Role after Watergate highlighted
in news of former president's death

By Kate Kennedy

The death of Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president of the United States, was played prominently on most front pages today.

The Birmingham (Ala.) News called Ford the “accidental president” because he was the only president never elected to the presidency or vice presidency. Ford took office after President Nixon’s resignation, and The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., quoted Ford in headline type from his swearing-in ceremony on Aug. 9, 1974.

Many headlines focused on Ford’s role in helping the nation heal after Watergate. “President was breath of fresh air for a country beleaguered by Watergate scandal, Vietnam War,” The Modesto (Calif.) Bee said. “A steady hand/Assuming presidency amid turmoil, Ford remembered for ‘integrity, kind instincts,’” The Orange County (Calif.) Register said.

The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel published a 1974 photo of Ford and Nixon. The Rocky Mountain News noted: “He never 2nd-guessed himself on his most famous act: pardoning Nixon in 1974.”

The news was announced late Tuesday night. Most newspapers published an Associated Press story, and some referred to updated coverage on their Web sites. A few front pages did not have the news. Ford’s age – 93 – appeared in many headlines.

Ford’s death competed with the news that Saddam Hussein’s death sentence was upheld by an Iraqi court. The Washington Post topped its page with news from Iraq and published a lengthy story about Ford in the center of Page One.

Ford lived in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and The Desert Sun in Palm Springs published a staff-written story and produced a 10-page special section on its area’s “most prominent resident.”

The former president vacationed in Colorado, where The Denver Post said: “Ford loved Vail, and it was mutual.” The newspaper pictured Ford on a 1975 ski trip with members of the U.S. Olympic ski team.

In the past year, Ford underwent heart procedures at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where the Star Tribune of Minneapolis noted that Ford was the longest-living former president. News of Ford’s death and the sale of the Star Tribune to a private group were printed side-by-side at the top of the page.

Ford was a Republican congressman from Michigan, and the Detroit Free Press’ coverage included a 2002 photo and a 1975 photo from Traverse City, Mich.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

News about Iraq broken by the Post,
picked up across the country

By Kate Kennedy

Big-city newspapers drove today’s news with exclusives on Iraq.

President Bush acknowledged in an interview with Washington Post reporters that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq. “Bush says for the 1st time,” the newspaper said in describing the admission.

The president also said in the interview that he plans to increase the size of the U.S. armed forces. The news was first reported Tuesday on the Post’s Web site and followed this morning in newspapers across the country, including in The New York Times, which credited the Post.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East plans to retire. Army Gen. John P. Abizaid’s “departure could clear way for a more aggressive strategy” in Iraq, the Times said. The Chicago Tribune reported on the escape from custody in Baghdad of a Chicago-area engineer accused of corruption. The case could develop into a diplomatic problem, the Tribune said.

A photo captured the beginning of Freedom Tower’s construction at Ground Zero in New York. Newsday on Long Island filled its tab-sized front page with the image and the headline “Rebirth.”

In Seattle, residents still are dealing with the aftermath of a fierce windstorm. “Six days later, more than 160,000 without power,” the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said. Six deaths since the storm have been attributed to carbon-monoxide poisoning, and the Seattle Times dedicated the top of its front page to warning residents — in English and in five other languages — about the dangers of carbon monoxide.

It was a town of 2,500 – Russell Springs, Ky. – that was featured in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader and The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. Miss USA, a Russell Springs native, was in danger of losing her title because of problem behavior. The newspapers reported relief from her hometown when she was reprimanded but not fired.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Bad news from ongoing stories tempered
by bowl excitement, Christmas miracle

By Kate Kennedy

Dire news from Iraq topped many newspapers after the Pentagon said attacks against American and Iraqi targets had reached their highest level — almost 960 a week.

“Iraq in a dire state,” The Hartford (Conn.) Courant said. The Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne, Ind., added: “Pentagon points to Shiite militiamen as gravest peril.” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pictured Robert Gates being sworn in as the new secretary of defense and quoted him as saying the United States “simply cannot afford to fail in the Middle East.”

“Climbers may have fallen,” The Register-Guard in Eugene, Ore., said in continuing to report on the search for climbers on Mount Hood. “Fading hopes,” said The Fresno (Calif.) Bee, which pictured family members awaiting news. “Pair may have been swept to deaths” by 100-mph winds, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reported.

The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel was among newspapers localizing FBI violent-crime statistics. The murder rate in the tourist destination more than tripled in the first six months of 2006, compared to the same time the year before. The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, took a different angle to crime, reporting that stealing lottery tickets is a bad bet: “Odds of getting caught are better than odds of winning.”

With a hint of front-page stories to come, the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, teased to college-football bowl games that begin tonight: “Bowl full of fun to begin.”

Predictions about holiday travel were made by newspapers in many corners of the country. But the Casper (Wyo.) Star Tribune had a different transportation story. “Boom dings snow removal,” said the newspaper, reporting that snow removal on interstates and state highways in Wyoming will be lacking because of a shortage of snowplow drivers.

A few newspapers tried to explain the unexplainable. The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer was among McClatchy newspapers that reported on “why the teen years are so hard on young people — and on their parents.” Hint: Changes in teens’ heads. The Salinas Californian pictured a Christmas “miracle” and quoted visitors to a tree as saying the branches cast shadows on its trunk that create an image of the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Jesus.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

From lights to cards to gifts,
season’s stories greet readers

By Kate Kennedy

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Holiday stories have been creeping onto front pages since Thanksgiving. But with Christmas just days away, the countdown has begun — at least in Indianapolis, where The Star published “what you need to know about the next 7 days” in a left-hand column.

Get your cards and packages in the mail, many newspapers reminded readers. But The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post said: “The tradition of kids writing letters to Santa is fading faster than Nativity scenes at the town square.” And The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown, Pa., quoting Hallmark Cards, reported that adults are sending fewer Christmas cards.

In St. Paul, Minn., energy-efficient lights were touted as “clean and bright,” and in Clarksville, Tenn., the grand champion of a Christmas lighting contest decorated the page.

In Columbus, Ohio, The Dispatch noted a special gift from a judge to 23 convicts: “Christmas behind bars.” They’ll sit in jail on Christmas Day as an alternative to prison terms.

“Tis the season for a food fight,” said The Daily Telegraph in London, which reported on the prospects of shopping chaos on Christmas Eve, a Sunday when retailers can be open only six hours. The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., listed toys that might hurt children’s hearing, and The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press summed up the season with: “Women fight holiday stress with fork.”

The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City graphed the probability of snow on Christmas. It might be merry in many places, but it’s not going to be white.

There was no joy in the news from Mount Hood in Oregon, where the body of a missing climber was found. “Grim find on Mount Hood,” The News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash., said. The San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News expressed optimism in the search for his climbing companions: “Hope lives for his two friends.”

“Your nose knows,” said the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in reporting on a study that found that the human nose can use clues from both nostrils to track scents. The bottom line from The Cincinnati Enquirer: “Hope for finding hidden chocolate.”

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Breast-cancer rate takes steep dive;
record media use keeps us plugged in

By Kate Kennedy

Good news about breast-cancer rates was shared on many front pages this morning. “Breast cancer rates in the U.S. take a stunning drop,” The Buffalo (N.Y.) News reported.

The pink ribbon that has come to signify the fight against breast cancer accompanied the news in The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk and The Bakersfield Californian, which described as landmark a 15% decline in the most common form of breast cancer from August 2002 to December 2003. “Decline likely linked to hormones,” the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald explained.

“Senator’s illness is center of attention,” The Seattle Times said in continuing to report on the health of Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson. Why? “Uncertainty in the Senate,” The Gainesville (Fla.) Sun said. As the South Dakotan continued to recover from brain surgery, the Los Angeles Times reported that “never has the Senate forced a member out of office because of a physical or mental inability to serve.”

“A tragic accident,” The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer declared in a large package on an investigation that concluded Princess Diana was killed in car driven by a drunken driver traveling at twice the speed limit. The three-year, $7.3 million police investigation ruled out a conspiracy. But The New York Times said: “The Final Word on Diana’s Death (Don’t Bet on It).”

“Perpetually plugged in,” The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee said on a U.S. Census Bureau statistical abstract predicting that in 2007 Americans will spend 65 days watching TV. The Gazette in Colorado Springs took a different approach to the report being released today, offering a “What do you know?” quiz to test how much readers know about their fellow citizens.

The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader quoted Web sites as saying Miss USA — a Kentuckian — might lose her crown because of inappropriate behavior at bars. Said the Daily News of New York: “Crown and out.”

“Town Bucks a Trend,” The Hartford Courant said in reporting on Great Barrington, Mass., where a nonprofit is printing money. The currency – backed by federal dollars at banks – was introduced to encourage the local economy. It’s all perfectly legal.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Local news knocks Iraq off front;
reporter sympathizes with angry snake

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Most U.S. dailies took a break from Iraq war coverage and concentrated on backyard news today. South Dakota newspapers, as well as others in the region and in Washington, D.C., played large the sudden illness of Sen. Tim Johnson, an influential Democrat. Headlines focused on the senator’s stroke-like symptoms and rush to the operating room. Subheads speculated about the effect his absence would have on the precarious balance of power in the Senate: “Illness sparks talk about his replacement,” Argus Leader, S.D.; “Sudden illness roils U.S. Senate,” The Fresno (Calif.) Bee.

A multi-state raid of illegal immigrants working at Swift & Co. meatpacking plants made the top spot in several affected areas. The Des Moines (Iowa) Register had a big front-page package emphasizing the number of arrests (1,282) and pulling out a stern warning from Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff: “It could easily happen elsewhere. We’re going to try to make it inhospitable to break the law.” The St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press hit the story hard, too, and focused on the personal toll the raids had taken on families: “Worthington still reeling after raid; Community scrambles to handle fallout.”

North Carolina newspapers played catch-up to a Wednesday Washington Post feature on a crisis that has befallen a prominent Tarheel family. Family members of the Rev. Billy Graham are fighting over where the evangelical leader eventually will be buried. The Charlotte Observer put some added value in its coverage by getting the reactions of Anne Graham Lotz and Franklin Graham to the Post’s report. The Winston-Salem Journal said the ailing elder Graham “has a Solomon-like decision to make.”

Holiday stories continued to make appearances on many front pages, but the Anchorage Daily News took today’s prize for most unusual. Reporter S.J. Komarnitsky urged readers, who may be struggling to find the perfect last-minute Christmas present, to avoid Palmer resident Scott Rounds. Seems Rounds has been searching diligently for a good home for his “beloved” pet Amazon tree boa, called Nekiza. But the six-and-a-half-foot-long Nekiza is not easy to love. “He hisses. He spits. He strikes. He literally bites the hand that feeds him.” He even put his owner in a chokehold so tight he couldn’t swallow. But reporter Komarnitsky’s reporting showed a smidgen of Christmas spirit: “Bad attitude aside, that doesn’t mean Nekiza isn’t worthy of some sympathy this holiday season.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Page One waits for Bush;
good ol’ boys get busted

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Iraq news made it back out front today in dozens of U.S. dailies. Most focused on the announcement that President Bush — expected to make a major Iraq speech before the end of the year — wouldn’t. The Christian Science Monitor called the delay “Bush’s rethink on Iraq.” The Intelligencer Journal in Lancaster, Pa., focused on the consultations the president has had on the situation since the Iraq study group’s report: “White House debates delay Bush’s new strategy on Iraq.” Other Page One editors topped their Iraq stories with the Pentagon’s call for more troops to quell sectarian violence: “’Double down’ approach needed in Iraq,” The Miami Herald International Edition. West Hawaii Today emphasized the near-daily death reports: “Carnage in Iraq.”

A different kind of carnage had New York readers glued to their news. The daily crush of bodies in subways and on sidewalks has reached a new high, and the government is worried. “Apple jam — NYC 2030: Mayor begins planning for a crowded, inhospitable future,” AM New York. The New York Sun had a somewhat less-dire headline: “Bloomberg prepares for a 25-year boom in the city.” The mayor’s plans certainly would cost “many billions of dollars,” the Sun reported.

Holiday carnage continued its appearance on many front pages. Several newspapers picked up a survey that found that the burden of holiday planning most often falls on women and that, as a consequence, nearly half experience “unhealthy levels of stress” during the season. The Cleveland Plain Dealer quoted one woman who lost her composure after a 16-hour day of baking: “Tears were running down my face” because she didn’t have time to put up Christmas lights. Ladies tended to cope by eating chocolate and drinking lots of liquor, the report said.

Perhaps that explains the top story in today’s Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.: “MOONSHINE BUST IN HANCOCK COUNTY.” Reporter Ryan LaFontaine detailed a major illegal alcohol bust that yielded a still capable of producing 250 gallons of moonshine a month. The alleged culprit: 63-year-old Willie “Junior” Necaise. ABC agents were at a loss to explain the brew’s popularity when folks could get Jack Daniels and Jim Beam at the local liquor store. They also warned potential consumers that the brewing conditions were less than sanitary: A batch of the hard stuff was found marinating in a car’s radiator. (The reporter didn’t provide the make or model.)

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

International focus shifts to Jerusalem;
Scrooge invades newsrooms

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many U.S. dailies filled international slots with datelines from Jerusalem; several gunmen there killed three young brothers, the sons of a Palestinian security officer. Headlines emphasized the killings while subheads tackled the context: “The boys’ father … was said to have been involved in a past crackdown on Hamas,” The Providence (R.I.) Journal; “Fears rise of wider Hamas-Fatah tensions,” The Philadelphia Inquirer. One Canadian newspaper didn’t parse its summation quite as carefully: “Gaza nears civil war,” National Post, Toronto.

Other U.S. newspapers kept international news out front but bypassed the shootings story to focus on remarks from outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The Kansas City (Mo.) Star, reporting on Annan’s appearance at the Truman Museum in Independence, headlined its story “Annan urges America to use power wisely,” but used the subhead to address reactions: “Were remarks critical of U.S. policy? Some observers think so, while others find them a tribute to Truman’s values and actions.” The Washington Times had a more definitive headline: “Annan accuses U.S. of losing its principles.”

Elsewhere across the nation, editors’ attentions turned to the coming holidays. Some pieces had a bit of a harder edge than the usual seasonal stories about community pageants, gift-giving and the like. Washington state newspapers were filled with the Christmas-tree trauma at Sea-Tac Airport. Last week, 14 trees were removed after a rabbi threatened to sue the airport if it did not install an 8-foot menorah as well. Today’s headlines showed that Christmas spirit had returned to the terminal: “Airport re-decks the halls,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The story made front pages 3,000 miles away: “’Controversy is ridiculous,’” Beaver County Times, Pa. The Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin had its own Christmas calamity to deal with: “Jewett City defies atheists; Borough won’t silence chimes.”

The nation’s employers would do well to note such holiday grumbling, reported the Los Angeles Daily News. After spending a great deal of time and money planning seasonal office parties, three out of four workers surveyed said that the affair is to be dreaded rather than enjoyed. “Office parties fall into two categories: boring or uncomfortably crazy,” the News quoted an Ohio-based executive as saying. Instead of having “stuffed chicken, rice pilaf and strong drinks,” employees would rather just get a day off.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Dictator’s death sparks analyses;
Dr. Moreau — not-so-sci-fi

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The death of former Chilean leader Augusto Pinochet at age 91 prompted front-page coverage in that country and around the world. El Mercurio in Santiago said that Pinochet had a “profound impact.” The San Francisco Chronicle detailed that impact in a Page One story that said he was “revered by supporters for leaving behind the most stable country in Latin America but reviled by critics who say he ruled with complete disregard for human rights.” Most U.S. headlines focused on Pinochet’s reputation for cruelty: “A brutal icon passes,” Hartford (Conn.) Courant. Others led with Chileans’ emotional reaction to the news: “Pinochet’s death sets off clashes,” Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald.

The Iraq war stayed out front in dozens of U.S. dailies; political fallout from the bipartisan study group’s report was a popular angle. The Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass., led with the Iraq president’s criticism of the group: “’Insult to the people,’ Talabani charges.” The Austin American-Statesman went with the overall instability of the Iraqi government: “Move to oust Iraq leader in brewing.”

Elsewhere in New England, American presidential politics dominated. Possible Oval Office contenders have started to reach out to early primary voters, and news from the “live free or die” state indicated the race was on: “Obama tests N.H. waters,” Valley News, West Lebanon. The Illinois senator apparently made quite a splash: “Obama fever grips NH,” Union Leader, Manchester.

Finally, a bizarre bit of science news from across the pond caught the eye of The Washington Times. Editors fronted a London Sunday Telegraph report that Britain was modifying its laws on human embryo research. Among the changes: Scientists will be able to create a human embryo from two women, thereby relegating some men to decidedly more tedious household chores. And the story only got weirder. In a development ripped from the pages of many a bad science-fiction novel, scientists now will be allowed to create embryos that are “part human, part animal.” The British health minister was careful to reassure readers who might be startled at this pronouncement: “The overarching aim is to pursue the common good through a system broadly acceptable to society.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Bundle up…deep freeze settles over
Iraq, weather headlines

By Michael Fetters

An intense Arctic chill in the central U.S. produced season’s-first snowfalls in many cities as well as Page One features on the dropping temperatures. Images of traffic pileups, children playing in the snow and bundled-up citizens were the illustrations of choice for many newspapers.

But the cold snap seems to have had a subliminal effect on headline writers from coast-to-coast, as dozens of dailies were in lockstep on their language choices when it came to describing President Bush’s reaction to the Iraq Study Group report released earlier in the week. “Cool” was the top choice by a wide margin, but “cold,” “cold shoulder,” “chilly,” “icy” and “lukewarm” also showed up. A number of papers, including the Macon, Ga., Telegraph, and Indiana’s South Bend Tribune, ran “Bush cool” headlines right next to their winter weather features.

Apparently, if one really wants to be cool, or at least appear so, one must get hip to instant messaging. A survey conducted by the Associated Press and AOL reveals a wide “instant messaging gap” between adults and teens. The results received significant below-the-fold play and gave writers a chance to display unconventional headlines, including “Y RN’T U IM-ing?” (Casper Star-Tribune) and “R U dwn w IM” (Longview News-Journal).

A few papers did buck the cool trend. The Christian Science Monitor reported on a Senate hearing on global warming, paying particular attention to the testimony of skeptics. Across town, The Boston Globe went with a feature on “(RED)-hot” consumer products – from T-shirts and sneakers to iPods – that have been developed to raise funds to fight AIDS. The campaign was created by rock star Bono and Kennedy family member Bobby Shriver. According to the Globe, (RED) campaign officials believe that the money collected so far in the U.S. will pay for putting 45,000 AIDS patients on life-extending treatment for a year.

Now that’s a heart-warming thought.

Michael Fetters is director of marketing and communications for the Newseum.

Two wars – one past, one present –
dominate Page One coverage

By Michael Fetters

The 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the 79 recommendations in the report of the Iraq Study Group battled it out on the front pages of U.S. dailies today.

Across the country, papers marked the WWII anniversary with first-person accounts from local eyewitnesses. Many editors noted that today’s scheduled reunion is likely the last for survivors. “A Final Farewell,” declared the West Hawaii Today and the Winston-Salem Journal.

For the current war in Iraq, however, editors chose from a variety of headline approaches. “Time is running out,” was a popular pull-quote, as were “dire” and “grave and deteriorating.” “It’s Bush’s move,” said The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., and Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa. The Charleston, S.C., State got right to the point with a “Now what?” banner.

Graphically, many papers went with a photo of President George Bush meeting with the 10-member commission, while others illustrated with images from the front lines in Iraq or with the actual Iraq Study Group report itself. Images of Bush and commission members were on many Page Ones in Europe in the Middle East, as well.

Two spacey stories also showed up on front pages, particularly in cities where the aerospace industry rules. “Flood of Possibilities,” noted the Orlando Sentinel in response to photographs of the Martian surface indicating that water may still flow on the planet’s surface. FLORIDA TODAY led with that item as well, but previewed the space shuttle launch scheduled for this evening. Several papers along the U.S. east coast noted that the launch may be visible to their readers.

Finally, The Roanoke Times was one of the papers going with the aforementioned “grave” headline in describing the Iraq report, but it was an article on a very different type of grave that shared above-the-fold coverage. After more than four years of excavation, Vatican archaeologists believe that they have recovered the sarcophagus – dating at least to A.D. 390 – of the Apostle Paul. Heavens!

Michael Fetters is director of marketing and communications for the Newseum.

Fresh eyes examine Iraq policy;
NYC takes fresh approach to eating

By Kate Kennedy

Candor appealed to Page One editors, as Robert Gates’ statement that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq made front pages across the country.

“Former CIA director seems to contradict president, wins committee’s favor,” said The Ledger in Lakeland, Fla. Gates’ nomination to be the next secretary of defense won unanimous approval from the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Boston Globe quoted Gates as saying his “‘highest priority’ will be to give President Bush candid advice.”

New York City’s ban on trans fats made headlines in the Big Apple and beyond. “That’s oil, folks,” AM New York said. Artificial trans fats — linked to heart disease and other illnesses — are found in commercial baked goods, French fries and salad dressing, noted the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, which charted how chain restaurants are making changes. The Record in Stockton, Calif., used a heart in its “Arteries love N.Y.” headline. The World-Herald in Omaha, Neb. – known for its steaks – called the news “A big fat legal transformation.” A nationwide restaurant trend was predicted, and the Sun-Times asked: “Is Chicago next?”

Technology also was in the news. The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer looked at how Web “networking sites tip off law enforcement on illegal activities.” The Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif., reported the findings of a Danish study that tracked 420,000 cell phone users. “Your phone likely won’t give you cancer,” it said.

