Journalism has three main branches — print, radio and TV.

Each requires different talents and skills and as the old joke goes, its your face that ultimately determines which branch you fall into.

“He has a face for radio,” for instance, really means he isn’t eye-appealing enough to be on TV.

Print, or newspaper, folks are supposedly the ones without the pretty faces or the commanding voices.

In my journalism school the student TV station was on the first floor, steps from the main entrance. The newspaper and radio offices were in the basement.

I’d argue that there is some truth to the old joke, but it’s not strictly about appearance. We have many beautiful people in The Democrat building, so it’s about more than the face.

Newspaper people — for the most part — are used to being in the background. We are taught to blend in at events. We sit away from the center of action, but close enough to hear. And we’d rather be behind the camera, not in front.

Once we get the story, we rush back to our office to hover over a computer, be left alone and work.

So Friday night should be interesting.

The problem with newspaper people is they have wonderful, creative, big picture ideas. This time last year, Ben Hillyer dreamed one up. It was too late to take action then, but hey, there’s always next year.

Next year arrives Friday afternoon when we start hauling computers to the Vidalia Riverfront.

The annual Relay for Life is two days away and our plan is still far too sketchy for my personality type. The idea is basic: Let’s put the paper out from the Relay site. Let’s project the front page onto a huge screen and let passersby see what it actually takes to get the paper out each night.

Those interested will have the chance to see a blank page become a front page. They’ll see us write one headline, erase it, try again, erase it, skip it and come back later. They’ll see our photographer sort through hundreds of photos — from the night’s events, mind you — and choose the one that will go on the front page.

It’s a process that still amazes us daily. We’re hoping it might amaze you too.

Logistically, it’s a nightmare. The projector might not work, we are discovering. And being without Internet just plain scares me. We still have strict deadlines to meet, and we can’t foresee all the potential problems.

But the scariest part of the plan has nothing to do with the logistics and everything to do with our faces.

We aren’t used to performing for a crowd. We don’t like being the center of attention. And we’d rather wander through your tents asking questions and reporting the facts than have you come to ours doing the same.

But Friday night isn’t about us. It’s about thousands of Americans battling cancer and those who have survived it. It’s about 3-year-old Tony Fields Jr., Vidalia teen Paige Staggs, Trinity graduate Kyle Dunaway, Natchez resident Jennifer Steckler and the late Janet McCann. It’s about the fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles and siblings of our staff who have fought the disease.

The Natchez Democrat will have its first Relay for Life team this year. We decided to start small with a goal of $500. We’ve had a penny drive and a garage sale, and Tuesday afternoon we met our goal.

We’ll do more Friday night, and some of our plans are likely to fall through. But hopefully we’ll learn a few lessons for next year.

So, come see us and all the other teams Friday night at Relay for Life.

This cause is too important to ignore.

The event is too fun to miss.

Julie Finley is the managing editor of The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or julie.finley@natchezdemocrat.com.