–30–

–30– has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story. It is commonly found at the end of a press release. There are many theories about how the usage came into being,^[1][2] 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.^[3]

In Quebec, a journalism magazine is called -trente-,^[4] the French word for thirty.

In popular culture

• -30-, a 1959 motion picture about work in a Los Angeles newspaper directed by, produced by, and starring Jack Webb.
• "–30–", the series finale of the television series The Wire (2002-2008), 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.
• 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.
• 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".

See also

• Tombstone (typography)
• End-of-file
• End-of-transmission character
• ###

References