Sorrow and joy were pictured on two front pages. The Daily Record in Parsippany, N.J., published a photo of a 3-day-old girl found bundled and abandoned in a van with news that authorities were trying to identify her. In West Lebanon, N.H., 7-pound, 12-ounce Eliza was born in a minivan carrying mom, dad and three sisters on Interstate 91 before the family could get to the hospital. Eliza’s 16-year-old sister “described the scene to an ambulance crew (on a cell phone), and passed along instructions to her father – all while videotaping the birth,” the Valley News reported.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Moonstruck editors find space
for latest news from NASA

By Kate Kennedy

Dreams of astronauts living and working on an outpost on the moon captured the interest and imagination of Page One editors.

The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk printed a dramatic illustration in reverse type that incorporated an artist’s rendering and the headline “NASA plans to return to the moon – for good.” Headlines in other newspapers also played up the plan for a permanent international base at one of the moon’s poles. “To the moon – and this time we’re staying,” the Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic said.

Other newspapers also used creative illustrations to tell a story. The Record in Stockton, Calif., showed how a tiny lapel pin became key evidence in a murder conviction. The Rocky Mountain News in Denver used a graphic to illustrate that foreclosures eclipsed a record. And it was a 1989 Saab and the number 1,001,385 that helped the Milwaukee (Wis.) Journal Sentinel tell the story of a traveling salesman who kept his car going strong for 17 years and more than a million miles.

Papers in the West published the photo of the rescue of a mother and two daughters after nine days in the snowy mountains. The San Francisco Chronicle noted a “frantic hunt for dad” and published a map of the remote area in southern Oregon where the California family was stranded.

Weeks before his temporary assignment was to expire, United Nations Ambassador John Bolton resigned. The Hartford Courant played up the role that Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd had in opposing Bolton’s confirmation. “Bush says he’s unhappy about nomination block,” the St. Cloud (Minn.) Times said.

In health news, New Jersey and New York newspapers reported that dozens of people became ill from an outbreak of E. coli bacteria. The Herald News in West Paterson noted links to Taco Bell restaurants.

The Los Angeles Times reported on a study that said teens’ use of cold and cough medicine is becoming the fastest-growing drug problem across the country. “Hey Mom and Dad, pay attention,” the newspaper quoted a drug-prevention officer as saying.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Headlines look ahead at a busy week
on the Hill, in the court, on the launch pad

By Kate Kennedy

The start of the workweek brought news of what’s ahead.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock said this is a crucial week in the debate on Iraq policy. Headlines characterized what’s ahead differently. The Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal said: “White House reaffirms its Iraq stance.” But elsewhere in the state, the Las Vegas Review-Journal said: “Bush set to chart changed course.” The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post added analysis with “Bush shift on Iraq elusive.”

A landmark ruling is possible as the U.S. Supreme Court today takes up the issue of race and schools, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer said. The education story was played on front pages from Atlanta to Corpus Christi, Texas. The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., profiled the local lawyer who “will try to convince the nation’s justices to bar the use of race in deciding where students go to school.”

Thursday’s liftoff of the Shuttle Discovery is going to be a power trip, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel said, noting that work is planned for the international space station’s electrical system.

“It’s where we belong,” FLORIDA TODAY in Melbourne said of the news that the University of Florida will play Ohio State in the Bowl Championship Series game.

There was a difference in opinion in Michigan. “U-M Denied,” The Detroit News proclaimed. “U-M wronged by BCS voters,” said the headline over the Mitch Albom column in the Detroit Free Press. Instead of the championship game, the Rose Bowl is where Michigan will play against the University of Southern California.

Speaking of blue, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported that the big blue Postal Service mailboxes are vanishing. People just don’t send as many letters as they used to, so 10% of mailboxes were eliminated last year.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

When weather outside is frightful,
the news is less than delightful

By Kate Kennedy

“An icy wallop” and snow were splashed across front pages today in cities in the middle of the United States.

The early, nasty storm offered editors a chance for special effects. The Kansas City (Mo.) Star’s nameplate was superimposed over a photo of snow showers. The Tulsa (Okla.) World’s headline “Ice, snow seize city” was printed over a chilly blue background.

The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram used photos and numbers to tell the story of how “the first burly winter storm of the season” affected the area. American Airlines cancellations: 360; traffic crashes: 190.

For newspapers in Illinois, the storm was headed their way. The Courier News in Elgin provided the “scoop on removing snow.” The Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake put a forecast of six to 13 inches of snow in big type. The State Journal Register in Springfield didn’t seem enthusiastic. “Gotta be skidding,” its top headline said. “Ice enough of a problem without the likely snow.”

A revised naturalization test will debut in 10 cities next year. “Are you smart enough to be a U.S. citizen?” asked The Anniston (Ala.) Star, which published three questions. For answers, readers had to turn inside. The Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., noted that the test will assess knowledge of the country’s ideals. Its headline, however, didn’t pass the test. “Applicants will soon be required to demonstrate an understanding of key U.S. principals.” It meant “principles.”

The inauguration of Felipe Calderon as Mexico’s new president is scheduled for today, and California newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, noted continued turmoil over the closest presidential race in Mexico’s history.

U.S. voters might be asking “Who?” after Tom Vilsack launched his bid for the presidency. It was front-page news in Iowa, where The Gazette in Cedar Rapids offered readers a profile of the Iowa governor along with Vegas odds on Democratic rivals.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Unnamed sources aid in the
early release of Iraq war options

By Kate Kennedy

A group studying U.S. options for the war in Iraq isn’t to present its report to President Bush until next week, but its call for a gradual pullback of combat troops led many newspapers.

“Considered a compromise, the report avoids a specific timetable,” said The Oregonian in Portland. Stories identified no sources by name because members of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group are not to talk publicly until the report is issued Dec. 6. The New York Times quoted four people “involved in the debate” who “agreed to outline its conclusions in broad terms to address what they said might otherwise be misperceptions about the findings.” Newspapers, including The Miami Herald, published a New York Times News Service story.

Some front pages were left with the old news that a Wednesday meeting between President Bush and the Iraqi prime minister had been canceled. With its original reporting from Amman, Jordan, the Los Angeles Times was able to report that the two met today and “agreed to speed the training of Iraq security forces.”

News that a radioactive substance was found aboard British Airways jets was on front pages in the United Kingdom and the United States. The substance was linked to an investigation into the poisoning death of a former Russian spy, The Daily Telegraph of London said.

Newspapers along the Gulf Coast marked the end of the 2006 hurricane season and celebrated a lack of storms. “Whew!” said The Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla., published “10 reasons to be glad it’s over.” No. 1: “You can finally eat or give away your leftover hurricane food.”

In parallel headlines, the Houston Chronicle said: “Goodbye, hurricane season. Hello, wintry weather.”

The weather also made news from San Jose to St. Paul. November was Seattle’s wettest month on record, and The Seattle Times compared it with December 1933, the previous record. The newspaper aptly noted that 1933 also was wet for another reason — the repeal of Prohibition.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Globe-trotting pope,
president dominate int'l news

By Mike Fetters

The arrival of Pope Benedict XVI in Ankara, Turkey, was the dominant Page One image of international newspapers and also received significant coverage in the U.S. Headline and caption writers seemed to split evenly between emphasizing Benedict's efforts to create an "authentic dialogue" between Christians and Muslims and the pope's support — related by Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan — for Turkey's admission into the European Union. The visit is Benedict's first to a Muslim country in his 19-month-old papacy.

Meanwhile, another world leader's "first visit" also made headlines. President George Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Estonia. A morning press conference with the Estonian president provided fodder for front-page reports that U.S. troops will remain in Iraq "until mission is completed." Several papers, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, paired the presidential press conference coverage with a report from The New York Times about a classified memo by the president's national security adviser expressing doubt about Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ability to control the violence in that country.

The trendline on holiday stories continued to move upward, but "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" shopping features were replaced by a number of Nativity narratives. One Nativity scene was "shelved," reported The Columbus Dispatch, because the Reynoldsburg, Ohio, mayor didn't want to appear to be favoring one religion over others. Meanwhile in Chicago's Daley Plaza, the movie "The Nativity Story," was removed from a list of holiday display sponsors because the sponsorship was considered by some to be too commercial. The Beaver County (Pa.) Times reported on a vandalized statue of Mary outside of the Holy Family Catholic Church in New Brighton.

Mike Fetters is the director of marketing
for the Newseum.

Readers get FAQs on Iraq;
police crack nut case

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The Iraq war again made the top spot in many dailies. Some news agencies have shifted their nomenclature in describing the country’s Sunni-Shiite conflict, and that change was reflected in several headlines: “Experts say U.S. can’t stop Iraqi civil war,” Idaho Statesman, Boise; “Civil war in Iraq near, Annan says,” The Washington Post. Memphis’ Commercial Appeal painted a bleak picture with its headline, taken from a statement by a Middle East expert: “’We’re not in control.’” The president’s diplomatic efforts trumped expert interviews for several front-page slots: “President urged to include Iran, Syria in talks,” The Denver Post; “Diplomacy livens,” The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.

Big business news beat out foreign policy on front pages in Michigan. Ford Motor Co.’s announcement that it had put up its entire operation as collateral for an $18-billion loan dominated newspapers. Both major dailies characterized the move as extremely risky and used casino chips to illustrate: “Inside Ford’s $18-billion gamble,” Detroit Free Press; “Ford bets the house,” The Detroit News.

In Alabama, editors put late-breaking sports news out front. The University of Alabama fired head football coach Mike Shula Monday afternoon and said a national search was on to replace him. Football fans couldn’t miss the huge photos of a shunned Shula: “Tide rolls over Shula,” Press-Register, Mobile; “Tide turns on Shula in late-night firing,” The Birmingham News.

In the midst of civil wars, business woes and people getting fired, The Modesto (Calif.) Bee turned to the police log, of all places, for a little levity. Seems the Merced County sheriff’s department had a big bust, and the Bee made much of it in a story headlined “Nicked nut stash turns up; 2 arrests.” The cops nabbed two men with more than 133,000 pounds of stolen almonds and walnuts (estimated street value: $400,000). A detective assured readers that the nuts had been secured and would be “returned to their rightful owners." The investigation continues, but for now, the cops have cracked this nut case wide open.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Reports reflect unease over Iraq;
‘… and doggone it, people like me’

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Jumping back into hard news after a feature-filled holiday weekend, many newspapers led with an update on the Iraq war. The stories were different, but the headlines gave the same (bad) impression. The Bradenton (Fla.) Herald focused on the daily battles between Shiite and Sunni Muslims: “Baghdad neighborhoods descend into civil war.” The News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tenn., ran a report on the U.S. political struggle over the war: “Leaders losing patience. Congress’ calls for Iraq solution grow as Bush heads to Mideast.” An AP report on the dangers facing Iraqi security forces caught the eye of The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette: “Staying alive a full-time job for Iraqi police.” The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle in Cheyenne sounded a note of defeat: “No end for Iraq atrocity.”

A lot of front pages had holiday hangover stories. Motorists’ traditional Sunday trek back from grandma’s Thanksgiving table generated headlines. In the Northwest, snow and ice got in the way of a peaceful drive home: “Slippery, snowy finale for holiday weekend. Slow goings in mountains for trip home,” The Seattle Times. Things weren’t much better in Utah: “Get the shovels out,” The Salt Lake Tribune. The Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald gave readers a small lift — “Holiday air travel mostly smooth sailing” — but then reported the inevitable holiday highway tragedy — “Five die in I-80 wreck during freezing drizzle.”

Sports news had its usual Monday front-page slot. Losing teams’ hometown headlines were particularly catchy. Newsday gave the New York Giants no love: “Giant collapse: Once-promising season in shambles.” The Philadelphia Inquirer didn’t take it easy on the Eagles, either: “Birds roasted.” The Philadelphia Daily News gave the Colts’ quarterback his due for the 45-21 routing: “Peyton Place.”

Finally, quite a few editors looking to lighten the depressing Page-One load pulled out an AP report on a new happiness study. Researchers used to think that folks’ “happiness thermometer,” once set, remained fairly constant throughout life. But apparently there’s hope, even for those with low-happiness temps. One simple, but supposedly effective, tactic: At the end of the day, think of three good things that happened. “The quality of my dreams has changed, I never have trouble falling asleep and I do feel happier," one participant reported.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Turkey Day gets complicated;
wild pigs menace Texas

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Newspapers were all over the map today with their choices for top stories. Some U.S. dailies led with wire-service reports that 34-year-old Pierre Gemayel, a prominent anti-Syrian leader in Lebanon, had been assassinated in Beirut. The story was big news in the Middle East; front pages juxtaposed photos of the young politician with people mourning him in the streets. British newspapers paid a good amount of attention to the Gemayel story, too, but The Herald in Glasgow, Scotland, seemed more interested in a journalism scandal. Seems the venerable BBC admitted that it had offered its reporters 100 pounds “to find new angles on the police inquiry into the cash-for-peerages affair,” The Herald reported. The e-mailed offer, which came from a political news director, has touched off “a furious backlash across the political spectrum.”

Australians also were in a stew today over a statement by Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe that he not only was going to skip the world championships, “I’m actually going to discontinue my professional swimming career.” Thorpe is a multi-millionaire athlete beloved by his countrymen, so the news shocked sports fans; accordingly, the story was splashed large on front pages Down Under. The Age in Melbourne confirmed that Thorpe was really throwing in the towel: “That’s all, folks!”

Back in the states, Page One editors worked on different angles to cover that uniquely American holiday, Thanksgiving. Traditionally regarded as a warm-and-fuzzy time for families, Turkey Day also comes trimmed with some cold, hard facts that some editors highlighted: “Have holiday, will travel: Millions of us will spend part of holiday on the road. Here’s what we’ll face,” Erie (Pa.) Times-News. Holiday travelers apparently faced dozens of breast-feeding women at several airports. The women staged a “nurse-in” to protest the treatment of a breast-feeding airline passenger.

Finally, residents of Fort Worth, Texas, learned today that on top of travel troubles and bare breasts, they have another worry: feral pigs. The Star-Telegram ran a huge front-page feature titled “Feral pigs go hog-wild in Texas.” The porkers are taking over, state wildlife official Mark Mapton said. The state estimated that that 2 million to 4 million feral pigs are causing $50 million in damage a year. And apparently they’re really mean: They’ve chased shoppers through parking lots. They’ve “menaced a jogger” in a state park. So Texans should steer clear and keep watch on their farm animals, too, Mapton said, because a feral pig will eat just about anything, even “an ol’ billy goat, if it gets a chance.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Ala. bus crash stuns;
bad day for O.J., ‘Kramer’

By Christy Mumford Jerding

A deadly school-bus crash in Huntsville, Ala., dominated the state’s newspapers. The Huntsville Times gave over its entire front page to the accident; its simple, huge headline — “Oh, my God” — conveyed the community’s reaction to news that a “horrific crash” had killed three teenage girls and sent 15 other people to the hospital. The accompanying photo showed what was left of the bus, crushed after a plunge from an overpass, and police officers trying to keep bystanders away from the scene. The Birmingham News went with a less dramatic, more poignant photo of a young man checking on an injured student at the scene. The Montgomery Advertiser immediately localized its story: “Area school bus drivers put safety first.”

Across the rest of the United States, celebrity news made its way onto front pages. O.J. Simpson found himself back out front; a highly publicized deal for a book and television interview about the Nicole Brown Simpson/Ron Goldman murders, which reportedly would have brought him more than $3 million, was canceled after a lot of criticism. The San Francisco Chronicle zeroed in on the role of Rupert Murdoch, owner of the book’s publisher and the Fox network, which was to broadcast the Simpson interview: “Murdoch bows to uproar.”

Another entertainer got lots of negative front-page attention today. Actor Michael Richards, best-known as the beloved “Kramer” from TV’s “Seinfeld,” apparently launched into a racist tirade at a recent stand-up comedy show. An audience member captured it on video and uploaded it to the Internet, and condemnation from all directions was swift. Entertainment press, such as Red Eye, Chicago, gave the “Kramer fallout” story a lot of play. Metro in Boston captured the public’s dismay over the dust-up the best: “Michael Richards: What the hell?”

Finally newspaper editors’ attention turned to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Stories on holiday woes (“Nothing can stop Thanksgiving travel,” The Times, Shreveport, La.) and worries (Black Friday? Uhh … unsure consumers await day after Thanksgiving Day sale,” Highlands Today, Sebring, Fla.) began to show up in a few dozen newspapers. The Sun Journal in Lewiston, Maine, chose to chastise readers in advance for their overeating: “Don’t gobble til you wobble.” The story included some groundbreaking advice from a nutritionist on how to handle the holiday: When you feel full, stop eating.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

A tale of 2 dresses:
Bush scowls, Katie smiles

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Foreign policy got a lot of attention here and abroad today. Some newspapers led with wire-service reports from Baghdad on a visit by the Syrian foreign minister. Several U.S. front pages played the news as a welcome assist: “Syria offers help for Iraq,” St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times. The Portland (Maine) Press Herald’s headline and deck gave more context: “Iraq needs timetable, Syria urges. Damascus makes a rare diplomatic visit to Baghdad, and may help to tighten border control.” The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch ran the Syria story but led with the Iraq death toll: “No letup for Iraq: 715 die in 8 days.”

Newspapers played President Bush’s diplomatic visit to the Far East about even with the Syria/Iraq story. The South China Morning Post concentrated on discussions about North Korea’s nuclear tests. The dominant art on Page One of Indonesia’s Pedoman Raykyat revealed the hostile reception awaiting Bush — it showed a large, defaced poster that portrayed the president as a green-skinned, bloody-mouthed vampire.

Front-page editors had more than the usual president-on-a-dais image to work with today. During the visit, Bush and other world leaders donned traditional Vietnamese outfits — to the Western eye, they looked like they were wearing bright blue dresses. One image in particular, with Chile’s Michelle Bachelet in pink surrounded by men in blue, was popular. The photo editors of The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Washington Times all chose it for Page One. None of the fellows looked particularly thrilled to be wearing the ao dais; nary could a photo of a smiling Bush be found.

But it was smiles all around for Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise. Their wedding-day photo got a good amount of play from entertainment-centric dailies. Although weekend TV coverage depicted a fan frenzy in Italy, where the ceremony was held, the Italian newspapers that participated in the Today’s Front Pages online exhibit completely ignored the story. The Daily News in New York teased readers with hope of a snarky story about Holmes’ attire: “News verdict on THAT dress.” Alas, no bile awaited. The News declared the $2.6 million — yes, that’s right, million — Armani gown “sleek and chic.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Page One finds winning combination
in politics and college football

By Kate Kennedy

From rivalries come winners and losers, and today’s front pages featured both.

In Rep. Steny Hoyer’s home state of Maryland, The Sun of Baltimore featured news of his election as House majority leader. Hoyer defeated Rep. John Murtha for the spot, despite support for Murtha by Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi. “Pelosi wins top spot in House, but quickly loses pick for No. 2,” said The Record in Stockton, Calif. In Murtha’s home state of Pennsylvania, The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown pictured the representative under the headline, "Dems spurn Murtha."

The country’s top college football teams meet Saturday. USA TODAY called the game that pits No.1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Michigan the “makings of the greatest ever.”

• The Detroit Free Press led the newspaper with coverage of a deadly shooting in the city and the dangers faced by Michigan reservists serving in Iraq. But above its nameplate, the newspaper pictured Michigan’s quarterback and the headline: “Why Michigan will win.” The newspaper’s three answers: The run, match-ups and coaching.
  
  
• Confident in an Ohio State win, Buckeye fans already are making travel plans for the Bowl Championship Series title game Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz., The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported.
  
  
• The Plain Dealer’s front page in Cleveland included a story about ticket scalping and promoted a 28-page special section inside the newspaper.
  
  
• The Cincinnati Enquirer featured houses divided — family members who have dueling rivalries.
  

Looking for a win against dangerous changes in climate, "Scientists float idea of dirty sky as answer,” said The Oregonian headlines in Portland, reporting on a suggestion by a Nobel laureate that deliberate pollution could help cool the planet.

The skies also made news in North Carolina, where The Charlotte Observer led with "11 deaths blamed on fierce storms" and published a photograph of a destroyed mobile-home park.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Comebacks rewrite history —
or at least make front-page news

By Kate Kennedy

It’s hard to resist the story of a comeback.

“US Airways leaps from near death,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said, to make an $8 billion hostile bid for Delta Air Lines. A “deal would put US Airways at No. 1,” said the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, among the newspapers that tried to predict what a merger would mean for fares at local airports.

Sen. Trent Lott, who four years ago was forced to step down as Senate Republican leader, returned to the GOP limelight by being elected Republicans’ No. 2 in the Senate, said the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo. “Lott’s comeback complete. How sweet it is,” The Sun Herald of Biloxi said at the top of its front page.

“Guess who’s coming to town?” asked the Daily Progress in Hampton Roads, one of many Virginia newspapers announcing that Queen Elizabeth II is coming back to Jamestown. The British monarch will attend a 400th anniversary celebration in May. She and husband, Prince Philip, first visited the Jamestown Festival in 1957.

O.J. Simpson’s photo returned to many front pages with word that he has written a book, If I Did It. “O.J. Simpson back in the spotlight – What’s he thinking?” the San Francisco Chronicle asked. “Juicy volume leaves bad taste,” The Fresno (Calif.) Bee said.

PlayStation also returned to Page One as gamers and those looking to make a profit began standing in line for Sony PlayStation 3, which goes on sale Friday. “For play or profit, they feel it’s worth the wait,” said The Post-Star in Glens Falls, N.Y. The Star Tribune in Minneapolis said the excitement shows “how much video games have become a part of American popular culture.”

