers have saved lives, protected property and thwarted mayhem in 2013. If you’re fortunate enough to be served by one of these individuals, a year-end tip is the least you can do.