Net News 54

From The Discworld & Pratchett Wiki Web site

William de Worde began his career as a reporter by gathering up news of interesting occurrences and items in Ankh-Morpork, writing them down and sending copies of this writ to several nobles in other countries, ranging from the city-states of the Sto Plains, to Lancre, to Al Khali and Überwald. When he encounters the printing press of Gunilla Goodmountain, a dwarf with grand ideas, they decide to go into business together, continuing and expanding on William’s enterprise. And so, the Ankh-Morpork Times newspaper is born.

He is currently senior editor and also head reporter.

*snip*

According to the Annotated Pratchett File, the “name is a composition of the names Wynkyn de Worde and William Caxton. In 1474 Caxton printed the first book in the English language, a translation of The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troy. In his career he printed more than 70 books, 20 of them his own translations from the Latin, French, and Dutch. Wynkyn de Worde was his successor”.

Why William de Worde?

This is an homage to one of my favorite literary characters, from one of the best books I have ever read.

My then-GF, now fiancee, introduced me to Terry Pratchett and the Discworld early in our dating history. She loaned me her copy of The Truth to read while I was housesitting for my folks.

At the time I worked for a newspaper and she thought I would enjoy and identify quite a bit with the main character: a person who, like me, found himself working as an “accidental journalist,” and doing it quite well. Quite possibly even enjoying it…

One thing about working in a newsroom, it starts to grow on you.

Why Net News 54?

I’m an old Cyberpunk-genre story fan, and Net News 54 was the name of the big media outlet in one of the books my friends bought me. I thought it was cool, and being someone who is interested at the intersection of mass media, new media and information in the 21st century it seemed to stick. But “Net News 54″ sounds so serious, don’t worry, I’m not too serious, ever.

I’m just a writing, rugby-playing, cyberpunkish nerf-herder (check your Star Wars movie collection for reference) here in New Mexico and points all over the world.

Email: On the sidebar.