The top military commander for the Middle East warned at a Senate hearing that now is not the time to cut troops in Iraq. The Orange County (Calif.) Register charted troop levels, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted a “harsh spotlight” on commanders and political disagreement on bringing some troops home.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Iraq kidnappings downplayed;
hunting flap takes bizarre turn

By Christy Mumford Jerding

No unifying national story on U.S. front pages today; many newspapers ran stories on a mass kidnapping in Baghdad but judged the story second or third or fourth to local news. The Eagle in Bryan-College Station, Texas, played the kidnapping story fairly prominently and also fronted a report on Iran’s nuclear capability. The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch ran a McClatchy Newspapers report on the “brazen daylight kidnapping of at least 100 people” across the bottom but gave over most of its front page to a feature story on Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith.

The opening of the first slots casino in Pennsylvania dominated the state’s front pages. The Philadelphia Inquirer documented the crush of people at the Mohegan Sun: “You would have thought they were giving away money by the way people lined up.” The Patriot-News went with “Let the games begin” and noted that “The Donald” Trump made an appearance. The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa., let a bystander write its headline: “Oh my gosh, here they come.”

In North Carolina, news from the Baptist State Convention in Greensboro got a lot of ink. The top news item came from the passage of a resolution that “the state’s largest religious denomination will no longer affiliate with churches that embrace openly gay members.” The News & Record’s subhead shed some light on internal debate over the resolution: “Church shouldn’t cast stones, dissenters say.” The News & Observer reported that said debate, however, was “polite and orderly.”

Over the last week or so, several newspapers have reported on the start of deer-hunting season. But the New Hampshire Union Leader’s top story today will be hard to beat. Seems the Derry town conservation commissioner apparently lost her cool over regulations about hunting on conservation property. A town official accused the commissioner of trespassing on his property — and bringing him a severed deer head. The commissioner resigned. She said she needs time to recuperate from Lyme disease.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Emotional display moves editors;
unseemly e-mails flummox officials

By Christy Mumford Jerding

A rare display of emotion from public officials caught the attention of Page One editors today. Although presidents Bush and Clinton spoke at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial groundbreaking in Washington, their photos didn’t merit much front-page space. Instead, editors overwhelmingly chose images of speakers who broke down in tears during the ceremony. An Associated Press photo of seven notables — including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, his left hand covering his face, and a tearful Rep. John Lewis leaning on a shovel — showed up in several newspapers. The Sun in Baltimore went with a photo of Jackson comforting former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young, who wept as he described the time leading up to King’s assassination in 1968. Reporter Joe Burris described the scene: “The weather was raw, as were the emotions of people who had waited decades for such a tribute to the slain civil rights leader.”

A few dailies followed up on yesterday’s Iraq war-policy story. President Bush’s meeting with the “Iraq Study Group,” a panel studying U.S. options there, elicited varied — and somewhat contradictory — headlines: “Bush cautious on Iraq options,” The Press-Democrat, Santa Rosa, Calif.; “Bush is pressed on Iraq,” Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald; “Bush holds ground on Iraq pullout,” The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.

A First Amendment story made the top spot in The Courier News in Elgin, Ill. Jury deliberations began Monday in the Illinois Supreme Court’s chief justice libel suit against the Kane County Chronicle in Geneva. The justice asked a jury for at least $8.5 million in “emotional damage and loss of reputation” over columns that “accused him of trading one of his votes for a political favor.” But the front page of the Chronicle, perhaps under lawyers’ advice, made no mention of the case.

Local government officials in Decatur, Ala., were having a tough time of it today, too. Some “racy” e-mails that circulated among the county’s human resource director, chairman and mayor have touched off an independent investigation as well as Page One news coverage in The Decatur Daily. The so-called “calendar girl” e-mails apparently contained photos of “nude and scantily clad women.” Jack Underwood, the originator of the e-chain, didn’t bother to deny the allegation in the Daily story: “I did it. I just did it.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Party politics still played prominently;
breeding buck not man’s best friend

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Amid a mix of local news and long-lead features, last week’s election results — and their potential effect on the Iraq war — continued to get attention from many dailies. The Denver Post picked up a Los Angeles Times story that put the focus on the incoming majority party: “Dems to push phased pullout; Iraq policy is top priority.” The Oregonian in Portland went with a similar angle but also noted in its subhead that “Bush advisers reject a timetable.”

Other newspapers took a different approach to the Iraq-policy story. The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La., led with the recent death toll in Iraq and statements from the Iraqi prime minister that U.S. forces should retreat to their bases and let national security forces take over. The Lufkin (Texas) Daily News emphasized a comment from the White House that “a fresh approach” was needed: “Bush open to ideas on war in Iraq.” A few dailies chose to lead with members of Congress returning to work post-election: “Lame duck in session,” Metro, Boston; “Lame ducks take roost,” Erie (Pa.) Times-News.

Florida newspapers gave a good amount of attention to its island neighbor: “Castro may die within months, U.S. says,” The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post. The Associated Press reported that officials believed the 80-year-old Cuban leader had terminal cancer of the stomach, colon or pancreas. Newspapers ran the most-recent photos of Castro released by the Cubans; he appeared pale and gaunt. The Miami Herald put a timetable on the situation: “Castro has 18 months to live.”

Finally, from the bizarre-and-tragic-equals-newsworthy school of journalism: The Akron (Ohio) Beacon-Journal and the Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y., ran big death-by-animal stories today. An Akron man was mauled to death by his girlfriend’s two Rottweilers, which were kept in a basement. The girlfriend speculated that he may have tried to break up a fight between the two animals. Even weirder was the big story in the Press-Republican that reported the death of Ronald Donah, 43, “killed by a buck in rut.” Donah apparently kept a half-dozen whitetail deer in a pen on his property on Bull Run Road. A wildlife specialist said deer are breeding now and should be given wide berth: “You don’t mess with a buck this time of year.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Odd couple symbolizes power shift;
strippers strike back in Kokomo

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many dailies stuck with political news up top today. Photographs of President Bush and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., from their make-nice meeting at the White House showed up a lot. Several reporters noted the incongruity of the cordial scene with the bitter tone of the campaign, and headlines reflected the tentative nature of such political détentes: “Making peace — for now,” The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif. Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich, long absent from front pages, piqued the interest of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Gingrich to GOP: Culprit is in the mirror.” The Providence (R.I.) Journal ran a similar story based on an interview with defeated Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee: “Anger at his own party: Chafee blames the GOP right wing for his defeat.”

Many editors considered the death of longtime CBS newsman Ed Bradley at 65 to be front-page news. Stories featured file photos of Bradley, at various stages of his career, but the latest one showed Bradley looking thinner than usual; he had been battling leukemia. Headlines lauded the award-winning “60 Minutes” correspondent: “Gold standard of television journalism,” Bradenton (Fla.) Herald; “Television pioneer never lost his cool,” The Indianapolis Star.

With national politics settling down, editors made room for more local news on Page One. The Chicago Sun-Times went in-depth into the city’s “massive Hired Truck scandal,” with the news hook that Donald Tomczak, a former high official in the city’s Waste Management Department, would get four years in prison on bribery and corruption charges. Editors pulled out his statement of contrition — “I hurt so many people” — as well as the opinion of an anonymous source — “The guy was a son of a bitch, and that you can print."

A couple of newspapers found big news in the dark confines of the local strip club. The Las Vegas Review-Journal topped its Page One with “Sin City lap dances lose some sin.” Seems the state Supreme Court has upheld a regulation that prohibits exotic dancers from “fondling or caressing” patrons during lap dances. While Vegas dancers and owners wrung their hands over the financial implications of the ruling, the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune reported even bigger trouble from the Babes Show Girls strip club. Two dancers allegedly robbed the club of $3,277 in cash. The ladies reportedly were counting their loot over breakfast at a local IHOP — just about the time a couple of state troopers strolled in. The strippers are now making time in the Howard County Jail.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Rumsfeld exits, stage left;
N.Y. reformers sleep with the fishes

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Editors couldn’t give in to their post-election political hangovers today; news that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld would resign ensured another big news day. Several front pages featured file photos of President Bush walking Rumsfeld out of the Oval Office, the implication being, of course, that the president had shown the secretary the door. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, along with The Daily Telegraph of London, headlined their Rumsfeld stories with “Casualty of War.” The one-two punch of the Democratic political victory and the secretary’s ouster made the top slots on a lot of foreign front pages, too. “Bush offert Rumsfeld,” De Morgen, Brussels; “Bush gets whacked,” The Telegraph, Calcutta, India.

Bush’s post-election news conference, in which he announced the resignation, got a lot of focus. The president’s colorful description of his party’s defeat inspired several headline writers: “It was a thumpin’,” The Modesto (Calif.) Bee. Some front pages focused on individual winners (no losers). The Christian Science Monitor in Boston led with the new “Madam Secretary” Nancy Pelosi, who will be the first female Speaker of the House. OÖ Nachrichten in Linz, Austria, led with local-boy-made-good Arnold Schwarzenegger, reelected as California’s governor.

Virginia newspaper editors had a decision to make last night: Whether to declare Democrat Jim Webb the winner of the U.S. Senate seat over Republican George Allen. As the presses got warmed up, at least two news agencies — The Associated Press and ABC News — were declaring Webb the victor of the tight contest. The Free Lance-Star hedged its bet: “AP: Webb victory assured.” The Daily Press in Hampton Roads went for broke: “Webb wins.”

After giving appropriate play to these big national stories, The Post-Star in Glens Falls, N.Y. dove into a nasty bit of local politics. Several residents got a lesson in Godfather-style communication when they awoke to find dead fish on their properties. Someone “who apparently took satisfaction in Tuesday’s sound defeat of the city charter amendment” pulled the stunt to send a signal to the charter’s supporters. The fish, one of which was pictured on The Post-Star’s front page, were wrapped in newspaper and rubber bands. The Post-Star did not note which newspaper served as the wrapping.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Blue day for GOP readers;
headline writers K-Fed up

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Nearly every U.S. newspaper front page led with results of the midterm elections. With “red state” and “blue state” having entered the political lexicon for good, several Page One editors got clever with headlines indicating the Democrats had taken the House of Representatives: “House of Blues,” The Gazette, Colorado Springs and The Bakersfield Californian. Many newspapers topped their coverage with local results before going to the national implications: “Riley’s home sweet, but Bush House blue.” Speaking of the president, a few newspapers focused on Bush as the symbol of Republican defeat: “Ouch, this hurts,” said the Daily News. The Philadelphia Daily News seemed particularly eager to take a poke at POTUS — the front-page was a close-up of Bush, cheek-to-cheek with a donkey, with the headline “Hee Haw!” The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle gave a nod to its state’s reputation as a Republican stronghold: “Day for Democrats, even in Kansas.”

Two state elections in particular kept editors on their toes. The Virginia and Montana Senate races were too close to call at press time. Editors, ever-mindful of the 2000 presidential election, carefully refused to speculate on the winner: “Dead Heat! Webb claims victory; Allen talks recount,” Richmond Times-Dispatch; “Tester leads Burns as count drags on,” Billings Gazette. The Examiner in Washington was even fearful of calling the House results: “Democrats poised to take House.”

The Hartford (Conn.) Courant had a big news story with former Democrat Joe Lieberman’s victory: “Independent’s Day.” The newspaper, calling Lieberman “a man without a party,” gave the senator some props: “… overcoming the virulent anti-war sentiment that had cost him the Democratic nomination … a triumphant Lieberman offered no conciliatory words to the Democrats who abandoned him.” But GOP governor-elect Jim Gibbons — plagued in recent weeks by accusations of sexual misconduct — didn’t even get one honeymoon day. The Las Vegas Sun eschewed a typical “Gibbons wins” head in favor of this: “To govern, Gibbons must acquire new skills, survive investigations.”

But there’s one person who may be even more loath to read today’s headlines than Gibbons, Allen or Bush. Former backup dancer and would-be rapper Kevin Federline wasn’t forgotten by editors, even in the midst of election-day mayhem. Federline got kicked to the curb yesterday by his pop-star wife, Britney Spears. After years of Federline’s high-profile antics, marginal rapping skills and tabloid fights, editors seemed to celebrate his fall: “K-Fed Up” was particularly popular. But the prize for most-clever divorce headline must go to Red Eye, Chicago: “Fed-Exed.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Pols sprint to finish in USA;
horse race of a different sort Down Under

By Christy Mumford Jerding

U.S. newspapers were all about Election Day, covering last-minute stump speeches, poll results and photo ops. President Bush’s visit to Arkansas in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson got good play in the state. The Morning News topped its story with Bush’s proclamation that the “GOP will surprise.” But most headline writers offered up questions rather than predictions: “Who will control the next Congress?”, The Examiner, Washington, was typical. No matter which party takes the majority, The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune said, “today’s winners will govern from the center.”

Several newspapers gave their coverage a get-out-the-vote vibe. The Chicago Sun-Times — telling its readers “don’t be a cynic” — led with “5 reasons you should vote today.” But The Des Moines (Iowa) Register was way ahead of the Windy City — it gave readers 20 reasons. The Boston Globe focused on the race’s price tag: “Day of decision in state’s costliest campaign ever.” The Southeast Missourian warned readers that changes to the state’s voting system could be confusing: “Whatever else you do in the voting booth today, don’t circle the symbols. … Straight-party voting is no longer an option.”

A few newspapers were more concerned with the results of a (more-fun) election: the annual Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. The Bakersfield Californian’s Page One was dominated by a photo of guitar-strumming George Strait, inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Tennessean gave two-thirds of its front page to the CMAs and one-third to today’s election, listing the event’s big winners and teasing the more gossipy bits about fashion and frolic to be found inside.

On the other side of the world, newspaper readers were occupied by a real horse race: the 146th Melbourne Cup in Australia. New Zealand editors seemed more interested than their colleagues to the south and dutifully reported the dismal news: Among cold and windy conditions, and a crowd “well below expectations,” the Japanese swept in and took the cup. But The Press in Christchurch reported that at least one other person had a worse day than the losing jockeys: A local model, wearing a $500,000 dress of gold rings, “which was no protection against the 14deg temperature.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Saddam’s fate sparks emotion;
preacher, bikers on soul journeys

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The angry visage of Saddam Hussein — sentenced by an Iraqi court to death by hanging for crimes against humanity — stared out from dozens of front pages around the globe. Coverage varied in approaches; some newspapers focused on the drama of the sentencing — Saddam’s refusal to stand for the verdict and his shouts of defiance — as well as next steps in terms of appeals and a timetable for the hanging. Others focused on reaction in Iraq: “Saddam death sentence sparks dancing in streets of Baghdad,” The Daily Telegraph, London. The Telegraph’s article seemed to agree with the sentence: “Saddam Hussein finally faced the consequences of his tyrannical rule.”

In the United States, The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk gave heavy play to the Saddam story and pulled out quotes to illustrate the emotion surrounding his rule: “Saddam was the snakehead, and you have to cut that head, and they cut,” a Shiite resident of Baghdad. Other newspapers took a closer look at the possible detrimental effect of Saddam’s execution: “Death edict drives Iraqis further apart,” The Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune. The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., ran a front-page news analysis with a pessimistic point of view: “Saddam Hussein sentenced to death: Will it matter?” Other headline writers seemed gleeful at the prospect of Saddam’s execution. The Daily News in New York was the most extreme: “Next stop HELL!”

Thoughts of Heaven and Hell also preoccupied Colorado editors. Readers got up to date on the Rev. Ted Haggard’s fall from grace: He issued a statement to his New Life Church, based in Colorado Springs, confessing “sexual immorality” and lies. Editors judged the story bigger than Saddam. The Denver Post topped its story, and a photo of a tearful congregation, with Haggard’s own words: “I am a deceiver.” The Gazette also ran a photo of members of Haggard’s former flock, under the headline “Shame and solace.”

A spiritual journey of a different sort was out front of the Carroll County Times in Westminster, Md. Two bikers completed a ride from Maryland to Alaska and told the Times that the ride was “as real as life gets.” Among the black bears, the stunning scenery, the heat, the cold, the flat tires and the sheer danger of the road, one biker said he had a chance to do a lot of “soul work.” “You unearth things in your head,” he said. His conclusion? Whatever a person may be searching for, he should just “stop thinking about it and do it.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Fish in trouble, Bush hits the road;
Sex scandal rocks Colorado

By Paul Sparrow

Page One editors tried to balance local news with several big national stories today. A report on the possible collapse of the world’s fisheries made the biggest splash. “So long seafood?” asked The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, while editors at The Honolulu Advertiser had a question of their own, “No more fish to eat by 2048?”

Politics of course got big play; “Bush hits campaign trail” (The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.) was typical. The Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass., led with “Bush campaigns in ex-GOP strongholds” but also fronted a big national crime story with “Teams nab fugitives.” The nationwide sweep by the Justice Department generated many headlines. “Worst of the worst” was how The Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria, Ohio, described the criminals being brought in, while the Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal added a local angle with “Roundup of 11,000 fugitives includes 1,000 in Georgia.”

A sex scandal involving a prominent evangelical pastor dominated the front pages in Colorado. “Revelations” boldly proclaimed the Rocky Mountain News, but The Denver Post was more specific: “Pastor takes leave amid allegations of gay sex.”

It was more horseplay than hellfire for the Philadelphia Daily News. “Pony up, Big Boy!” was the headline for a story about a thoroughbred breeding scandal. The subhead said it all: “War Emblem’s secret, and why some studs are duds in the breeding shed.”

Paul Sparrow is the vice president
for broadcasting at the Newseum.

Kerry throws it in reverse;
python-1, seagulls-0

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., was back on the front pages today with a mea culpa. The senator, after taking heat from the GOP as well as his own party, apologized for a “botched joke” about President Bush that some took as a criticism of U.S. soldiers. His reversal — after saying that he had nothing to apologize for — made the top slot on several Page Ones: “Kerry regrets ‘stuck in Iraq’ remark,” The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Ark. The Washington Times’ story, headlined “Kerry apologizes for insulting troops,” emphasized that the senator’s appearances in support of Democratic candidates had been scrubbed.

Dozens of dailies had local and state election news out front. The Sun Journal in Lewiston, Maine, had fun with a look at the foibles of small-town politics. Seems Republican gubernatorial candidate Chandler Woodcock and Green Independent candidate Pat LaMarche, both looking to shake a few hands, ran into each other at Simones Hot Dogs. After an awkward moment, the Sun Journal reported, “Woodcock took the back room, while LaMarche worked the front. … The two looked like dancers, aware of one another … but separated by french fries, hot dogs and the crowd.”

The Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss., had an alternative for readers who might be unsatisfied with the election results. The top story was on “Fantasy Congress,” an alternative to fantasy baseball, fantasy football, etc., with a new twist — players draft their favorites for spots in Congress. Teams “earn points according to their legislative successes.” The story noted that Mississippi’s Trent Lott was ranked 19th out of 100 senators.

Several newspapers fronted news from the animal kingdom. The Daily Journal in Vineland, N.J., reported that a local motorist had been arrested for running down a flock of sea gulls in the Cumberland Mall parking lot. The story’s big art: A close-up of a dead bird — which apparently had been unable to fly, fly far away — in the mall parking lot. The Winona (Minn.) Daily News’ animal-crisis story had a happier ending. A Halloween robber made off with Jamie Ann Hansen’s jewelry boxes, compact discs, some prescription drugs — and a 1-foot-long baby python. Hansen was most worried about the snake, “that he was going to get too cold and die.” Family members tracked down the perpetrator and retrieved the snake from a Tupperware container. She got her CDs and jewelry back, too. No word on the drugs.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Bush and Kerry spar;
Barker’s last showcase showdown

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Readers must have thought they’d gone to sleep and woken up in 2004 — President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., had a media war of words over a Kerry joke that Bush said insulted U.S. soldiers. Headlines varied in their approach to the dust-up. Some gave equal weight to the contenders: “Bush, Kerry slug it out,” The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C. Others led with Bush’s reaction to the remark: “Bush blasts Kerry,” The Blade, Toledo, Ohio. But a slight majority seemed to paint Kerry more unfavorably: “Kerry gaffe ignites outrage,” The Fresno (Calif.) Bee. The Daily News had a typically dramatic take: “Kerry Kalamity.”

News from Iraq and North Korea took turns in the top foreign-policy slot. Several newspapers ran some rather oblique headlines on a situation between the U.S. military and the Iraqi government: “Iraq stands up against U.S.,” Chicago Tribune; “U.S. troops obey Iraqi premier,” Star-Tribune, Minneapolis. The Intelligencer-Journal in Lancaster, Pa., was able to convey a more complete picture of the news with its head: “Iraqi leader gets U.S. to lift blockade.” Other dailies gave greater emphasis to news that North Korea would resume diplomatic talks about its nuclear plans. “North Korea will come back to table,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, was a typical head. The JoongAng Daily in Seoul, which obviously has been watching the situation keenly, gave the story big front-page play and twinned it with a report on an investigation into North Korea espionage.

A familiar face to millions of American TV viewers showed up on a few U.S. front pages. “Silver-haired daytime TV icon” Bob Barker, host of “The Price Is Right,” told The Associated Press that he would retire in June after 35 years of showcase showdowns. Barker, soon to be 83, said he loved his job but that giving away trips and appliances — and getting squeezed around the neck by over-enthusiastic contestants — had become too demanding, “mentally and physically.” There was no word from the show about who might take over the all-important, end-of-show task of urging viewers to “have their pets spayed or neutered.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Iraq death toll out front;
adrenaline-junkies dig Halloween

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Although not as dominant as yesterday, the ever-growing death toll in the Iraq war made a lot of front pages today. Most headlines seized on the fact that the U.S. toll for the month of October rose to 101, the highest since January 2005. Headline phrases such as “grim milestone” were common.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair also got a good bit of front-page play. The U.K. issued a report warning that “the Earth faces a calamity” unless steps are taken to stop the effects of global warming. Stories noted that Blair took a swipe at the Bush administration by stating former Vice President Al Gore would provide advice on climate change. Headlines emphasized the emphatic nature of Blair’s comments: “Britain warns of climate catastrophe,” The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.; “Unless we act, disaster is inevitable,” The Herald, Glasgow.

