'Nasty nocturnal shifts'

I worked the overnight for about 27 of my 31 years at Reuters, either by myself or as part of a team [‘Nasty nocturnal shifts’ go as Reuters merges regional desks]. I picked up the phone hundreds of times to alert staffers and managers, work national stories in areas with no stringers and chase CNN newsbreaks. I took three calls from Air Force One. While science shows that no individual can function at 100 per cent all the time on those hours, I think it’s a bad idea to leave the hemisphere unprotected. Clients will complain. ■