The history of this day is cloudy. In fact, not one source could provide any information as to who started it nor exactly when it started. However, there seems to be a consensus that the day got some traction in the late 1990s.
Last year, a reporter from WGN in Chicago went out soliciting hugs:
And KOLN in Lincoln, NE, ran a story last year about the day and the work journalists do.
The National Day Calendar website provided the most bare-boned explanation of the day: “National Hug a Newsperson Day (formerly National Hug a Newsman Day) on April 4th encourages appreciation for the people reporting the news.”
The site added:
“Your local newsperson reports on the days’ events in your community. They keep you informed of important political news, businesses in your community, weather, traffic, crime, and education updates. When it comes to the national news, the local news reporters apply local perspectives. While events may happen thousands of miles away, a local newsperson knows it impacts their views still.”
Days of the Years provides a great timeline of journalism history, all the way back to the Gutenberg movable-type printing press.
It added some nice words for our profession as well:
People who bring news, whether locally or from around the world, offer a service to communities by informing them of current events and educating them on global happenings that they wouldn’t know about otherwise.
National Hug a Newsperson Day was founded to show appreciation and care for the people whose job it is to make the world a more informed place.
National Today had some fun with the explanation:
“Warm up those hugging muscles, because on April 4, we’re showing our appreciation for newspeople in a big way. That’s right, we’re psyched to celebrate National Hug a Newsperson Day! This is the day we give huge shout outs to everyone who helps us stay updated—from major anchors like Anderson Cooper to that weather guy who correctly pronounced Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch without skipping a beat. (Look it up—it’s amazing. He deserves the biggest hug of all.) So, get ready to hug your favorite news anchor, even if that means wrapping your TV in a super weird embrace.”
This site also noted that John Cameron Swayze became the first television “anchorman” in 1948. It also provided some activities for the day:
- Hug a newsperson (duh) We’re sure you saw this one coming, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you to show those newspeople some love. Take note though: we’re not telling you to stalk your super-famous favorite TV anchor. Your local weatherman needs as much love and appreciation as Anderson Cooper! Find your local anchors and give them the best hugs of their lives.
- Read (or watch) the news If you already read the news every day, you’re a great person and we love you. But if you don’t, this is the perfect time to turn over a new leaf. Pay tribute to your favorite newsperson by watching his or her material! You might even want to branch out and discover new news anchors you enjoy watching. They work hard so we can stay informed; make sure their efforts don’t go unrealized.
- Drop your favorite local newsperson a line National news anchors probably already know how much America relies on their coverage. That’s why you need to tell your favorite local newsperson how much you appreciate him or her. Local news anchors are a lot easier to reach than national ones, and they’ll be so happy that you took the time to write to them. They’ll be reassured that all the days they woke up at 4 in the morning weren’t in vain after all!
It also discussed why the day is important:
It’s important to stay updated
It’s important to be an informed citizen, even when there’s not an election coming up. But let’s face it—it can be hard to keep up with the news all the time. And that’s why newspeople are so important. We love them all, from the writers that make us look forward to reading their articles to the news anchors who are entertaining (or cute) enough to make us want to tune in every week. They all deserve hugs!
They put in the work
Did you know that news anchors have to wake up in the ballpark of 2 – 4 AM every day to (literally) get the show on the road? And reporters have to be on call every minute of every day to report on trending news? These people sacrifice all of their free time so we can stay informed. We appreciate their effort and commitment to the news, and think it deserves to be commemorated.
They’re always professional
Newspeople put aside their personal opinions and report on the news impartially, so that people on both sides of the aisle can stay informed. It takes maturity and intelligence to put aside your personal opinions to show both sides of an issue—even if you think one side is completely wrong. Plus, we’re sure they’ve developed enviable game faces. If we ever decide to play poker professionally, we want the face of a news anchor.
This last one is an important point about why support of the Society of Professional Journalists is important. A lot of journalists around the country volunteer their time to run local SPJ chapters, such as the Washington DC chapter, to provide programming that enhances and expands journalists’ skills. These local chapters also provide resources to local journalists on defending their First Amendment rights and filing Freedom of Information requests.
So spread the word and the hugs. (All with permission, of course!)