Aside from politics, elections and foreign-policy issues, by far the biggest story today was Halloween. Some Page One editors took a serious approach: The Seattle Times ran a story on thieves who are stealing brass vases off of graves. The News Virginian in Waynesboro warned readers that “over-age” trick-or-treaters — older than 12 — could be arrested and tossed in the slammer.

But most newspapers took a more light-hearted look at All Hallow’s Eve. The News & Advance in Lynchburg, Va., investigated local supernatural phenomena with the help of a “ghost hunter.” The Houston Chronicle sent a brave reporter into the spooky Ideson Library in search of a ghostly librarian who likes to play the violin. The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader went really tongue-in-cheek by sending “paranormal investigators” to figure out if the University of Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium is haunted. (Columnist Mark Story said it must be — it’s the only explanation for a history of painful losses.)

Finally, The State in Columbia, S.C., took the scientific approach to Halloween. We love to feel that “raw, white-knuckle fear” because it gets the old adrenaline pumping — the Fight or Flight Response. Or, as South Carolinian Dustin Shaw put it, she likes feeling “the tingle inside.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors hit variety of Iraq angles;
reporter gets real inside poop

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The war in Iraq made a lot of U.S. headlines today, and editors tackled the story from multiple perspectives. The Fresno (Calif.) Bee led with news that 14,000 weapons, destined for Iraqi security forces, had gone missing. The Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune gave prominent play to an AP report that Sunni Arab gunmen had killed 23 Iraq police Sunday and twinned the news with a story on a medical team’s attempt to save a wounded marine. The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., had a rare feel-good story from the region: “In bomb-riddled Iraq, a baby boom: Births are rising as families refuse to let war kill the circle of life.”

Violence back home generated front-page stories as well. St. Louis, Mo., had the dubious distinction of being named the most dangerous city in the United States. Headline writers (in other cities) couldn’t resist poking a little fun at St. Louis, known as the Gateway to the West: “St. Louis snags crime crown,” FLORIDA TODAY; “St. Louis, gateway to crime,” Metro, New York. But the St. Louis Post-Dispatch seemed unconcerned. Its front page was devoted to a hometown celebration of the Cardinals’ World Series win: “Cardinal Nation.” The Detroit News’ coverage of the defeated Tigers struck a more poignant note: “Thanks for the memories.”

Halloween pumpkins, costumes and candy popped up often; some reporters took the opportunity to delve into the season with seriousness. The Connecticut Post ran a report titled “Wanted: Witch justice,” a local pagan woman’s crusade to get official state exoneration for a 17th-century woman hanged as a witch. Her crime: Drinking sherry in the woods. A Herald News reporter in Paterson, N.J., got the plumb assignment of “Reporting from the Gates of Hell.” But it sounded more exciting than it was: The Gates of Hell turned out to be some old drainage tunnels where teenagers hang out and misbehave.

Finally, proof that reporters will do anything for a good story. The Denver Post’s Katy Human hung out with a Boulder scientist who studied “dinosaur bowel movements. Fossilized feces. Well, poop.” The fruits of her labor included the conclusion that one duck-billed dinosaur had worms, a T. rex had bone fragments in his belly and that ancient beetles liked to horde “dung sausages.” Don’t ask.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Fire and ice; Cardinals and Tigers
and Manatees oh my!

By Paul Sparrow

Dramatic photographs of a deadly arson fire in California dominated many front pages today. It was a “Day of Mourning” (The Desert Sun) in nearby Palm Springs. “They had no chance,” proclaimed The Press-Enterprise from Riverside regarding the four firefighters who died.

“Got melt?” asked the Rocky Mountain News as Colorado got the cold shoulder from Mother Nature with a blizzard that dumped two feet of snow. The Denver Post acknowledged their ski-loving readers with the headline “More powder to ‘em.”

The New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision that gay couples are entitled to equal rights generated headlines all across the nation. The Star-Ledger in Newark took a political angle on the story, noting “Lawmakers cool to gay marriage,” while The Press of Atlantic City headlined “Marriage likely off table for N.J. gays.”

The bizarre story of a jealous nurse killing a woman who stole her high school boyfriend 30 years ago made the front page of The Blade in Toledo. The victim was undergoing plastic surgery when the jilted nurse allegedly gave her a fatal dose of painkillers.

The World Series was big news in at least two cities today. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch had a full-page photo with the headline “Shock-tober” after the Cardinal’s victory yesterday. The Detroit Free Press had a different take on the Tigers’ poor performance, “Slipping Away.”

In Memphis it was a meandering manatee making news. “Sea cow is acting weird” is how The Commercial Appeal headlined the story of the wayward manatee that made it all the way up the Mississippi to Memphis. Authorities did not say if it was headed to Graceland.

Paul Sparrow is the Newseum’s vice president
for broadcasting and programs.

Bush can’t get no satisfaction;
chickens vex Ind. city council

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many Page One editors put President Bush’s news conference, dominated by questions about the Iraq war, out front today. Many headline writers picked up the president’s quote that he was “not satisfied” with the situation. The Denver Post headline may have better reflected Bush’s overall message: “Bush: War tough, winnable.” The Birmingham (Ala.) News juxtaposed the president’s news conference with same-day statements from “a visibly angry” Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, who criticized the U.S. government for telling him to set a timetable to curb violence.

A New Jersey state Supreme Court ruling giving the nod to same-sex unions made front pages in that region as well as across the nation. Coverage reflected that the ruling was not absolute; the justices left it up to the legislature to decide whether such unions would be actual legal marriages. The Star-Ledger and The Record ran prominent photos of the same lesbian couple, capturing their mixed emotions about the mixed ruling. The headlines were a bit different; The Star-Ledger went with a simple “Court expands gay rights,” while The Record reflected the uncertainty with a question head: “What next for gay unions?”

Florida newspapers were dominated by the execution of convicted serial killer Danny Harold Rolling. His killings of five young people in Gainesville “paralyzed an entire college town with fear,” The Miami Herald said. Stories emphasized that Rolling never expressed sorrow or regret for what he had done. Headlines and photos focused on the victims’ families: “Justice done,” The Miami Herald; “Killer sang a hymn … did not show remorse,” The Gainesville Sun.

Editors at The Herald-Times in Bloomington, Ind., probably had a more light-hearted production night as they put together today’s front page. The city council apparently cracked themselves up while debating an ordinance to allow residents to keep chickens in the city. Council member Steve Volan showed up in full Big Bird regalia, and his photo was played large and colorful. The Herald Times’ headline: “Fowl get fair hearing.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

All elections, all the time;
paper covers rock for 50 grand

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The upcoming elections have taken over many U.S. front pages, and as the big day gets closer, the stories are getting stranger.

Arizona, apparently suffering from a paucity of proofreaders, had a ballot typo that could cost the state $186 million, The Arizona Republic reported. Instead of asking voters to approve an 80-cent tax increase, the ballot reads “.80” cents. Election officials said they were confident voters would figure it out. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., found herself defending her face on several front pages. The Bakersfield Californian ran a big feature on Clinton’s features and whether, as her opponent claimed, she had had plastic surgery. The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported that candidate Charlie Crist criticized Jim Davis for missing votes as a member of Congress and promised that, if elected, he would “come to work every day.”

The governor’s race in Nevada was more dramatic. A Las Vegas cocktail waitress has claimed that candidate Jim Gibbons assaulted her in a parking garage; she was scheduled to give a news conference today, according the Review-Journal. She told the newspaper that Gibbons pinned her against a wall and threatened her after she turned down his advances. Gibbons countered that he grabbed her arm to keep her from falling.

On many front pages, regional election news trumped an announcement by Gen. George W. Casey Jr. that he might need to call for more troops in Baghdad. The Day in New London, Conn., and a few other major metros led with the Iraq story, as did the International Herald Tribune in Paris.

The Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs, Ark., showed its readers that if they made it through election season, they had something to look forward to: the first USA Rock Paper Scissors League-sanctioned tournament, to be held in March at the Hot Springs Convention Center. (Last year, the city sponsored a corned-beef sandwich-eating contest instead.) The winner of a similar tournament in 2006, held in Las Vegas, took home $50,000.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Pols insert feet into mouths;
dancers challenge kill-joy mayor

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Words, rather than deeds, made front-page news today. Several editors considered a comment — made by White House spokesman Tony Snow — to be Page One worthy: President Bush no longer will use the phrase “stay the course” to describe Iraq war strategy. The rhetorical change did not mean that the U.S. policy had been altered, however: “No change in sight for Iraq war strategy,” Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine. Meanwhile, across the pond, The Guardian led with a new poll that showed Britons want their troops home by the end of the year.

Florida newspapers revealed that a couple of state officials apparently had been mouthing off unadvisedly. The Ledger in Lakeland reported that Winter Haven Police Chief Paul Goward had resigned over an e-mail he sent to overweight officers titled “Are you a Jelly Belly?” The Miami Herald said that state legislator reportedly left a “racially insensitive, profanity-laced” voice mail for colleague Gus Barreiro. The Herald said Arza used “the N-word.”

A climactic moment in the Enron saga got a lot of front-page mentions, especially in the company’s home state of Texas. Former CEO Jeffrey Skilling was sentenced to 24 years for fraud, conspiracy and insider trading. The Austin American-Statesman ran a New York Times report on the sentencing. The Dallas Morning News’ original, more colorful report emphasized former employees' emotional testimony — one called Skilling a “liar, a thief and a drunk.”

The Detroit front pages mostly ignored politics, crime and business news — including Ford Motor Co.’s report of a $5.8 billion third-quarter loss — in favor of baseball. The News and the Free Press examined the contest from multiple angles but under very similar headlines: “Arch rivals: Dirty talk smears a classic fight,” the News; “Arch enemies? Cardinals fans don’t have bad blood for Tigers so much as love for hometown.”

The Fresno (Calif.) Bee ran a Page One feature in the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction genre. Residents of Orange Cove are tired of Mayor Victor Lopez’s tough-on-crime stance. The crime? Dancing. Yes, tripping the light fantastic is illegal in city bars. The mayor contends that, before the ban, bars that allowed dancing were “hotbeds of B-girls, prostitution … knife-fighting … and everyone knows what else.” The Bee quoted several bar owners, community leaders and residents on the issue. Apparently Kevin Bacon couldn’t be reached for comment.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Baghdad violence, politics vie for lede;
‘Fernandezmania’ grips Long Beach

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The deaths of dozens of Iraqis over the weekend got prominent play on many front pages. Headlines emphasized the fact that the killings took place during the final hours of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan: “Ramadan ends in violence,” The Arizona Republic, was typical. A few newspapers picked a different Iraq story. The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La., went with an AP report on a U.S. government survey of Iraqi youth: “Many Iraqis want U.S. out.”

Local and national politics won out over Iraq for the top spot in dozens of other dailies. Ill. Sen. Barack Obama’s appearance on Sunday’s Meet the Press catapulted him onto front pages with speculation about his presidential aspirations. The Tribune played off the title of Obama’s new memoir, The Audacity of Hope: “Audacity of a hopeful.” His potential rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, had a tougher go of it after a debate with Republican John Spencer. The Daily News said the campaign was “GETTING UGLY: Spencer’s wacky charge: Hill needed millions in surgery to make her pretty.” In Pennsylvania, Rep. Don Sherwood had a better news day. The Williamsport Sun-Gazette fronted a grip-n-grin shot of the Republican congressman with President Bush.

A few West Coast newspapers brought the wacky today. Faithful readers of the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, Calif., have caught “Fernandezmania” — an uncontrollable impulse to read the weekly ads placed by Peter Fernandez. Fernandez likes to get photographed — always in the same position, flashing the same strained grin — with local musicians. He then pays the Press-Telegram to run the photos, along with a few poetic if somewhat nonsensical phrases, such as “love is never weighed, no matter how much love a person gives.”

The Orange County Register’s main feature told the story of David Hanson, who lost his head — his android head — on an America West flight from Dallas to Las Vegas. The head, which is a likeness of the late sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, was in a blue American Tourister roller bag. The airline has tried to find Dick’s head, to no avail. So Hanson, understandably upset, has sued the airline. Replacing it, he told the Register, is really unthinkable. “It would be like Picasso losing an original painting and then doing a replica. It’s not the same.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Transparency and invisibility: failed
strategy in Iraq; hope for a Potter-like cloak

By Kate Kennedy

The story of a failure abounded on front pages today.

An admission by a U.S. general in Iraq that the military’s strategy to secure Baghdad has not succeeded made newspapers from Raleigh, N.C., to Santa Rosa, Calif. The main headline at The Day in New London, Conn., called the strategy “a bust.” In large type, The Seattle Times quoted the general: “The violence is disheartening.”

A visit to Asia by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice led The Korea Times in Seoul. The potential nuclear threat of neighboring North Korea was the subject of three of the newspaper’s Page One stories.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 12,000 for the first time in its 110-year history, and the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., told the story in a graphic.

“Now you see it. Now yo …, ” said the headline in The San Diego Union-Tribune, which reported that research is paving the way for an invisibility cloak – much like the one Harry Potter uses. It’s “not all science fiction,” the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune noted.

The Oregonian in Portland couldn’t resist, as its top headline said, "The art of the thrift-shop deal." The newspaper published an image of a watercolor painting put up for sale in a Goodwill online auction. Asking price: $10. Sale price: $165,002. What was thought to be yard-sale art was actually the work of an American master, Frank Weston Benson.

It wasn’t the chicken-or-egg debate but "Bear or buck — which is the worst neighbor?" for The Gazette in Colorado Springs. Wrong. It's the deer, said a wildlife expert, who has "been on the bad end of both hooves and antlers."

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Prospects of a deadly record in Iraq
and soldiers in war lead Page One

By Kate Kennedy

“A tragic forecast” led The Kansas City (Mo.) Star, and many other newspapers also told of the increasing number of U.S. casualties in Iraq.

“If the bloody pace in Iraq continues, October … could be the deadliest month for American forces since November 2004,” The Star said. The Los Angeles Times attributed the increase in casualties — 71 so far this month — to an offensive in Baghdad and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., where he called for perseverance. His photograph and comments led the Montgomery Advertiser.

In other communities with military ties, The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville, Tenn., said a court martial was ordered for soldiers in the rape and death of a 14-year-old girl in Iraq, and The State in Columbia, S.C., reported on a bittersweet deployment of a National Guard battalion to Afghanistan

In Florida — home of the retiree — news of a cost-of-living increase in Social Security checks made front pages. The Charlotte Sun said: “Raise for retirees 3.3%.”

A gruesome discovery was reported in New Orleans, where The Times-Picayune said a suicide note in a man’s pocket led police to an apartment and “the grisly scene of his girlfriend's murder, where they found her charred head in a pot on the stove, her legs and arms baked in the oven and the rest of her dismembered body in a trash bag in the refrigerator.”

A special “thank you” was noted by The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., which showed that an Amish newspaper, Die Botschaft, reached out to the non-Amish world with a message of appreciation for its reaction to the Lancaster County school shootings.

To prove that a picture is worth a thousand words, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer illustrated fall foliage with a photo taken from 8,000 feet above the Blue Ridge Parkway. “Autumn’s work of art,” it said.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Politicians get no mercy;
rabid bats and coyotes show none

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Page One editors had politics on their minds today. President Bush’s signing of a new law on terror trials and interrogation got mention in several major metros. Stories noted a good deal of criticism. The president also got top billing in Hawaiian dailies, but his post-earthquake disaster declaration apparently didn’t win him much praise there: “Big Isle wanted more from Bush declaration,” The Honolulu Advertiser.

With mid-term elections a few weeks out, a few dailies had mud-splattered front pages today. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s top story detailed the fight between Republican Ken Blackwell and Democrat Ted Strickland: “Blackwell’s campaign tried to link his Democratic opponent to child sex predators.” The Enquirer also ran a big story on well-known writer Nikki Giovanni, who read a poem at a public event that called Blackwell “a political whore” and “a son of a bitch.” The Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D., broke with the pack to report a political lovefest instead: “Republican rock star McCain thrills S.D. crowd.”

Photographers must have stalked the halls of hospitals around the United States yesterday. Today’s front pages were filled with photos of newborns; many shooters tried to snap a photo of the 300-millionth American. The Chicago Sun-Times went out on a limb and gave the title to a Windy City baby girl named Aly, born at 5:58 a.m. The Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Pa., insisted it had the magic number: baby boy Tristan, born at 7:46 a.m.

Other editors were more concerned with a rash of rabid animal attacks. (Well, two of them were, at least.) “Bourbon girl gets rabies from bat bite,” said the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune. A 10-year-girl was being treated after the bite, the first case recorded in the area since 1989. The Republican-American in Waterbury, Conn., had a more tabloid-esque headline: “Jogger attacked by rabid coyote.” But the story went fairly in-depth. Readers were warned that they had the most to fear not from coyotes, but from the garbage-loving raccoon, responsible for more rabies cases than all other animal species combined. Including bats.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors play the numbers game;
vive la sex!, French say

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Yesterday’s dominant story on the Hawaii earthquake fell off most U.S. front pages completely today (except in Hawaii). The Census Bureau report that the U.S. population would hit 300 million this morning got a lot of attention. Editors came at the story and accompanying graphics from different angles. The Arizona Daily Star focused on the big milestone and explained that the population is growing quickly because of the ratio of births (one every 7 seconds) and immigrants (one every 31 seconds) as compared to deaths (one every 13 seconds). The Denver Post devoted three-quarters of its front page to census graphics, including a map displaying population density and racial/ethnic breakdowns. The Omaha World-Herald was more interested in a related census report that showed married couples “have slipped into a minority.” For the first time, less than 50% of U.S. households were made up of married couples.

A couple of dailies stuck with the North Korea nuclear-test story. The confirmation by U.S. officials that the Oct. 9 explosion was, indeed, nuclear made the top spot in the Centre Daily Times, State College, Pa. The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., focused instead on a statement by the head of the U.N. nuclear agency that as many as 30 countries could soon have nuclear capability. It headlined the story “U.N. warns of nuclear arms race.”

Across the Atlantic, Paris’ International Herald Tribune covered a new book on the role of sex in French politics. The authors of Sexus Politicus found that — unlike the typical American cycle of sex scandal leading to political downfall — the French like their leaders to be, well, sexy. The authors included the tale of Prime Minister Edgar Faure, who once said, “When I was a minister, some women resisted me. Once I became president, not even one.” The 79-year-old Faure reportedly died in the bed of his “half-clothed mistress."

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Hawaiian editors shake it up;
pumpkin predicaments plague police

By Christy Mumford Jerding

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake on the Big Island of Hawaii made front pages across the United States. The state’s Page Ones ran nothing but coverage of the temblor and the ensuing aftershocks, landslides, building damage and power outages. Headline writers apparently were, well, rattled by the quakes: “RATTLED,” West Hawaii Today; “Hawaii rattles, then loses power,” The Honolulu Advertiser. The good news was that the quake apparently caused only minor injuries — The Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune, 3,000 miles away, reflected that fact with its good-humored headline: “Earthquake puts the hula in Hawaii.”

The San Francisco Chronicle had a good Hawaii head, too — “Paradise rocked” — but it also fronted a story on “blogger and anarchist” Josh Wolf, who has been in prison for 57 days for refusing to surrender video he shot of a violent protest in the city. The Chronicle writer also mentioned that two Chronicle reporters are facing prison time over refusing to reveal who provided confidential grand jury testimony in a baseball steroid investigation.

Sports writers got out front as baseball headed to the World Series and football season really got cranking. The Detroit News’ Page One editor (perhaps hailing from New Jersey?) topped the tale of the Tigers’ win of the American League title with towering type: “GLORY DAYS.” The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, which so often leads with post-Katrina struggles, instead celebrated another Saints’ victory: “FLYING HIGH.” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was giddy with the Steelers’ 45-7 pounding of the Kansas City Chiefs: “Hair we go, Steelers!” (Long-haired safety Troy Polamalu got pulled down by his locks by an apparently frustrated Chief.) The Kansas City Star displayed graciousness in its team’s defeat: “Pittsburgh is reborn, while KC is forlorn.”

Halloween preparations started showing up on a lot of front pages. The Times Herald in Port Huron, Mich., reported that the local pumpkin crop had dodged a fungal bullet that was making moldy Jack O’Lanterns. In Springfield, Vt., police have been plagued by “pumpkinning” — the rolling of pilfered pumpkins down into the town square — reported the Rutland Herald. But the cops are cracking down. They’ve already confiscated 30 pumpkins from one suspicious pickup driver. He was not charged with pumpkin possession.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Fall or winter? Snow surprises north;
flaky baseball fans cheer their team

By Kate Kennedy

The surprising arrival of winter weather landed on front pages in western New York state, the upper Midwest and Florida.

The Buffalo News reported power outages after wet snow brought down power lines and trees. The Times Herald in Port Huron, Mich., photographed a bicyclist riding in the snow and flakes covering mums. In graphic form, The Courier News in Elgin, Ill., noted the earliest measurable snowfall ever recorded at O’Hare International Airport.

The Palm Beach Post pictured a woman clearing snow from her car in New York state. In an index below the photo, the paper predicted a high of 87 for south Florida.

Weather is impacting the harvest, the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune reported. In Montana, the Great Falls Tribune said a worldwide shortage of wheat means good news for state farmers. But the smallest orange crop in two decades is bad news for orange juice consumers, said The Ledger in Lakeland, Fla.

