Also this issue: Fan-tastic For the past 20 years, a group of self-styled freedom fighters has been sneaking into the Vet. -Daryl Gale Exit the Unicorn Einhorn's conviction is a sweet victory for those he's haunted for 25 years. -Howard Altman Fear of God and Taxes -Mary F. Patel Behind the Green Door -Daniel Brook Diverse Opinions A Daily News award rankles critics. -Deborah Bolling Can't Please Everybody The Inquirer's been accused of lots of things, but being too conservative may be a first. -D.B Dueling Dooling Newspaper Guild leaders differ on a new deal. -D.B The Bell Curve City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life

October 24-30, 2002

on media

"Rat" Infestation

Since June, staffers at the Daily News have been vying for the coveted Rat Award, an in-house incentive designed to reward reporters, editors, photographers and even truck drivers for helping to increase sales at the daily tabloid.

"We're a single-copy paper," says Jim Rattigan, the regional sales manager for whom the award is named. "That means that each day it's the front page that sells the paper."

Rattigan says that a variety of criteria are applied to determine the winner or winners of the Rat Award. It's not just cover stories, he says, but also significant contributions made by staffers in other areas.

"You could put soft stuff on the cover every day and still sell papers. But we're leaning more toward hard news, because it's the news that sells the paper."

Among the winners so far have been columnist Jill Porter and reporter Theresa Conroy for their front page story on the Lexx Street Massacre, photographer Steve Falk for his Sept. 11 insert depicting the Ground Zero "Beams of Light," and assistant sports editor Caesar Alsop for his behind-the-scenes help in the paper's exhaustive Eagles coverage.

While there is no statuette awarded, winners do receive a leather briefcase emblazoned with a DN logo.

"The Rat Award was designed to give an award each month to someone in the newsroom who has particularly propelled sales," says Editor Zack Stalberg. "The Sept. 11 edition sold an additional 54,000 copies on that one day. Not bad, huh?"

—D.B