USA Today at 20: the inside story; two tumultuous decades have passed since the magazine was launched, providing an open forum for the viewpoints of the nation's leaders and other experts.

Two tumultuous decades have passed since the magazine was launched, providing an open forum for the viewpoints of the nation's leaders and other experts.

Nineteen seventy-eight was a year of hope and tragedy. Progress was made for peace in the Middle East, while the seeds of discord were sown in Iran. Scientific breakthroughs promised a better life for millions, including the birth of the first test-tube baby. The nation was on a financial roller coaster ride. In the midst of that tumultuous year on Planet Earth, USA Today was born.

Twenty years ago this month, in the first issue, Publisher and Editorial Director Stanley Lehrer's Open Letter introduced "a national magazine that, in addition to expanding the reader's intellect, offers a thematic focus on a subject of worldwide importance--the U.S.A." He went on to indicate that "The primary aim of USA Today will be to provide professional, thought-provoking probes into what makes us tick as a nation.... We will devote ourselves to careful examinations of our men and women, hopes and fears, ideals and illusions, expectations and disappointments, strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures."

Looking back from the vantage point of 1998, Lehrer says, "I can't believe it. Where did the 20 years go? The speed of time has to be accelerating. To me, the 20 years feel like 20 hours. Through it all, the experience has been very enriching."

Each day, newspaper headlines and television and radio broadcasts proclaim what is happening across our nation and around the globe that impact in one way or another on the lives of Americans. As the staff of USA Today set out to help breathe life into the concept of the new magazine, they kept coming back to a pair of key questions: What triggered these events? What will be their effects in the near and distant future?

How could the fledgling publication possibly compete with major news organizations to gather these stories? Then, with the sort of inspiration that sometimes fortuitously springs from the loins of necessity, the answer came like a revelation. Why run with the pack to interview the movers and shakers concerning today's headlines? Why not invite those prominent men and women to share their insights and the story behind the story directly with our readers?

A brilliant idea, we less than modestly thought, but would it work? What would lure America's leaders to the pages of USA Today? This time, the answer was easier. Simply offer them an open forum to present their views, no matter how provocative, no matter whether they go against the grain and irritate the majority, no matter if feathers are ruffled and sacred cows challenged. Offer a nonpartisan magazine that would allow them the freedom to espouse their causes, no matter how controversial. All that we would insist upon is that the viewpoints are responsible and no one proverbially yells "Fire?" in a crowded theater.

Well, as the cliche goes, the rest is history. Build a better mousetrap, the old adage says, and the world will beat a path to your door. In our case, we provided an open forum, and the nation's leaders rushed to fill our blank pages with inside stories of what had brought the U.S. to its current state, what is wrong and needs change, and how to accomplish the often revolutionary steps to improve Americans' lot.

Why was this idea so successful? Lehrer feels that "all people involved in serious endeavors welcome the opportunity, from time to time, to express themselves. I didn't see any magazine around doing that. Moreover, having experts pen their own articles is a bonus for our readers--they know the article they're reading was signed by a specialist. It adds more value to the piece."

Still, it wasn't that simple. "You would have to start your own new magazine to understand all the hard work that has to be put into such an endeavor. It's a very exciting time when you're a part of an emerging magazine, and you hope the goals you've set can be reached."

An eclectic mix

Who is responsible for putting the magazine together? As with any successful organization, it all starts at the top. At our summit is Stanley Lehrer, the creator of the magazine and the USA Today name. His background is impressive: former Publisher of School & Society and Intellect magazines and Publisher of School & Society Books. His many books spanned nearly two decades with such titles as Automation, Education, and Human Values; Education and the Many Faces of the Disadvantaged; The Countdown on Segregated Education; Conflict and Change on the Campus; John Dewey: Master Educator; and Leaders, Teachers, and Learners in Academe: Partners in the Educational Process. At the beginning of the 1960s, he had a regular radio program in New York called "Report on Education" while he was Publisher of School & Society.

His extensive maritime collection, including many Titanic artifacts, has served as a basis for contributions to major exhibitions in the U.S. and England and to such books as Lost Liners and the best-selling Titanic: Legacy of the WorM's Greatest Ocean Liner. Presently, he is collaborating with Beverly McMillan, Vice President (Marketing and Publications), The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Va., on a new book, Titanic: Fortune & Fate, to be published this summer by The Mariners' Museum/Simon & Schuster. The largest block of artifacts from the Lehrer Titanic Collection is featured in the Titanic exhibition at The Mariners' Museum.

Lehrer even extended his reach to Broadway by providing a lifejacket from his collection to be used as a model for those created for the Tony Award-winning musical, "Titanic." From his vantage point as a Titanic collector/historian, he was able to bring about full-color publication in America for the first time of Titanic artifacts on view at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England. In our March 1995 cover story, "Titanic Today," we presented items that had gone down with the ship more than eight decades ago.

While ruling with a stem pen and insisting on maintaining high standards of journalism, he nevertheless encourages the free flow of debate among the staff, much like the debates in our pages. The ultimate decisions are his--echoing Pres. Harry S Truman's oft-quoted "The buck stops here"--but other voices are not stifled in the process of making those decisions. His rallying cry as inexorable deadlines bear down has always been the warning of how fast Mondays become Fridays, so keep things moving.

Managing Editor Robert S. Rothenberg has served as circulation fulfillment specialist at School & Society and Intellect as well as USA Today. In addition to his full editing plate, he has found time to author numerous travel pieces for the magazine, along with book, video, and product reviews. It's no exaggeration to say that USA Today would remain on the drawing board each month without his day-to-day efforts to keep material moving through the pipeline, even though he frequently has been accused of skating too close to the edge of deadlines. Perhaps this is due to Lehrer's constant reminder that the unofficial symbol of the magazine should be a plunger--inelegant, but necessary to unclog periodic jams.

Associate Editor Wayne M. Barrett is a bulldog when it comes to hounding authors whose manuscripts are past deadline and tracking down the photos that give the magazine a lively look. Before joining our staff, he was a sportswriter, music and movie reviewer, and editor for a national cable TV magazine. While he'll delight in telling you about the most memorable World Series, Stanley Cup, NFL playoff, or college bowl game he has covered, he's just as passionate about other issues, and this is reflected in his "Sportscene" column, book reviews, and the features he has written for the magazine over the past nine years.

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