In news from ongoing stories, The Salinas Californian reported that a cattle ranch might be the source of E. coli that contaminated bagged spinach, and The Daily Telegraph of London quoted the head of the British Army as saying his troops must get out of Iraq soon.

On this Friday the 13th, The Detroit News looked at superstitious Tigers fans who say lucky charms are critical to the team’s success. “Rally gum” and “lucky underwear” have charm.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Plane crash jolts NYC; headlines
reflect a city’s jittery nerves

By Kate Kennedy

“Here we go again.”

A small plane crashed into a 42-story condominium building in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., reported on Page One: “In a scarred city, first thought is the T-word.”

It was an accident — not terrorism — that killed New York Yankees Pitcher Cory Lidle and a flight instructor who were on board. Newspapers across the country focused on a jittery city:

• “False alarm, real tragedy,” The Fresno (Calif.) Bee said.
  
• “Eyes turn to skies again,” said The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk.
  
• “Fear first, and then a guilty relief,” The Philadelphia Inquirer said.

Lidle was headed to Nashville, where The Tennessean quoted a poker buddy who had been waiting for his arrival. The Burlington County Times in Willingboro, N.J., featured a column by a sportswriter who had flown earlier with Lidle.

In Amish country in Pennsylvania, the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal reported that the one-room schoolhouse where a gunman shot 10 girls last week is expected to be demolished today.

From Mel Gibson to Mark Foley to the pope, “people say they’re sorry all the time.” The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader analyzed the overuse of the “S” word in a magazine-style feature not often found on a front page.

A popular newspaper feature — the comics — also made Page One. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel devoted much of its page to the stories of well-known comic-strip artists who retired after the daily deadline grind got to be too much.

It was a prediction that made news in the Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News. A grandmother, Delia Reese Jones, “kidded with her grandson for months that she would be the first customer at the family’s funeral home,” the newspaper reported. She was right.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Editors probe Kim Jong Il’s psyche;
cops bust lap dancers, pumpkin flingers

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The North Korea nuclear-test story fell off a lot of front pages today, but some editors kept it out front and probed a little deeper into the country’s history and its aggression toward other nations. Tokyo’s Asahi Shimbun ran three front-page articles on North Korea, reflecting Japan's jitters over its neighbor’s actions. U.S. newspapers generally led with the Bush administration’s rejection of direct talks in favor of U.N. sanctions or with China’s somewhat surprising support of such measures. Several newspapers gave prominent play to an Associated Press profile of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il: “Kim: Ruthless, not insane,” St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times; “Kim’s single goal: Power,” Amarillo (Texas) Globe-News.

Newspapers paid scant attention to the national Conference on School Safety, which was organized after the widely publicized Amish school shootings. The News-Star in Monroe, La., was one of the few newspapers to run a story out front. After reading the story, one could see why many editors took a pass. The covering reporter led with the fact that the summit had produced no news: “Tuesday’s National Conference on School Safety offered no grand solutions … instead [participants] said communities should decide what’s best.”

Local police made a bit of a splash in several states. The Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., ran a detailed Page One report on a police crackdown on Whispers, a local bar that allegedly sold lap dances without proper permits. In an extensive undercover sting, several officers from the McHenry County Sheriff’s department apparently suffered through numerous lap dances by nude female dancers, the Herald reported, to nail the bar’s owner.

Crime news also took top spots in the Telegram and Gazette, Worcester, Mass., and the Yakima (Wash.) Herald Republic. An anonymous phone call led to the nabbing of five young men in a series of pumpkin-throwing incidents in Winchendon, Mass. Yakima’s boys in blue were hot on the trail of another nefarious foe — the espresso stand robber. He had hit three coffee bars in a row, Capt. Jeff Schneider told the Herald Republic, and police were fed up: “We’re not big on this.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

N. Korean nuke tops headlines again,
but many folks apparently don’t care

By Christy Mumford Jerding

World reaction to North Korea’s announcement that it had successfully conducted a test of a nuclear device dominated front pages in the United States and abroad. Seoul’s JoongAng Daily reflected the anxiousness felt by South Koreans: “Many said they were afraid (of) a nuclear war.” London’s Daily Telegraph, and many U.S. newspapers, led with world leaders’ “condemnation” of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s actions. The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., had a strong but typical headline: “N. Korea’s defiant move incurs world’s wrath.”

The Washington Times put a different spin on its story: “U.S. doubts Korean test was nuclear.” Instead of focusing on world reaction, the Times led with statements by anonymous U.S. officials that the “blast’s readings were shy of a typical nuclear detonation.” But most newspapers stuck to the North Korea-against-the-world angle. The always-irreverent Red Eye in Chicago decided to play clever with the serious story: “Nukes of hazard.”

A bruising Senate race dominated Virginia newspapers. Republican Sen. George Allen and Democratic challenger Jim Webb met in their final debate; polls show the contest as a dead heat. The campaign has seen its share of mudslinging over the last few months, and headlines reflected the contentious nature of the debate: “Final faceoff,” Richmond Times-Dispatch; “Final showdown,” The News & Advance; “One last dance,” The Northern Virginia Daily.

The Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc, Wis., also ran a couple of election stories today, along with a business report on Google’s acquisition of YouTube and an analysis of beach closures. But it reserved the top slot for a story on local third-graders who are releasing 23 yellow rubber duckies in Lake Michigan to study geography. It ignored the North Korea story.

But editors’ hand-wringing over such news-judgment issues may be for naught. The Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash., ran a Page One story on a study that found many Americans — overwhelmed by too many books, magazines, TV news crawls and 62 billion e-mails — have stopped paying attention to media altogether.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Kim Jong Il’s nuke test makes splash;
Tarheels bid farewell to billy goats

By Christy Mumford Jerding

North Korea’s announcement that it had conducted its first nuclear test knocked the ongoing Mark Foley congressional page scandal out of the top news slot on many front pages. The news came too late for South Korean newspaper deadlines; JoongAng Daily’s top story focused on China’s and Japan’s diplomatic efforts to stop the test. The Korea Times broke out a sidebar focusing on the potential destructive force of a North Korean strike: “Nuclear bomb could kill 200,000.” (No front pages from North Korea participate in the Newseum’s Today’s Front Pages.)

Most U.S. newspaper headlines reflected the fact that the details of the test had not been independently verified — “North Korea claims nuclear test” was a typical headline. The Columbian in Vancouver, Wash., emphasized the West’s point of view: “N. Korea nuclear test defies world.” The Hartford (Conn.) Courant was one of the few front pages that managed to squeeze in some art; it ran a photo of South Koreans stomping an effigy of Kim Jong Il. The Miami Herald international edition missed the story altogether.

Monday-morning front pages usually have a lot to offer sports fans. Baseball, football and golf all made appearances today. The Philadelphia Inquirer ran an interesting piece of undercover sports reporting out front. Reporter Joseph A. Gambardello took his life in his hands by wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey among a sea of Philadelphia Eagles fans, known as “the most hostile in the NFL.” After enduring a string of curses and a few hard bumps, he abandoned his assignment and took the jersey off at halftime.

The Mississippi Press ran a front-page obit for its former editor/publisher, Ira Harkey, who died at 88 in Texas. Harkey, who won a Pulitzer for editorials written during integration struggles in 1962, got a fond farewell from one Pascagoulan quoted in the story: “It was not just about getting the paper out each day. It was about the people who read the paper each day.”

The Winston-Salem Journal’s front page also had a wistful tone as it said goodbye to the Dixie Classic Fair. Attendance topped 300,000, the newspaper reported. “Until next year” was the headline with a clarifying subhead: “Fair ends; goats were again popular.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

An Amish funeral, the war in Iraq
and sex on today's front pages

By Paul Sparrow

Editors had their hands full today as they tried to balance three major stories; Amish funerals in Pennsylvania, violence in Baghdad, and a growing sex scandal in Washington. Photographs of horse-drawn carriages and mournful headlines like “Laid to Rest” (Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster, Pa.) and “Waves of Sorrow” (Philadelphia Inquirer) appeared on many papers reporting on the burials of four of the young Amish girls killed this week in a school shooting.

The Winston-Salem Journal’s headline “Battle for Baghdad” was typical of most newspapers’ coverage of the war, with many focusing on the recent surge in the number of U.S. soldiers killed.

Most papers had major coverage of the ongoing Foleygate scandal and its effect on House Speaker Dennis Hastert, with the Chicago Sun-Times leading with his quote, “I’m deeply sorry,” and The Courier News from Elgin, Ill., headlining another Hastert quote, “The buck stops here.”

Perhaps because of the nature of the Foleygate scandal, the word ‘sex’ appeared on a surprising number of front pages today, in reference to a wide range of stories. The Star-Ledger in Newark had “Jersey teacher faces sex charges,” The Indianapolis Star ran with “Sex offender ban put on hold,” and the San Francisco Chronicle used the word twice, including a giant “Sex Trafficking” headline next to a gauzy photograph of a woman’s silhouette.

But The Huntsville Times preferred parody to pandering, running two front page stories on Comedy Central’s fake TV news shows. One covered “The Daily Show’s” interview with a former NASA scientist, the other on the one-day opening and closing of a museum dedicated to ‘The Colbert Report”’s Stephen Colbert. As part of the tonque-in-cheek news show, Colbert County officials agreed to temporarily change their county’s pronunciation to mimic the comedian’s French-sounding name. And that’s today’s word.

Paul Sparrow is the Newseum’s vice president for broadcasting and programs.

Foleygate opens wide, baseball a hit,
and a $200 million winner

By Paul Sparrow

The scandal involving former congressman Mark Foley led most papers today. Editors varied in their approach; the St. Petersburg Times went with the news that GOP leaders were told about Foley’s inappropriate behavior in 2003, while others, like the Daily Herald from Chicago, turned their attention to House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s problems. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer led with Foley and Hastert, but ran a major front-page story headlined “Pubic toilets going to waste.”

Pennsylvania’s papers continued to cover the tragic school shooting in Nickel Mines, with The Patriot-News noting “Time To Mourn” and the Intelligencer Journal running a poignant photograph across the top of the paper titled “Death of Innocents.”

Newspapers in Northern California had two big stories fighting for space. “Felony Charges in HP Scandal” dominated the San Jose Mercury News’ front page, while the San Francisco Chronicle led with the HP story but gave bigger play to good news with “Brainy Bay Area Yields 3 Nobels.”

Baseball postseason play was big news in some cities, with the Daily News in New York shouting out “Shea Hey” to the Mets, while the Pioneer Press in Minnesota lamented the Twins’ loss with a question, “End of the season?”

The Des Moines Register had the best feel-good story of the day. Its headline, “$200.8 Million: ‘Oh, My God!” summed up Tim Guderian’s reaction to winning the Powerball lottery. They followed with a story about false claims with the subhead, “My dog ate the ticket — really!”

Paul Sparrow is the Newseum’s vice president
for broadcasting and programs.

Disturbing details keep Amish shooting
and congressional scandal on front pages

By Kate Kennedy

Details emerged on two top stories, keeping former Congressman Mark Foley’s name and images from an Amish school shooting on Page One.

From Florida’s 16th congressional district, The Palm Beach Post quoted Foley’s lawyer as saying the longtime politician, who now says he is gay, was molested as a teenager in the 1960s. Foley resigned from Congress after allegations that he sent teenage boys sexually explicit e-mail messages. The Hartford (Conn.) Courant said Foley is following a script that invites skepticism in a story headlined “Abuse Excuse Itself Abused.”

The Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune reported that a local congressman donated to charity a contribution received from Foley. In Dennis Hastert’s home state of Illinois, the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago quoted the House speaker as saying he won’t resign over the political fallout.

From Pennsylvania, the Intelligencer Journal in Lancaster County published an interview with an Amish teacher, who said she had just brought children in from recess when the gunman arrived. The Philadelphia Inquirer used the image of a note left by the man, saying the “note points to troubled mind” and hate. Minutes before the shootings that killed five girls, the man told his wife in a phone call that he had molested two young relatives 20 years earlier, the newspaper said.

The Kansas City (Mo.) Star rejected stereotypes of apathy and detachment, quoting a new government study that found young people are more engaged in their communities and politics than expected.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed at an all-time high — 11,727.34 — Tuesday, and The Fresno (Calif.) Bee charted the upward progress. A Detroit Free Press columnist pointed out why investors have reason to smile. But there was no smiling over the Tigers’ 8-4 loss to the New York Yankees; the phrase “Shell-Shocked” led the page.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Shootings bring separate world
of the Amish into the mainstream

By Kate Kennedy

Today’s Page One across the country reflected the unthinkable — shootings in a one-room Amish schoolhouse.

“Death of Innocents,” said the banner headline of the Intelligencer Journal of Lancaster, Pa.

The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., devoted its entire front page to the shootings in Lancaster County, providing a timeline, quoting friends and family struggling to understand and reporting that the gunman was acting on a 20-year-old grudge.

It was the second week in a row that a school shooting made front-page news. The Seattle Times focused on outsiders using schools as targets, and The Sun in Baltimore reported on fears of copy-cat crimes, especially in schools, to attract attention.

For religious reasons, the Amish do not wish their photo to be taken. The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City used a silhouette of Amish men in front of the school. The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader used a photo of a helicopter taking off from the scene, and The Times-Reporter in Dover, Ohio, showed an Amish man with his head down. But there were exceptions, including the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, which published a photo of three Amish men listening during a State Police press conference, and The Indianapolis Star, which was among newspapers that showed men waiting at a police roadblock.

From sorrow to joy in the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass., which photographed a University of Massachusetts Medical School scholar elated over winning the Nobel Prize in medicine. The good news was shared by a researcher at Stanford University, the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News reported. The two men were awarded the prize for discovering a way to silence genes within a cell.

Some newspapers advanced a U.S. Census Bureau report being released today that shows the budget-busting effects of housing costs. The News & Record in Greensboro, N.C., called it the “big squeeze.”

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Tabs tear into Foley scandal;
critters get closer to the Creator

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Fallout from Mark Foley’s resignation on Friday from Congress over alleged sexually explicit messages to teenage boys made the top national spot on many front pages. Of those that put the former Florida representative out front, most led with the news that the FBI had begun an investigation into whether any federal laws were broken by the e-mail exchanges. Other newspapers took a different approach. FLORIDA TODAY, which ran the story below the fold, focused on Foley’s replacement on the ballot. The tabloids spared no sympathy for the GOP. “Reprehensible,” said the Philadelphia Daily News. The Chicago Sun-Times focused on Speaker Dennis Hastert’s role in the sticky situation: “Hastert Caves.”

Without Foley, Bob Woodward’s new book about the Bush administration surely would have topped more front pages today. But news from State of Denial still made a splash. Several stories focused on Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; Woodward said in his book that White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card had waged a campaign to get Rumsfeld to resign. The Sun Journal in Lewiston, Maine, noted that “Rumsfeld hangs tough.” Other newspapers focused on the Bush camp’s response: “Reporter’s motives challenged,” The Bakersfield Californian.

Balancing out the national politics was the national pastime. The end of regular-season baseball made many Page Ones. Some sports reporters celebrated with their home teams: “Wild card winner,” said the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press, “a stunning finish to an improbable season” for the Twins. But for the losers, apparently there is crying in baseball. “The magic runs out,” said the Houston Chronicle.

Finally, an uplifting front-page story from the Culpeper (Va.) Star-Exponent. Oliver the rambunctious poodle, Cheshire the diabetic cat and Charlie the dog-loving llama attended the annual Blessing of the Animals at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. About 20 animals were sanctified (even though Charlie tried to eat people’s hats). The Star-Exponent quoted pet-owner Cecelia Demaree: “God is dog spelled backward.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Page One tells stories of a victorious day,
a tough day and a long-awaited day

By Kate Kennedy

Newspapers turned to Washington for Page One news today.

Calling it a victory for President Bush, the Chicago Tribune reported Senate passage of legislation creating military tribunals to prosecute terror suspects. The newspaper said Bush was ready to sign the bill into law next week. The Los Angeles Times noted almost certain legal challenges to the limits on suspects’ rights contained in the bill.

The San Francisco Chronicle called it a “tough day in Congress” when the CEO and the former chairman of Hewlett-Packard were grilled about corporate spying. The San Jose Mercury News pictured 14 managers, lawyers and investigators called by a House subcommittee and identified those declining to testify.

Bob Woodward might work for The Washington Post, but a summary of his new book, State of Denial, was featured by The New York Times. The book, to be released on Monday, says that the White House ignored an urgent warning that additional U.S. troops were needed to help deal with insurgency in Iraq.

During a week in which Rose Kennedy’s personal papers were made public, The Oregonian in Portland reported on a study of President John F. Kennedy’s bad back by an Oregon spine surgeon. What he found: “Even the world’s most powerful man sometimes gets lousy medical care.”

Front pages also reflected the way we live.

The Modesto (Calif.) Bee called its story “Minivan mutiny.” In a look at the future of the minivan, The Bee noted declining sales as “baby boomers who bought minivans move out of child rearing years.”

There are more than 31,000 golf courses in the world, and 95 students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are majoring in golf, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Students in professional golf management must take chemistry, biology, business and horticulture classes — and have a handicap of no more than 12.

TGIF in Florida, where The Miami Herald labeled as “exclusive” the story of a University of Miami employee who tried to poison his boss.

The news was sweeter in St. Petersburg, where the Times pictured Bob O’Malley, whose high school sweetheart finally accepted his marriage proposal — 62 years later.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Competing newspapers bring variety
to play and display of big local news

By Kate Kennedy

Big local stories gave readers choices in news coverage — especially in locations with competing newspapers.

Colorado newspapers recalled memories of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in reporting Wednesday’s standoff and shooting at a small high school 35 miles southwest of Denver. The Denver Post profiled a 16-year-old victim and described events that led the gunman to shoot himself.

The Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera published coverage from its sister newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, and paired it with a story about local schools’ preparations for violence and emergencies. The Gazette in Colorado Springs featured a large photo of a mother hugging a son who had been held hostage in a classroom.

An emergency-room visit by Terrell Owens, the Dallas Cowboys’ flamboyant wide receiver, made front-page news in football cities. The Owens story took up more than two-thirds of The Dallas Morning News’ front page, which labeled as “exclusive” an interview with Owens’ trainer.

In adjacent Fort Worth, the Star-Telegram published a large photo of Owens, who said he had not tried to commit suicide. He said he wants to play in Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. His “quiet days” at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga led The Tennessean in Nashville. A former Philadelphia Eagle, Owens monopolized the Philadelphia Daily News page.

“Bug bite,” proclaimed Newsday on Long Island, N.Y., in reporting that federal prosecutors are investigating whether a Republican candidate for state attorney general illegally taped her husband’s conversations to see if he was having an affair. The Journal News in Westchester County, N.Y., outlined the candidate’s denial of wrongdoing.

“The pick of the party,” announced the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press’ news story that the city was chosen the site of the September 2008 Republican National Convention. To the west, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis described the lobbying behind the decision.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Headlines play out tussle over terror;
killer animals attack coast to coast

By Christy Mumford Jerding

President Bush’s decision to declassify a report on global-terror trends dominated as the top national story. Some newspapers played the news straight, leading with the contents of the report, which said that the “threat from Islamic extremists” reaches far and wide. But many others concentrated on the blame being flung over responsibility for the problem: “Terror report fans flames as election draws near,” Detroit Free Press. Several newspapers emphasized the players in the political drama, running tightly cropped photos of President Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton and Bush — all of whom have been engaged in a “war of words,” said the San Francisco Chronicle.

California newspapers judged a development in the debate over medical marijuana as a big story. The Desert Sun ran a front-page package on the implications of a 4-1 vote by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to ban dispensaries in unincorporated areas of the county. “It’s a sad day,” Garry Silva, who uses pot to control his back pain, told the newspaper. The Press-Enterprise reported that people left the board meeting “in tears, amid shouts of disappointment and anger.”

In New Jersey, editors also found themselves occupied with big local news. Town and county governments have been fighting with the state over who has to pick up dead deer carcasses off the highways. The Star-Ledger laid out the controversy in its story titled “Towns take a hit in road-kill war.” It included a prominent list of interesting statistics, including the number of fallen Bambis recovered in New Jersey last year (13,854) and the helpful tip that people were allowed to take a freshly killed (within 24 hours) animal home, presumably to be eaten, stuffed or both.

But the animal kingdom may be fighting back. At least three front pages ran stories today on unusual animal attacks. There was a rabid cat in the Bucks County Times, Levittown, Pa.; a “nest of vipers” in Hernando Today, Brooksville, Fla., and — perhaps the most unusual scary animal story of the day — a “flesh-eating” fish in The Sun, Baltimore, sporting some sharp-looking choppers. A biologist speculated that an aquarium owner may have released the 3.5-pound red-bellied piranha into a local swimming hole.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Page One pleases parched passengers;
paunchy politicians on parade

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Editors paid a lot of attention to the announcement that recent restrictions on carrying liquids onto airplanes would be eased. USA TODAY, always out front with big travel news, laid out the reasons for the reversal — from security and practical standpoints — and bulleted the changes for harried travelers’ easy reference this morning. Some headline writers anticipated readers’ joy at the news that they again could bring toiletries in their carry-on bags: “Let’s drink to that,” The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa. The Seattle Times’ headline cut right to the heart of readers’ angst over the ban, in place since Aug. 10: “You can carry that toothpaste on board once again.”

A judge’s ruling that a class-action lawsuit against tobacco companies could proceed got numerous mentions across the United States. Newspapers in tobacco country gave the story heavy play. The News & Record in Greensboro, N.C., highlighted its story with a cigarette-package graphic. The Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal noted the drop in U.S. cigarette consumption, as well as the drop in fortunes for companies such as Philip Morris. It also invited readers to weigh in online in its “Smoking Section” — an area devoted to following smoking news.

