–30–
–30– has been traditionally used by journalists to indicate the end of a story. There are many theories about how the usage came into being,[1]e.g. from that number's use in the 92 Code of telegraphic shorthand to signify the end of a transmission in the American Civil War era.[2] In another theory, the "-30-" originated when stories were written in longhand; X marked the end of a sentence, XX the end of a paragraph, and XXX meant the end of a story. The Roman numerals XXX translate to 30.
The expression "No 30" at the end of a page (or a transmitted submission) signifies that the story isn't completed, and the recipient is to expect additional material. This helps to avoid inadvertent truncation.
In popular culture
- -30-, a motion picture about work in a Los Angeles newspaper
- "–30–", the series finale of the television series The Wire, itself capping a season concerning the media and the Baltimore Sun.
- "30", an episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent about a poisoned reporter. The title employs irony as this is the end of the reporter's life.
- In several Superman stories from various titles, failure by a Daily Planet employee to use this signature proved to be a plot point revealing a character's impersonation, mind control, etc.
- The title of –30–: The Collapse of the Great American Newspaper by Charles Madigan is taken from this practice.
- –30– was the title of the editorial in the 30th and final issue of Steve Jackson Games' Roleplayer, a newsletter which supported the GURPS game during the late 1980s.
- At the end of the 1952 film, Park Row, about the birth of the New York Globe in 1886, the film ends with the word "THIRTY" displayed instead of "THE END".
- In A Hare Grows in Manhattan, Bugs Bunny, thinking he had dispatched the leader of a pack of dogs, said, "That's -30- for today!"
- At the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, pictures of reporters who frequented the place are posted on the walls. If the reporter is deceased a -30- is noted on the picture.
References