The re-opening of the Superdome in New Orleans made a lot of U.S. front pages, most often as a bright feature photo. It got heavier play in the South as the feel-good story of the day: “Rebirth,” said The Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. The Times-Picayune gave over its entire front page to the day’s celebration and football game: “What a show!” (The Saints routed the Falcons, 23-3.)

The Daily Press in Hampton Roads, Va., topped its Page One with an unusual photo — a man’s rather rotund belly, straining the limits of a blue Oxford-cloth shirt. The story, titled “The politics of paunch,” covered the efforts of politicians to lose a few extra pounds and pick up a few extra votes in the process. Virginia’s Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, the news hook for the Daily Press story, had lost 13 pounds so far.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

GOP catches flak on Iraq;
New Yorkers chase apple-vodka dream

By Christy Mumford Jerding

No single story dominated today but several dailies gave prominent slots to Iraq news. The Las Vegas Review-Journal ran a big package anchored by an Associated Press report that some U.S. soldiers, contradicting their commanders, considered Iraqi troops still unfit for duty. Other newspapers ran front-page stories on a leaked “intelligence assessment” that said the Iraq war has increased the terrorist threat. Several headlines emphasized the political implications: “Democrats use report to attack Iraq policy,” The Day, New London, Conn.; “Democrats use Iraq report to blast GOP,” Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo. The Stars and Stripes seemed more interested in substance rather than partisanship: “Intel report: Iraq war worsens terror threat.”

A stunning crime story, which made headlines across the nation, dominated the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In East St. Louis, a woman allegedly had killed three children and stuffed them in a washer and dryer, days after killing their pregnant mother and cutting the fetus from her body. Since it was day two for the story, the newspaper focused on community reaction, pulling out a neighbor’s quote: “The whole time we were out here talking, them babies were in there.”

In Louisiana, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were heavy on editors’ minds. The News-Star led with a memorial service for victims of Rita on the anniversary of her landfall. The Times-Picayune concentrated on happier news: New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, who has “said and done all the right things” to inspire fans. The Advocate wasn’t celebrating yet. Its lead story reminded readers that the storm season isn’t over yet.

The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y. (motto: “America’s most colorful newspaper”), fronted an old-fashioned David-and-Goliath story today. Beak & Skiff Apple Farms was “fighting the state” for the right to make and sell apple vodka. After the farms had jumped through the usual legal hoops, its plans were foiled by a veto from Gov. George Pataki. But the state’s vodka lovers have vowed to fight on. “They say making laws is like making sausage,” said a representative of the New York Farm Bureau. “This is symptomatic of the fact that it’s just really difficult to make quick decisions in Albany.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Slashed drug prices, rebellious lawmakers
and stolen gold add up to Page One news

By Kate Kennedy

$4 prescriptions. People between the ages of 13 and 64. Three dissident senators.

Much of today’s front-page news was about numbers.

The Bakersfield Californian used Wal-Mart’s signature happy face to illustrate the news that the retailer is testing $4 prices for a month’s supply of almost 300 generic drugs. Some newspapers, including the Tribune-Review in Greensburg, Pa., incorporated the company’s “roll back” slogan in their headlines.

Federal health officials recommended the routine testing of all Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 for HIV, and The Salt Lake Tribune quoted doctors supporting the idea. The Daily Record in Parsippany, N.J., used charts to break down the number of people who have been tested previously.

Three rebellious GOP senators reached a deal with the Bush administration on legislation outlining the interrogation and trials of terror suspects. The Arizona Republic in Phoenix called the compromise a win for Arizona Sen. John McCain, who played a key role.

All three stories were found on some front pages, including the Billings (Mont.) Gazette and The Oregonian in Portland.

In Detroit, it was a different set of numbers: 20 of every 100 kids have not returned to school after a 16-day strike by city teachers. The problem could lead to a decrease in state funding. The Free Press illustrated the numbers using people cutouts.

The number was $1.7 million in Colorado, where The Gazette in Colorado Springs reported that unprocessed gold and silver were stolen from a mining company by three former employees.

“Behind in the count,” said the headline in The San Diego Union-Tribune, which reported empty seats at Padres games despite a slight lead in the battle for the National League West title.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Devilish diplomacy at the UN;
World's oldest 3-year old

By Paul Sparrow

Most newspapers led with local news today, but a fiery speech at the United Nations and an important scientific discovery added drama to many front pages. Philadelphia’s Metro summed up the big international story with its headline “Chavez: Bush is the devil” in describing the Venezuelan president’s denunciation of President Bush. The New York Daily News had this advice for President Chavez “Hasta La Vista, Baby…and take the UN with you!,” and AM New York ran with the headline “Hell of an Insult.”

The skeletal head of a 3-million-year-old child stared out from many front pages today (The Dallas Morning News), as scientists announced the discovery of the oldest fossil remains of a young human ancestor ever found. The Star-Ledger of Newark called her “Evolution’s ‘pretty baby’” and also ran an artists reconstruction of what “Lucy’s baby” might have looked like.

For The Denver Post, Lucy’s baby was overshadowed by two tragic crime stories. An off-duty police officer was killed in Aurora, and an arrest was made in the horrific murder of a woman who was dragged behind a car with a noose around her neck.

Pot was the big crime story in California. The Record (Stockton) had large a front-page spread on a major marijuana arrest, and The Orange County Register reported the discovery of 20,000 pot plants growing in Mission Viejo, a neighborhood of million-dollar homes.

A Superman of sorts was making news in Lewiston, Maine, as the Sun Journal had a feature story on 63-year-old Rob Elowitch. A mild-mannered art dealer by day, he recently confessed to his wife that he lived a secret second life, as a mad-man wrestler at night.

Paul Sparrow is the Newseum’s Vice-President
for broadcasting.

U.N. showdown, Thai coup and shuttle trouble get big above-the-fold play

By Mike Fetters

There was a lot of activity at the United Nations yesterday. According to Page One editors, the U.S. and Iranian presidents were busy trading blame (The Charlotte Observer), stating cases (The Fresno Bee), pointing fingers (Contra Costa Times), blasting (The National Post), calling out (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), being tough, reaching out (Lexington Herald-Leader), pushing for peace (The Sentinel-Record), taking aim or sparring (too many to list). Editors may not have agreed on how to characterize the leaders' remarks, but many opted for similar artwork. Side-by-side headshots of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and President Bush appeared on several U.S. and international front pages.

Much more consistent were the headlines reporting the military takeover in Bangkok, Thailand, that occurred while the country's prime minister was in New York preparing to address the United Nations. "Thai Coup," screamed the Star of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "Bloodless coup stuns Thailand" reported the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Mystery object delays shuttle" said today's St. Petersburg Times while Florida Today noted the "11th hour dilemma" facing the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis as a result of unidentified flying objects near the spacecraft.

The pre-school set, however, should have no problem identifying the fuzzy red fellow providing a splash of color on dozens of U.S. front pages. Page One attention given to the rollout of the "extreme" version of "Tickle Me Elmo" would indicate that The Chronicle-Telegram of Elyria, Ohio, got it right. "It's Elmo's World (We're Just Shopping In It)." Just 96 more shopping days until Christmas, parents!

Mike Fetters is the Newseum director/marketing and communications.

Spinach woes top story
in the ‘Salad Bowl’

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Bacterial contamination in the U.S. spinach crop stayed in the headlines today. California newspapers hit the story hard — the Salinas Valley is known as “America’s Salad Bowl” because of its heavy agricultural growth of lettuces and vegetables. The Salinas Californian’s story said the E. coli outbreak, which has led to one death and as many as 113 illnesses, is “the worst crisis ever linked to Monterey County agriculture and has blindsided the area’s biggest industry.” On the East Coast, The Press of Atlantic City topped its story with a dire pronouncement from a farmer: “The market is dead.”

Down South, a disturbing kidnapping case took the top spot in several dailies. Accused kidnapper and rapist Vinson Filyaw made his first court appearance in Camden, S.C., and his 14-year-old girl accuser was in the courtroom. The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer and The State in Columbia, S.C., both developed prominent front-page graphics from a text message the girl sent to her mother while allegedly being held captive by Filyaw: “Hi mom. I’m in a hole … There’s a bomb. Call police.”

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, which runs daily top stories on the area’s struggles to recover from Hurricane Katrina, had some good news out front for a change: The Saints’ inspiration victory Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, which brought 2,000 fans out to welcome their players home. The headline writer called the win an “ANTIDEPRESSAINT” for residents. Football news wasn’t so good in Oklahoma — “Fuming Sooners” over officials’ calls; or Philadelphia — “Freak out,” the loss of defensive end Jevon “The Freak” Kearse for the season.

Readers of the Culpeper (Va.) Star-Exponent got an important community bulletin this morning. Police told the newspaper that residents should be on the lookout for two men, wearing dresses and high heels, wanted for an alleged assault that took place at the Sleepy Hollow Trailer Park. Folks in Elgin, Ill., have something less dangerous, but perhaps just as entertaining, to look out for: Giant puff-ball mushrooms have started to spring up in several backyards. The Courier-News reported that the mushrooms are more than fun to look at — you can eat ‘em, too.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Prisoners, players and the pope
jockey for Page One top spots

By Christy Mumford Jerding

An Associated Press report on the U.S. military’s “global network of overseas prisons” — reportedly holding 14,000 prisoners — got prominent play in many dailies. The Wisconsin State Journal in Madison broke out a sidebar on Iraqi Bilal Hussein, an AP photographer being held in Iraq for “imperative reasons of security,” according to the military. The AP said that Hussein’s five months of captivity was without merit and protested that no charges had been filed against him.

Religion writers got a lot of front-page bylines as the furor continued over Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks about Muslims. Quite a few headlines pulled out phrases from the pope’s apology: “Pope is ‘deeply sorry,’” Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stories noted that Benedict’s expression of regret was unusual; The New York Times called it “extraordinary.” Stories also linked the murder of a Catholic nun and her bodyguard in Somalia to Muslim anger toward the pope.

Pittsburgh newspapers led with violence at Duquesne University — five basketball players were shot early Sunday leaving a campus dance. The Post-Gazette and Tribune-Review both ran big stories; the Post-Gazette had more details out front in a three-story package. The assailant was still missing at press time.

Editors at The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., fronted a story about a different kind of menace: Luger, the “killer dog.” The 100-pound, 3-year-old Doberman pinscher killed his owner by biting her on the head and neck. Now an employee of the shelter that allowed Luger to be adopted is suing his former employers. He said he was fired after telling police that the shelter knew the dog was dangerous.

The Gazette in Colorado Springs reported an important retirement. It wasn’t the mayor or the police chief or a business owner — it was Rudy Pacheco, Elvis Presley impersonator. Pacheco — stage name Deke Rivers — had played the nursing-home circuit for six years. But he has called it quits and put his jumpsuits up for sale. “My hair is thinning out,” Pacheco explained. And maybe he’s a little tired of fending off his more-ardent admirers. “Some of the old ladies were wilder than teenagers,” he said. “They loved when you moved.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Job security, homeland security
and computer security make Page One

By Kate Kennedy

Pocketbook news moved off the business pages onto today’s front pages.

The Detroit Free Press reported that buyouts in a Ford Motor Co. restructuring will cut union ranks in half. The news rippled across communities whose economies will be affected. The St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press and The Buffalo (N.Y.) News reported that anxious workers were awaiting word on the futures of local plants.

In Wal-Mart’s home state of Arkansas, The Sentinel-Record reported that the world’s largest retailer is ending its layaway service, citing declining demand and increasing costs.

The Southeast Missourian in Cape Girardeau noted that gasoline dropped below $2 in its market, and the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News marked a two-year low in natural gas prices. The Chicago Tribune had bad news for local consumers, reporting an expected 25% increase in electric bills.

It wasn’t just money that bothered a Notre Dame fan who thought he bought coveted tickets to Saturday’s University of Notre Dame-University of Michigan football game. It was the loss of the tickets that really bothered the fan, a victim of an Internet scam, the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune said.

In Washington, four Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee broke with President Bush to OK a bill that would expand the legal rights of terror suspects. The Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., used the word “defies” in its headline, while the Los Angeles Times used “rebuffs.”

The Washington bureau of The Plain Dealer of Cleveland quoted Capitol Hill sources, who said that Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio was expected to plead guilty to a criminal charge related to his dealings with lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Something old was new for the Times Union in Albany, N.Y., which pictured a rock slab found in Mexico that anthropologists say is the oldest example of writing in the Western Hemisphere.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Photos help tell the stories of the loss
of a state leader and a school shooting

By Kate Kennedy

The death of icon Ann Richards was front-page news across Texas. The Dallas Morning News’ story about the former Texas governor was part news, part appreciation. The paper noted Richards’ progressive contributions to state government and lively wit.

The San Antonio Express-News’ coverage included a 1994 photo of Richards on the front porch of the governor’s mansion. Photos also played an important part in other front-page coverage today.

In Canada, La Presse and Le Journal de Montreal reported on a school shooting in downtown Montreal. The Globe and Mail in Toronto published a photo that showed students evacuating Dawson College and the body of the gunman, who was killed by police. The photo also was published by some U.S. newspapers, including The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a similar photo that did not include the gunman’s body.

“Our mission is to report the news as accurately as we know it — no matter how unpleasant that news may look,” said Pete Cross, assistant managing editor/photography at The Palm Beach Post. “There are times, of course, when good judgment tells you that something is in bad taste or too shocking. But in this case, we had one image that told the story effectively. Note that the body is covered.”

A deadly 24 hours in Iraq was detailed by some newspapers. Almost 100 people were killed or found dead throughout Baghdad, The Oregonian in Portland reported. “Iraq’s grief only grows,” said The Kansas City (Mo.) Star’s lead headline. The Day in New London, Conn., was among newspapers that published an emotional photo of a victim’s family.

“Amputee thinks, and his new arm listens,” said The Seattle Times, which pictured the first recipient of a thought-controlled bionic arm. The prosthesis might be offered to U.S. soldiers who have lost limbs.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Elections jockey with business news;
sawfish and stingrays under fire

By Christy Mumford Jerding

With 9/11 anniversary coverage ended, editors turned their attention to a more typical mix of local, regional and national news stories for Page One.

Many front pages featured reports on an attack by suspected Islamist militants on the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria. Stories emphasized the “brazen” nature of the attempt; the men threw hand grenades and opened machine-gun fire on the building in the middle of the morning. An often-used photo showed a diplomat peering through bullet-pierced glass. Syrian security officers killed the men.

Local primary elections made the top spot in Washington, D.C., Maryland, New York and other states. The mayoral race in the District of Columbia got a lot of attention in the nation’s capital. The Washington Post said that Adrian M. Fenty had won a “resounding victory.” The Sun in Baltimore concentrated on polling problems in its election package. A new statewide electronic voting system “stumbled out of the gate,” the Sun said, causing severe snafus that could affect the process for months.

A couple of business stories got prominent play, particularly in Silicon Valley. Hewlett-Packard’s “public boardroom brawl,” which led to the resignation of its chairman and another board member, was far from over, reported the San Jose Mercury News. Indictments may be on the way. Headlines were a bit kinder to Apple Computer chief Steve Jobs, who announced a new iTunes-based online movie service, though some stories quoted analysts who said the move was “no slam dunk.”

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel ran a stunning underwater photo of a sawfish as its dominant art. The story detailed a plan by the federal government to preserve the species, which is in danger from commercial fishing and coastal development. They may want to consider lending a hand to stingrays as well. The Desert Sun in Palm Springs reported that people are killing rays, in apparent revenge for the death of “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Motherless child of 9/11 captures
editors’ eyes around world

By Christy Mumford Jerding

9/11 anniversary remembrances again dominated U.S. front pages. President Bush’s visits to the sites of the terrorist attacks, as well as his address to the nation, dominated news stories. But photographs of the president were few and far between. Instead, an image of a solemn little girl stared out from hundreds of newspaper fronts from Arkansas to Australia.

An AP photo of Patricia Smith, 7, all in pink and holding a red rose, was by far the most common image chosen by editors to illustrate the 9/11 anniversary story. Smith, standing beside her father during the reading of victims’ names in New York, was 2 years old when her mother, police officer Moira Smith, died helping a victim at the World Trade Center. In the photo, Patricia stares gravely to the side, a slight frown crinkling her brow and freckled nose. Surrounded by uniformed police officers, she must have seemed a fitting symbol for editors struggling to convey the scope of the nation’s loss.

Headlines emphasized several angles to the story. Many went with a straight-up summary: “Nation marks 9/11 anniversary,” The Morning News, Fayetteville, Ark. Others used President Bush’s words to emphasize the memory of those lost: “We will never forget,” The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post. Still others picked up Bush’s comments on the war on terror as the lead: “Bush tells bin Laden: ‘We will find you,’” The Calgary Sun. The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune summed up the day particularly well: “The mourning after.”

Headline writers normally stick to a tell-it-like-it-is formula. But the events of the last few days seemed to have loosened editors’ usual practice of just-the-facts objectivity. This was evident on the front page of The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville, Tenn. Its headline seemed to come from someone’s heart: “We pause to reflect how fragile life can be.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director of the Freedom Forum.

Flames, fears and tears of 9/11
dominate front pages around the world

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Nearly every U.S. daily newspaper, and many overseas, led with today’s five-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

As expected, newspapers in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania ran multiple stories from multiple angles: recounting the events through photos and timelines; President Bush’s appearance at memorial services; national security updates; terrorist-threat analyses; personal recollections. Some typical headlines: “Nation stops again to remember,” USA TODAY; “Bush marks 9/11 at Ground Zero,” The New York Times; “Terror’s long shadow,” The Denver Post. The Daily News in New York ran with simple bold type marking the times the towers were hit: “Remember: 8:46 a.m., 9:03 a.m.” Many smaller-circulation newspapers threw all their resources at similar anniversary packages and delivered comprehensive coverage as well.

Several Page One editors chose to run the names or photos of the day’s dead as the sole element out front. The most compelling headlines reflected the emotions of readers. The Longview (Texas) News-Journal listed the myriad of feelings many Americans would experience today: “Anxiety. Fear. Paranoia. Patriotism. Resolve. Sadness.” The Record in Hackensack, N.J., was one of many newspapers that personalized the news through interviews with survivors and relatives of people killed. Its main story, titled “Remains of the day,” profiled those whose lives were “stuck” at Ground Zero. The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel anchored its coverage with “Jevon’s story” – a first-person account by Jevon Castrillo, who was 6 years old when his mother, a flight attendant on United Airlines Flight 93, died in Pennsylvania. The Star Press in Muncie, Ind., wondered if all these remembrances would be good or bad for Americans: “Replaying the terror: Is it a painful reminder or a chance for closure?”

Overseas, the story played out a little less deferentially. Aripaev in Estonia ran a collage that included an image of a bloodied victim. Diario de Noticias in Lisbon, Portugal, had a particularly startling front-page graphic: Osama bin Laden, drawn as the Grim Reaper, with his scythe superimposed over a photo of a man falling to his death from the World Trade Center.

Back in the United States, a couple of newspapers sounded a hopeful note. The Culpeper (Va.) Star-Exponent’s headline read “We’re still standing.” And the editors of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver chose to ignore the anniversary altogether. Its front page covered the Broncos’ opening-game loss to the Rams, forest-management plans, a rise in local crime and an upcoming home-theater trade show.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Medical discoveries bring promise;
Texas and Ohio ready for a win

By Kate Kennedy

Two groundbreaking discoveries brought health news to today’s front pages.

The Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald reported that tests on a patient in a vegetative state showed awareness and imagination — a surprise to researchers. The results could have an important impact on the care of unconscious patients, The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee noted.

In a second announcement, scientists said many of the genes that cause breast and colorectal cancers have been identified. The Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y., and The Sun in Baltimore said the research results could lead to new methods of diagnosis and treatment. The State in Columbia, S.C., reported on the part that local patients played in the discovery.

From the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Tony Blair’s announcement that he will step down in the coming year made news around the world. The Guardian in London looked ahead with the headline “Possible February announcement, quit in May and new PM in place by June.”

What happens when journalists make news? The Miami Herald’s top story was about 10 South Florida journalists who took money from the U.S. government for work on Radio and TV Martí, programs that promote democracy in Cuba. A conflict of interest, ethics experts said.

“Who’s ready?” asked the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman in advance of Saturday night’s college football game pitting No. 1 Ohio State against No. 2 Texas. The only mention of the game on the front page of The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch was a promotion to a sports-section story about the Texas Longhorns’ freshman quarterback. Instead, The Dispatch featured a centerpiece about higher admission standards at OSU. But 144 miles away, The Plain Dealer reported “Cleveland goes nuts for OSU vs. Texas.”

It was a double take with the Star Tribune, which photographed the nine sets of twins in an elementary school in Minneapolis, aptly known as half of the Twin Cities.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

CIA prisons secret no more; news
reflects lives influenced by 9/11

By Kate Kennedy

Leading many newspapers today was the announcement by President Bush that 14 terrorism suspects — held in secret CIA overseas prisons — have been moved to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Kansas City (Mo.) Star noted what’s next: Congress will consider legislation drafted by the administration to use military commissions for trials for the suspects.

The Los Angeles Times pictured President Bush addressing an invited audience in the White House and profiled three “high-value” al-Qaida detainees.

In Texas, The Dallas Morning News highlighted results of a New York Times poll that found Americans are resigned to living with terror threats.

As the anniversary of 9/11 approaches, The Philadelphia Inquirer examined how its city has changed since 2001. The Savannah Morning News reported on how Georgia has benefited from Department of Homeland Security money. A Florida family facing its future without one of its members was featured in The St. Petersburg Times.

In Iraq, the government will take control of its armed forces today, and The Las Vegas (Nev.) Review-Journal noted the significance of the step. But continued violence in Iraq was felt in cities across the United States, as The Providence (R.I.) Journal, The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk and the Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal reported on the deaths of local soldiers in combat. The Idaho Statesman in Boise published an emotional photo of a flag-lined street “Honoring a Slain Soldier.”

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Black gold bubbles in the Gulf;
dawn of the dead in Chicago, St. Paul

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many U.S. editors put the discovery of an oil reserve four miles beneath the Gulf of Mexico out front today. The Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus, Ga., headlined its story “Eureka!” But the story seemed to contradict the headline writer’s excitement: “The vast oil deposit … won’t significantly reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil and it won’t help lower prices at the pump anytime soon.”

New York-area newspapers paid a lot of attention to a new report on the health problems among those who worked to clear debris from the World Trade Center after Sept. 11, 2001. Doctors said nearly 70% of workers have breathing disorders that could be permanent. AM New York ran a large photo of a man hooked to a ventilator with the headline “The ills of 9/11.” The Daily News was characteristically bold and blunt: “The shame of 9/11: No doubt now. Landmark study … demands urgent action.”

Down south, several front pages were dominated by the announcement that Felipe Calderon had been named president, after a court challenge from rival Andres Manual Lopez Obrador. Mexican newspapers featured large photos of a smiling Calderon under banner headlines such as “Por unanimidad” and “Presidente electo.” U.S. newspapers were more subdued. The Houston Chronicle’s photo showed Obrador’s supporters weeping. The Miami Herald said that Mexico was getting prepared for more protests in the wake of the results.

Chicagoans encountered a unique headline splashed across the Sun-Times: “Dead dad rides train for 23 hours.” Apparently a woman, riding with her father, knew he had died somewhere around Colorado but didn’t have the money to send his body home.

Readers of the Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minn., also got a jolt of the heebie-jeebies today: “Cops say grave robbers had sex on their minds.” Three Wisconsin teenagers were arrested after allegedly attempting to dig up the body of a young woman in order to have sex with it. They made a stop at a nearby Wal-Mart first – to pick up some condoms.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director of the Freedom Forum.

Croc hunter’s death dominates
Down Under and across USA

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The death of wildlife enthusiast and TV personality Steve Irwin — killed by a stingray barb to the chest while swimming off the coast of Queensland — showed up on front pages in Australia and New Zealand and throughout the United States. Today’s reports focused on fans’ disbelief that Irwin, who routinely worked with huge crocodiles and deadly snakes, had been felled by a stingray, usually a gentle, non-aggressive creature. “It’s no croc,” said the Philadelphia Daily News. The New Zealand Herald said that Australians were “in shock,” and sounded a note that would be repeated throughout news reports: “He died as he lived — getting up close and personal with dangerous wildlife in front of the camera.” The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal warned its readers that such dangers aren’t confined to Australian waters: “Local stingrays pack fatal punch, too.”

Some Page One editors led with a disturbing AP report out of Iraq. “More bodies turn up in Baghdad,” topped The Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune. Police found the “tortured, blindfolded bodies of 33 men scattered across the capital Monday.”

Sports news made several front pages. Golfer Tiger Woods, who took his fifth straight PGA Tour win Monday in Boston, beamed a giant smile from Massachusetts newspapers. “Tiger roars,” said Metro.

Newspapers continued their front-page coverage of Katie Couric’s debut tonight as the “CBS Evening News” anchor. The Detroit Free Press said, “All eyes on Couric.” The Wall Street Journal took a fresh approach to the now-familiar Couric previews — its story took a look at the development of a new theme song for the program, written by “Titanic” composer James Horner.

Finally, a happy ending made the front page of the Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif. Jim Hickson went down to the courthouse to get a copy of his birth certificate, only to find that he had been declared dead. “I thought, God, maybe it’s an omen,” he told the newspaper. But after awhile, Hickson said he saw the humor in the situation. So did the Breeze editors. In a nod to the immortal film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the article was headlined, “He doesn’t feel dead … .”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Actions speak louder than words
when bad behavior makes the news

By Kate Kennedy

Defiance, mean-spiritedness and just plain bad behavior made front-page news today.

Iran defied a United Nations deadline to give up enriching uranium, and the snub led the front page of the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass. President George Bush called for punishment, and the Chicago Tribune reported from Tehran on Iranians worried that their country “could become an international pariah.”

An ill-tempered Tropical Storm Ernesto brought record rainfall to eastern North Carolina, and the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal focused on concern over flooding.

The Daily Herald in suburban Chicago reported that a school league canceled its playoffs because of mean-spirited conduct and “parents behaving badly.”

They weren’t the only ones. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on “a near riot” at the Philadelphia International Airport after a long wait for baggage. A frustrated passenger was arrested. The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., said police were called to the parking lot of a shopping center after two drivers assaulted each other over a parking space.

Is it bad manners to fire employees in an e-mail? RadioShack laid off 403 employees, who received a two-sentence e-mail notice. The Hartford (Conn.) Courant’s headline: “RE: RADIOSHACK LAYOFFS: THIS 1’s 4U :- ( .”

But it was an employee on the wrong side of good manners in Hawaii. The Honolulu Advertiser reported that police were seeking a Honeywell International employee who made more than $245,000 in charges — for a Hummer, Harleys and visits to strip clubs — to his company-issued credit card.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

The tale of two storms: Ernesto and John bring wind, rain to Page One

By Kate Kennedy

Storms in the Atlantic and Pacific reigned on some front pages today. The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman summed it up best: “Dual storms: the mighty and the mild.”

Hurricane John was the mighty. The Tyler (Texas) Morning Telegraph reported the dangerous Category 4 storm hit tourist resorts along Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

Ernesto was the mild. In Florida, the storm went poof, The Palm Beach Post said. “A good practice run” topped the newspaper’s coverage with photographs of residents at the grocery store, at the shelter, at the beach and, of course, at the mall. Despite predictions, Ernesto was barely a tropical storm, causing The Miami Herald to note that weather forecasting is “Not a Perfect Science.”

Other coastal areas feared a growing storm. “Be ready for anything,” warned the News & Record in Greensboro, N.C. Seven inches of rain were expected from Ernesto, and the newspaper offered advice for travelers trying to get out of town for the Labor Day weekend. “Wet, windy and worrisome,” The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer said.

The continuing investigation into Sunday’s plane crash in Lexington, Ky., brought news that the only air-traffic controller on duty at the time had gotten just two hours of sleep in the day before. In what it called a special report, The San Diego (Calif.) Union-Tribune quoted Southern California air-traffic controllers as saying that fatigue-related errors had increased.

California’s governor and legislative Democrats reached a deal to reduce the state’s greenhouse-gas emissions. From the state capital, The Sacramento Bee reported that the action, which still needs the Legislature’s approval, would make California the country’s leader in emission limits.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Big Easy for Bush; SATs a little harder

By Paul Sparrow

Many papers continued to mark the one year anniversary of Katrina, and President Bush’s visit to New Orleans, with front page coverage. The Times-Picayune ran a banner headline, “Death. Loss. Rebirth.” that summed up most of the reporting.

The Sun of Baltimore led with the nationwide drop in Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, the largest decrease in three decades. Most papers worked the local angle comparing their state’s results with the national averages. Oregon’s Statesman Journal also reported on a woman’s still burning body that was found under a bridge. Salem police said the cause of death was unknown.

The arrest of a polygamist sect-leader was the top story for a number of Western papers. Accused of having 40 wives and 60 children, Warren Jeffs was one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives. The Abilene Reporter-News and The Arizona Republic focused on the impact his arrest would have on his followers, some of whom lived in the areas served by the papers.

The release of a new Census report generated many front page stories. Differences in local results made it appear that not all editors were reading the same report. The Detroit News led with “Income Slides” and the Spokane, Wash., Spokesman-Review headlined “Poverty inches up” while The Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune topped its story with “U.S. poverty rate stops climbing.” Other papers focused on weightier aspects of the report with The Kansas City Star announcing that “We’re Getting Fatter.”

The Wichita Eagle’s story on the Census report, noting “Kansas failing to slim down,” was overshadowed by a bone named Sue. Actually many bones, as a colorful cover-story titled “Raising Sue” heralded the opening of a new exhibit featuring a replica skeleton of the largest T-Rex ever found.

Paul Sparrow is the director of broadcasting for the Newseum.

Katrina anniversary, JonBenet case collapse vie for top billing in major
U.S. dailies

By Paul Sparrow

The latest twist in the JonBenet Ramsey case dominated front pages today, as The Denver Post reported in a banner headline that “DNA test clears Karr.” Chicago’s Redeye asked “If he didn’t do it, who did?” and the San Francisco Chronicle noted “Another lead, another debacle.” The Anchorage Daily News put the Ramsey story on top, but also warned that a grizzly bear was wandering around the town of Barrow.

Biloxi’s Sun Herald marked the anniversary of Katrina with a dramatic photograph of the hurricane’s aftermath, and The Virginian-Pilot and The Washington Post both fronted a photo of a towering pile of debris in New Orleans.

The New York Times led with a report on a vicious battle between the Iraqi army and a Shiite militia, but the Chicago Tribune’s top story was a follow up to Sunday’s plane crash in Kentucky.

The Los Angeles Times ran the provocative headline “They Say I Ate My Father. But I Didn’t” for a sad tale of a young orphan girl in Africa who was accused of being a witch and cast out into the street by her relatives. The tabloid-style header topped a serious story about homeless children in the Congo.

A nostalgic look back from the Oakland Tribune today, noting the 40th anniversary of the Beatles’ last concert. Headlined “HELLOGOODBYE” it recounts the events leading up to the concert at Candlestick Park that marked the Fab Four’s last public performance.

Paul Sparrow is the director of broadcasting for the Newseum.

Plane crash competes with Ernesto, Katrina, Keifer for front-page dominance

By Paul Sparrow

Most newspapers fronted yesterday’s tragic plane crash in Kentucky, with the Lexington Herald-Leader and The Courier-Journal dedicating their entire front pages to the story. The fact that the pilots used the wrong runway was the dominant headline.

The anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and concern over the tropical storm Ernesto lead the news in Florida and Louisiana. Florida Today announced that “Ernesto brews anxiety” while the Miami Herald followed its Ernesto coverage with a story on New Orleans titled “ Ghost Town.” The Times-Picayune had five Katrina stories on its front page, and asked the question, ‘Where is home?”

California editors were more focused on the glitz and glamour of the Emmy awards, with Keifer Sutherland’s program “24” taking home top honors. The Daily News’ banner read “Emmy clock strikes ‘24’”

A sewer back-up on Superbowl Sunday has led to a messy fight in Burns, Wyoming. The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle put the story on its front page, right next to a feature headlined “Methane Oasis.”

The Plain Dealer gave parents some comfort in a cover story on “The teen brain,” noting that understanding it can save parents a headache.

The Herald Journal in Utah was one of the few papers that considered the release of two Fox journalists in Gaza worthy of front-page coverage. They also informed their readers about a man who sold body parts illegally for a living. The story included details about a Fed-Ex box containing an arm and a leg, and how the suspect had provided human tissue for hundreds of surgeries apparently by harvesting body-parts from the unsterile embalming room of a funeral home.

Paul Sparrow is the director of broadcasting for the Newseum.

Headlines and Page One space
revolve around Pluto’s demotion

By Kate Kennedy

Having fun isn’t alien to front pages, especially when the news is out of this world.

Pluto, the small, far-out planet, was kicked off the planetary list and stripped of its status in the solar system. The news was too tempting for Page One headline writers:

• "Planetary prominence pulled from puny Pluto,” said The Charlotte Observer.
  
  
• “For Pluto, a Smaller World After All,” The Washington Post said.
  
  
• “Pluto sent spinning out of planetary lineup,” The Anniston (Ala.) Star said.
  
  
• “Going, going, gone,” said the Detroit Free Press.

New astronomical guidelines reduced the number of planets from nine to eight. “8 is enough” appeared on some front pages, including the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel, which added “Bye-Bye, Pluto” and answers to three key questions about the demotion to “dwarf planet.”

“Pluto’s out and ‘it’s all my fault,’” said the headline in The Huntsville (Ala.) Times, noting that the action by the International Astronomical Union was sparked by a Huntsville native. The astronomer was pictured and quoted as saying, “I may go down in history as the guy who killed Pluto.”

All was not right in the universe of some newspapers. The Sun in San Bernardino County, Calif., published a front-page column by a local writer who asked: “What did Pluto do to deserve this?”

The Hartford (Conn.) Courant didn’t seem to understand the gravity of the decision. It featured a “Pluto Should Be A Planet” and “No, It Shouldn’t” debate.

But Pluto is still a star in Maine, where the Portland Press Herald reported that the tiny planet will remain part of a 40-mile long model of the solar system located in the northern part of the state.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Hopes and dreams: Newspapers
use Page One to share anticipation

By Kate Kennedy

A newspaper front page doesn’t just look back at yesterday’s news. It looks ahead.

As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, The Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss., led today’s front page with an investigative story reporting that a shortage of surgeons in coastal Mississippi is causing a crisis in emergency care. “Post-Katrina conditions make retaining or recruiting surgeons more difficult,” the newspaper said.

The Sun Herald and The Times-Picayune of New Orleans won 2006 Pulitzer Prizes for public service for exhaustive coverage of the hurricane. Expect comprehensive coverage from those newspapers and others leading up to the Aug. 29 anniversary.

The Shuttle Atlantis is to lift off Sunday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. FLORIDA TODAY, which “serves the Space Coast,” profiled the crew as “one big happy family.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel led with news anticipating the benefit of a new technique to create human stem cells without harming embryos. The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune reported the potential breakthrough from a nearby Alameda, Calif., biotechnology company. Will it change the ethical and political debate over the use of stem cells in research? The Star-Ledger’s headline in Newark, N.J., noted “hope for funding advocates.”

A 4-3 win over an Illinois team sent little leaguers from Beaverton, Ore., into Saturday’s U.S. championship game in the Little League World Series. The team will play the winner of today’s New Hampshire-Georgia game. The Oregonian in Portland predicted continued success for the Oregon team with the headline “1 win closer to being champs.” The series-title game pitting the U.S. winner and an international team is on Sunday. The Sun-Gazette in Williamsport, Pa., where the games are being played, highlighted the international flavor of the series with a story about how Japanese fans have integrated baseball into their culture.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Marine call-up, new school year big stories;
cities chase goose liver, runaway cows,
naked teens and a stolen gorilla

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Top stories were a mixed bag again today. Many newspapers gave prominent mention to the announcement that the U.S. Marine Corps — “stretched thin” by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — would recall as many as 2,500 inactive reservists to “involuntary active-duty service.” The Kansas City (Mo.) Star and other dailies said that the recall is a sign that the military is struggling to maintain combat readiness. Other front pages led with Iran’s refusal to shut down a uranium enrichment plant or the crash of a Russian passenger jet in Ukraine that killed at least 170 passengers.

The start of the school year for colleges and universities got front-page coverage across the nation. But amid photos of students unpacking in dorm rooms and interviews with proud parents, a few newspapers took a look at the darker side of campus life. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s lead feature, titled “Sobering up,” examined the University of Georgia’s “war” on binge drinking. The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., reported a new survey that showed the Citadel had more incidents of sexual assault than other military academies. Both male and female cadets reported being raped by fellow students on or near campus.

On the lighter side of the news, Chicago’s ban on restaurants’ serving of foie gras — the goose-liver “delicacy” — got humorous treatment by Page One editors. “Foie humbug” said the Chicago Sun-Times. The Chicago Tribune called the ban a “wild foie gras chase.”

Speaking of chases, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register had fun with a story on the highway havoc caused by 128 runaway cows in a photo essay titled “Why did the cows cross I-35?” It was because a cattle truck tipped over. The cows are fine.

The Boston Globe reported on the residents of Brattleboro, Vt., who are fed up with free-spirited teens roaming around town — completely naked. The town manager said his hands are tied; public nudity is permissible in Brattleboro.

And Today’s Local News in San Marcos, Calif., reported on the case of the great gorilla theft of 2006. A local carpet-store owner, who had a 30-foot-tall inflatable ape on his business’ roof, reported his “valued friend” was missing. Police have no suspects. A $1,000 reward is being offered.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Bush, terror plot in top spots;
bad day for forlorn fiancée, chastised cop

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Major U.S. metros had a mixed bag of top news choices, alternating among President Bush’s press conference, 11 arrests in the British terror plot, updates on JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Mark Karr and various local news stories. For the Bush story, most editors focused on the president’s comments on the Iraq war. Several used the same Bush quote in headlines: “War ‘straining the psyche’ of U.S.” Others pulled out the political implications of Bush’s remarks: “President uses Iraq to knock Democrats.”

New York-area front pages played a sports story large today: The New York Yankees completed a five-game sweep against the Boston Red Sox. Yankee fans were treated to gleeful headlines such as “How sweep it is.” Bostoners, who felt “humiliated” according to Sox fan Harris Broad, endured newsstands filled with front pages screaming “Boston massacre” and “Sox massacred.”

Readers of The Intelligencer in Doylestown, Pa., found an unusual top story today: “Bison bolt.” A herd of buffalo escaped from a farm and blocked — you guessed it — Cowpath Road. Neighbor Mary-Jane Yoder reported that the marauding bison unfortunately had trampled her pumpkin patch.

Iowans also had big farm news today. Mysterious crop circles appeared overnight near Geneseo, Ill. The Quad City Times in Davenport, in its story headlined “Field of beams,” assured readers that a retired neurochemist was investigating.

Finally, two Page One stories fell into the category of “people who not only had bad days but found their bad days splashed across front pages.” The Red Eye in Chicago led with a photo of a despondent Jennifer Brun of Hoffman Estates. Her fiancé called their wedding off — via text message. The Arizona Daily Star in Tucson told the bad-day story of Lt. Karl Woolridge of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, who, charged with distributing a “law-enforcement-sensitive” e-mail alert meant for police-eyes only, instead mailed it to nearly every media organization in the state. A spokesman said that Woolridge would be “slapped silly.” The Star helpfully explained that he meant Woolridge would get a stern talking-to — apparently in person, rather than by text message.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Suspected killer wined and dined
Tiger shoots his way to Page One

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The transfer of John Mark Karr — the suspect in the killing of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey — from Thailand to the United States made the top spot in many dailies. Most led with an Associated Press reporter’s account of Karr’s behavior on the flight; an unrestrained Karr apparently enjoyed flying business class. The San Jose Mercury-News noted that he “dined on fried king prawns, roast duck and chocolate cake” and drank a beer as well as some champagne and French chardonnay. The South Bend (Ind.) Tribune ran the same perk story but headlined it with a different angle: “Did JonBenet suspect seek sex change?” Readers had to go to the jump to find out more — a “popular” Thai sex-change surgeon said Karr had come in for treatment.

Several front pages reported on weekend violence in Iraq. Snipers killed 20 people during a Shiite Muslim religious procession in Baghdad. Stories noted that this year’s ceremony was considered a success by Iraqi security agents, who had imposed a “Draconian weekend clampdown,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Last year, more than 1,000 people were killed at the event after a rumor of a suicide bomber caused a panic. The Dispatch seemed unimpressed. It headlined the story “Attack fans flames of war.”

Tiger Woods’ PGA Championship victory in Chicago got prominent play in Illinois and across the nation. Page One editors seemed happy to have the handsome, charismatic golfer back on their front pages, running lots of big pictures and playful headlines: “In total command,” said the Daily Herald; “Tiger’s town,” said the Northwest Herald.

The Las Vegas Sun’s top story blatantly mocked local judges, who are apparently feuding over which of them will get a courtroom with a view. The headline: “Mom, he’s in my room!”

The Mattoon (Ill.) Journal Gazette fronted a report on the St. Louis World Aquarium’s new exhibit on two-headed animals. The aquarium’s directors are going for a Guinness World Record for the most two-headed animals on display. One of the main attractions: “We,” a rare albino two-headed rat snake. Officials are hopeful that “We” will get to meet the “Golden Girls,” another two-headed snake, and that the two of them will be able to mate. (Or would it be the four of them?)

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

From wiretapping to smoking to flying,
court decisions rule Page One

By Kate Kennedy

News from the courts is covered regularly by newspapers, but only those cases with broad impact or interest find their way to the front page. Today’s Page One in many places featured stories that originated in the courts.

The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., declared “Tobacco companies deceivers, judge rules” in its headline after a federal judge ruled that tobacco companies violated anti-racketeering laws. In Winston-Salem, N.C., where one company, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, is based, the Journal highlighted key points of the decision, including the lack of financial penalties.

Newspaper Web sites reported the news Thursday afternoon that a federal judge ruled as unconstitutional the National Security Agency’s warrantless-wiretapping program. In today’s print editions, newspapers looked at what’s next, noting that the wiretapping of international communications will continue for the time being. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer topped its page with “NSA disconnected.” A U.S. District Court judge in Detroit made the ruling, and The Detroit News reported that the Justice Department is appealing. The Herald in Bradenton, Fla., quoted legal scholars who said an appeal has a good chance of success.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge refused to prevent Northwest Airlines’ flight attendants from striking. The Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minn., designed a “dueling” front page topped with the headline “Strike ruling sets up new NWA showdown.” The Twin Cities is a Northwest hub, and the newspaper reflected the positions of both the airline and the union.

As Boulder, Colo., officials continue work in the JonBenét Ramsey murder case, questions arose about whether the case has been solved. The Sun in Baltimore, which noted inconsistencies in the suspect’s comments, published a large photo of the suspect during a press conference. In an exclusive, the Rocky Mountain News in Denver published e-mail correspondence by the suspect.

In the court of public opinion, the Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the city’s heart after winning 17 of 18 games. The Los Angeles Times said the streak — which took the team from last place to first in the NL West — has the city talking. The Daily News of Los Angeles devoted two-thirds of its page to ask the Dodgers: “How did you do it?”

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor, is
director/partnerships and initiatives.

Sensational murder case returns
to Page One after big break in case

By Kate Kennedy

Almost 10 years after the murder of child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey, her story returned prominently to front pages across the country.

A former school teacher from Conyers, Ga., was arrested in Thailand in connection with the killing. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Ramsey family members, many of whom live in the Atlanta area, as hoping the arrest vindicates JonBenét’s parents, who had been under suspicion. The newspaper featured a Page One photograph of a family friend at JonBenét’s grave in Marietta, Ga.

In Colorado, where the suspect is being taken to face first-degree murder charges, The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News reported “How they cracked the case.” The break came with an e-mail to a University of Colorado journalism professor who produced documentaries on the December 1996 murder case.

The San Francisco Chronicle and The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, Calif., reported that the suspect earlier had been a substitute teacher in the Bay Area, where he was arrested for possession of child pornography. He fled before being prosecuted. The Birmingham (Ala.) News highlighted in its headline Alabama schools’ ties to the suspect.

News of a second significant arrest dominated the front page of The San Diego Union-Tribune. The arrest of a Mexican drug kingpin prompted a Drug Enforcement Administration official to say: “We’ve taken the head off the snake,” and the newspaper featured his quote in large type. It also profiled brothers who have led the notorious Arellano Félix drug cartel.

Snakes of a different kind are news in Phoenix, where The Arizona Republic warned readers that August is the prime time for slithery visitors to landscaped neighborhoods. Officials are being called out daily to remove the unwanted guests.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Top news found right next door
and out of this world

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many U.S. dailies took a break from the British terror plot and the Israel-Hezbollah situation to concentrate on local news today. New Jersey front pages were dominated by the resignation of Attorney General Zulima Farber. A special prosecutor’s “scathing report” found that Farber violated state ethics codes by showing up on the scene when her police issued her boyfriend a traffic ticket, according to The Record in Hackensack. The story also noted Farber’s “defiant” demeanor during her resignation announcement; she insisted that she never asked anyone to “fix tickets.”

An unusual twist to the ongoing immigration issue made front pages in Chicago. Elvira Arellano, facing deportation yesterday, took refuge in the Adalberto United Methodist Church. She told dozens of supporters that she would not return to Mexico “like a coward,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Dozens of newspapers turned their attention to the stars for a big science story. A scientific committee voted unanimously to add three planets to our solar system. Pluto, whose status as a real planet had been in jeopardy, was still bona-fide, but only in a new category of “plutons” — “distant oddballs” outside Neptune in oddly shaped orbits, explained The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee. Page One editors took the opportunity to run a lot of colorful graphics depicting the solar system and played up headlines: “New world order,” “Baby, it’s a new way of looking at universe.”

The Kansas City (Mo.) Star had an intriguing front-page headline: “Exotic options abound in death.” Alas, instead of some new insight into our eternal choices in the afterlife, it turned out to be a story about the growing popularity of cremation.

And in Florida, the opening of gator season was a big story for Highlands Today. Desert Storm veteran Chris Gillilan geared up with bug spray, life jackets, canoes and an 8-foot, stainless steel “bang stick” with a .44-caliber bullet strapped to the tip: “I figure if I can get shot at in the desert, I can survive gator hunting in a canoe.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Fragile cease-fire again top news;
Census data shares spotlight

By Nikki Troia

News from Israel and Lebanon continued to dominate U.S. newspapers' front pages today, with many editors again focusing on the tenuous nature of the U.N.-brokered cease-fire. The Los Angeles Times headlined its coverage with "Uneasy Mideast truce holds." The Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch asked the question that has been echoed for the past few days, "Can cease-fire hold?"

Other editors featuring news from the Mideast focused on what refugees faced when they made it back to their homes. The The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., led the front page with "Lebanese return to the ruins." The Chicago Tribune displayed a large photo of Lebanese residents streaming through a heavily bombed Beirut suburb with the headline above: "Lebanese, Israelis confront new reality: Civilians filter back to homes as leaders declare victory."

Meanwhile, The Morning Call of Allentown, Pa., ran an analysis on Page 1 that asserted "Hezbollah looks like the winner in Lebanon."

Editors from Vermont to California also picked up on the story of Census data released today that shows the United States becoming an ever-more diverse nation. The Commercial Appeal in Memphis chose the eye-catching headline "'Diversity explosion' touches nearly every state" to top its coverage, while The Anniston (Ala.) Star went with the more subdued: "Census data shows spread of immigration."

While many editors localized Census data, The Sun in Baltimore surely told its single female readers something they already know, reporting with a clever omission from an old adage that "A man is hard to find in Md." The newspaper writes that according to Census data "the ratio of men to women in Maryland is among the lowest in the nation, with fewer than 93 men for every 100 women here." The newspaper advises that the best odds for single women are in Alaska where statewide the ratio of men to women is 103 to 100, with some towns having up to 120 men per 100 women.

Nikki Troia is the news editor
for the First Amendment Center Online.

Terror-plot fallout competes
with Lebanon cease-fire on Page One

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Follow-up stories on last week’s bust of alleged terror plotters made front pages here and overseas.The Daily Telegraph in London had no reassurance for frazzled Britons. Its top story said that more than 70 investigations, involving 100 “suspected Islamic extremists” were under way, including 24 “major conspiracies.” Back home, U.S. editors focused on Sunday’s announcement that airline travel restrictions would be eased a bit from last Thursday’s crackdown. Passengers were told they could take a small amount of liquid medication, baby food and — while lip gloss was still a no-no — women could at least carry on solid lipstick.

Many U.S. newspapers led with the Mideast cease-fire agreement, and most noted that the agreement is tenuous. “Fragile” showed up in a lot of headlines. Daily News in Los Angeles called it “an uneasy peace.” The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., wondered, “Can a truce hold up?”

The Christian Science Monitor ran the first installment of “Hostage: The Jill Carroll Story” today. Carroll — who spent 82 days as a prisoner after being kidnapped Jan. 7 in Baghdad — jumped into her story feet first. In a dozen short paragraphs, she painted a chilling picture of the terror she felt as a captive. The Monitor released the story to other newspapers, and several headlined the piece with the reporter’s own words: “Oh my God, they’re going to kill me.”

Along with the serious international stories and some local business news, the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News found space for a laugh. In a story titled “Urban Chickens,” reporter Julia O’Malley, tongue firmly in cheek, reported that Lucy Peckham’s chickens had been kicked out of their luxury henhouse and into a temporary shelter after neighbors’ complaints. The problem: Dawn, one of Peckham’s fowl, turned out to be a (loudly) crowing rooster. The ensuing ruckus “ruined the hen party,” O’Malley wrote.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Terror plot pushes Lebanon war,
everything else off Page One

By Christy Mumford Jerding

From Boston to Brisbane, front pages were dominated by the foiled terror plot by British Muslims to use liquid explosives on planes headed to the United States. British newspapers had a day’s lead on their U.S. counterparts, already going beyond the basics to take a closer look at the details of the scheme and how authorities uncovered it. The Daily Telegraph focused on profiling the plotters: “Middle-class and British: the Muslims in plot to bomb jets.”

Back home, dailies in every state hit the story hard, but in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. — the areas most affected by 9/11 — a couple of headlines showed an extra edge: “Not this time!” said the Beaver County Times. New York’s Daily News had a chilling warning to readers: “They were 24 typical suburban guys. … And more are still out there.”

Since the news broke too late to make many of yesterday’s newspapers, editors used Day 2 to emphasize airport chaos as new security rules took effect. Many front-page editors ran photos of jammed airport security lines as travelers learned they could not take liquids in their carry-on luggage. The Philadelphia Daily News ran a photo of now-banned items, such as contact-lens solution, cough syrup, nail polish and mouthwash under the headline “Weapons of mass destruction.” One newspaper found a way to inject some gentle humor into this frightening story. Over a photo of a female traveler — mouth agape as a security agent confiscated her makeup — the Marion, Ind., Chronicle-Tribune told its readers, “Even lip gloss isn’t safe.”

Some newspapers ignored the story altogether. South American dailies were more concerned about local corruption and soccer news. The Asahi Shimbun in Tokyo ran a big story on pool safety. And The Conway (N.H.) Daily Sun’s front page made no mention of terrorists at all. Its top stories: local celebrations for a new bridge; a “tainted” football boosters club; and a political fight over an 800-acre smoking ban.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Airline terror plot described;
a cosmic force remembered

By Kate Kennedy

With their time-zone advantage, newspapers in the Western United States were able to publish two late-breaking news stories in this morning’s editions.

The Anchorage Daily News, the Los Angeles Times, the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News and The Honolulu Advertiser reported that British authorities had disrupted a terror plot aimed at airlines traveling to the United States. The news broke early today, too late for many newspapers to include it in editions. In Alaska, the news competed with coverage of the cause of the leaking oil pipeline and a state hiring freeze to deal with lost royalties and taxes.

Also early today, Israel put on hold its expanded ground operation in Lebanon to allow the U.N. Security Council time to work on a cease-fire agreement. The Ventura County (Calif.) Star, The Fresno (Calif.) Bee and the East Valley Tribune in Scottsdale, Ariz., reported the latest from the Middle East.

Who was James Van Allen and why was he important? The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and The Huntsville (Ala.) Times explained in their appreciations of the Iowa physicist. Van Allen, described as a “cosmic force” in space exploration, died Wednesday.

The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press filled their front pages with news about the auto industry, which drives their community’s economy. The Free Press got extra mileage from a bottom-of-the-page story that Ford will eliminate those hard-to-twist gas caps on all its vehicles.

Kate Kennedy, a former newspaper Page One editor,
is director/partnerships and initiatives.

Lieberman, McKinney get dumped;
bloggers need deodorant

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many newspapers led with the defeat of Sen. Joe Lieberman by Ned Lamont in the Connecticut Democratic primary. The Connecticut Post and Republican-American both noted that Lieberman would run as an independent: “Round 1: Lamont,” “Lamont takes Round 1.” The Day focused on Lamont’s successful attack of his opponent’s Iraq-war support: “A casualty of war.” In Georgia, the defeat of Rep. Cynthia McKinney — who made national news when she allegedly struck a Capitol Hill police officer — for the Democratic nomination in the 4th District topped the political news. The Ledger-Enquirer must have had to go to bed early; its headline read “McKinney trails.”

The Las Vegas Sun ran a front-page feature on the role Internet bloggers have played in such contentious political races. Surveying comments about three Nevada races, reporter J. Patrick Coolican dubbed the anonymous pundits “the rank armpit of politics on the Internet.”

A story on political protests showed up on The Miami Herald’s front page. A police training video revealed that police laughed about shooting rubber bullets at a Coral Gables attorney during a 2003 protest at the Miami-Dade County Courthouse. One penetrated the sign she was holding and struck her in the head. She’s contemplating legal action against the police.

Editors know parents are getting ready to send the kids back to school. Page One features included stories on school-uniform rules in Munster, Ind. — down to the color of shoelaces — and the happy news that there will be less homework in Greenville, S.C.

If students study hard, they may avoid getting saddled with a “dirty” job, like the one profiled by The Frederick (Md.) News-Post. Jessica McMullen’s job as a “decontamination technician … includes burning bloody carpets and picking up pieces of brain matter.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors slather on the oil;
murder and mayhem front-page standbys

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many dailies took a break from wall-to-wall coverage of Mideast fighting to tackle some pocketbook journalism. A leaking Alaskan oil pipeline, owned by BP, has caused the company to shut down the largest oil field in the United States. The news made front pages from Alaska to Florida as reporters explored the economic impact of the shutdown. The Santa Fe New Mexican and others came to similar conclusions: “New pains at the pump.” On the other side of the world, The New Zealand Herald covered another oil crisis: An oil spill from a Lebanese depot is coating the Mediterranean. But with fighting still raging in the area, no one can adequately address this “environmental catastrophe.”

Without another big national story, U.S. editors focused on local news, and many fronted tried-and-true attention-getters: crime stories. The Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune delved into problems at the Kokomo Academy, a program for juvenile offenders. Twenty-one apparently dangerous juveniles have escaped the facility. “We’re not dealing with Boy Scouts,” the sheriff told the Tribune.

The Boston Globe followed the bail hearing of two police officers accused of dealing drugs in a case that has “rocked the Boston Police Department.” Damning videotape evidence, showing one officer sipping champagne to celebrate a cocaine deal, bolstered prosecutors’ request that the officers be denied bail. The hearing was continued.

Another bizarre “hoarding” case topped the Lake Sun in Camdenton, Mo. Relatives of a local elderly man, Robert Gasper, had gotten worried when several months went by without a phone call or a visit. Turns out Gasper’s son, Rodney, allegedly stuffed his father’s body under a carpet, poured carpet freshener over it, and spent his father’s pension on food, bills, gas and pot.

For readers who have grown weary of such disheartening news, the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz., had solace. A front-page story explained how folks can log on to www.mysecret.tv and confess their sins. Sins can be even be categorized for user convenience under “stealing,” “lust,” “adultery,” “pornography,” etc.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

More Mideast deaths top dailies;
fun in the mud in Illinois, Texas

By Christy Mumford Jerding

U.S. dailies kicked off the work week with reports of weekend violence in the Middle East. Most headlines emphasized either the latest casualty report — 15 Israelis and at least 25 in Lebanon — or the lack of a cease-fire agreement. The Washington Times broke with the major metros to emphasize Israel’s capture of a Hezbollah guerrilla whose “cross-border raid started the 26-day-old war.” The Chicago Tribune summed up the complex situation quite well with a three-word headline: “Rockets outpace talks.”

In Arizona, crime was on editors’ minds. The suspect arrested in a series of random shootings in the Phoenix area gave his first interview to the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press, and the Scottsdale Tribune topped its front page with his claim of innocence: “I am not a monster.” But The Arizona Republic led with a reminder that the state’s “Baseline Killer,” who may be responsible for eight murders, 11 sexual assaults and eight robberies, “is still out there.”

The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., interviewed a woman who had been given shelter by a local church after she and her three children were left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. But now the church wants them to leave the house, and the woman said she has nowhere to go: “We will be homeless and 1,000 miles away from home.”

Local sports news — of a sort — topped a couple of dailies. The Journal Gazette in Mattoon, Ill., reported that an “underdog” — a 1978 Ford Mercury Marquis, bought for $75 — had come from behind to win the Coles County Fair Demolition Derby. The Lufkin (Texas) Daily News had extensive coverage of the Second Annual Texas Redneck Games. Competitors took to the mud field in several events, including the starter toss (how far one can shot-put a car starter); the mattress chunk (how far one can fling a mattress from a pickup truck); and the mud-pit belly buster (self-explanatory).

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Generals grilled on the Hill;
Dems and donkeys mix it up

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Several dailies alternated their top spot between two Middle East stories: U.S. generals’ report to the Senate on the war in Iraq and a deadly day of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Los Angeles Times topped its Israel story with a photo of grieving soldiers. It was the highest death toll for Israel so far, with four soldiers and eight civilians killed. The Chicago Tribune hit the Iraq report hard. A huge front-page photo showed a grim-looking Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as he faced senators’ questions. The reporter said the hearing was probably “the Pentagon’s most pessimistic assessment to date.”

The Times also stayed on top of the Mel Gibson DUI story-turned-anti-Semitic-comments-story-turned alcoholism’s-devastating-effects story. One producer admitted that, even though most thought Gibson had been in recovery since the early 1990s, he actually had been “on and off the wagon for years.” When Gibson is drinking, “he becomes a completely different person. It’s pretty horrifying.”

Two Colorado dailies fronted two different rape cases. An unknown assailant — in a “brazen series of attacks” — has been preying on women at a hospital complex, The Denver Post reported. The Gazette in Colorado Springs had a more satisfying ending to its story. One victim was able to gather enough information about the attacker to lead to his arrest.

Democratic politics topped the Record-Journal in Meriden, Conn., with a clever headline: “Pro-Joe political posse ambushes Ned at Ted’s.” Supporters of Sen. Joe Lieberman hijacked a political appearance by his opponent, Ned Lamont, at a local diner. He didn’t even get a famous Ted’s cheeseburger, the story said.

Donkeys of a different sort made news in Mattoon, Ill. Today’s front page featured the results of the Coles County Fair Donkey Races. Riders had to cross the start and finish lines astride their donkeys — what happened in between had no bearing on the outcome. The charity event raised $2,750 for police charities, even though some complained of “donkey brutality.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Israel-Hezbollah war gets spun;
is it really hot enough to fry an egg?

By Christy Mumford Jerding

A day of intense Hezbollah rocket fire got noticed by editors in dozens of countries. But the news played out quite differently depending on the region. Israel’s Haaretz ran a front-page feature on the recent deaths of three soldiers titled “Living the Zionist dream, dying in defense of Israel.” The Turkish Daily News in Ankara had an alternate perspective: “When will the carnage end?” The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., tried to sum up the issue with a front-page news analysis: “The real war? Battle of perception underlies conflict in Lebanon.”

In Washington state, a possible change in the national minimum wage had workers worried. A proposal pending in the Senate would lower the minimum wage for workers who collect tips. Beate Cavish, who has been waiting tables for 30 years, told the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick that “If it wasn’t for my tips, I would barely survive.” The Herald’s competition to the south, The Oregonian in Portland, led with a different Washington worry: “Bloody July shocks Seattle.” Ten violent deaths in 17 days have stunned the state’s residents, used to an “outdoorsy, laid-back” lifestyle. One woman said that everyone is asking, “Where did all this violence come from?”

Utah readers also had a dose of sad news. A front-page report told the story of 10-year-old Shelby Lacey Andrews, who died from “excessive abuse” — so excessive, the medical examiner could not determine an exact cause of death. Her parents have been charged with first-degree murder in light of their “depraved indifference to human life.”

The deadly heat wave hanging over the United States continued to make news today. But a couple of newspapers tried to lighten the story up a little bit. A reporter for the Pocono (Pa.) Record tried to fry an egg on the street. Despite reaching 123 degrees, it only got a little bubbly around the edges. A New Hampshire man really got fed up with the three-digit temps. The Telegraph in Nashua reported that the worker was seen operating a backhoe — clad only in his boxer briefs.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Castro’s all over los periódicos;
local scandals dominate in N.C., Tenn.

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Follow-up stories on the condition of Cuban leader Fidel Castro displaced the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict as the top international story on many front pages. Spanish-language newspapers around the world gave top spot to the news that Castro reportedly had survived surgery and was in recovery. A few days ago, he turned Cuba’s day-to-day management over to his brother. Cuban exiles said in several newspaper interviews that they were overjoyed that Castro may not only leave power, but also the face of the earth: “Please God kill Castro,” Gloria Wise told The State in Columbia, S.C.

Record-high temperatures continued to make big news today across the United States. Newspapers from nearly every region made some mention of the heat wave and gave prominent attention to the forecast for the next few days. The Roanoke (Va.) Times ran a headline that only a good Southern newspaper could pull off: “It’s stifling hot, ya’ll.”

“The pancake house mystery” dominated N.C. dailies. Former state Rep. Michael Decker admitted in federal court yesterday that he left the GOP to support Democrat Jim Black as House speaker in exchange for $50,000 and a job for Decker’s son. The deal allegedly went down three years ago at the Salisbury IHOP. The Tennessean also led with a local scandal: allegations that ousted pastor David Foster cooked the books at Bellevue Community Church. Church elders fired him, in part because his two daughters reportedly were on the church payroll.

Residents of Manitowoc, Wis., also had to deal with a stinky political issue today. An environmental group is urging lawmakers to revise rules on farms’ waste-management practices; in particular, the “inappropriate application of manure.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Page One editors feel the heat;
double trouble for Mel, Fidel

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many U.S. dailies led with the blistering heat wave that hit most of the nation this week. Photos of people wiping their brows, sitting in swimming pools and otherwise trying to stay cool ran on dozens of front pages. Many newspapers provided tips on avoiding sunstroke and information on regional cooling centers. The Washington Post asked the question on many people’s minds: “Could it be any hotter?” and answered it: “Unfortunately, yes.”

In a bit of political kismet, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair picked one of the hottest days of the year to announce a joint plan to combat global warming. The state’s newspapers had a lot of news to juggle today: Along with the high temperatures and political pact, fallout from the weekend DUI arrest of actor/director Mel Gibson became a front-page story. The Los Angeles Times fronted an investigation — complete with anonymous sources — alleging that the sheriff’s office kept part of Gibson’s arrest record private to save him embarrassment. Two more stories covered Hollywood figures’ condemnation of Gibson’s alleged anti-Semitic statements and gave credit for the scoop to online entertainment site TMZ.com.

Florida newspapers gave prominent coverage to news that Cuban leader Fidel Castro, before undergoing surgery, had turned the government’s reins temporarily over to his brother. The Miami Herald’s package, with a banner headline and photos of revelers, reflected the sentiments of the area’s Cuban-American population: “Castro cedes power … Miami streets burst with spontaneous joy.”

New Yorkers may be feeling some spontaneous joy today, too. The Post-Star in Glen Falls, N.Y., reported today that Gov. George Pataki signed a law that customers won’t have to wait until noon anymore to buy beer on Sundays. The news is no help to Mel Gibson, though. He’s gone to rehab.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Bloody Sunday tops Monday’s news;
anarchy grips Winona, Minn.

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Most U.S. dailies led with an Israeli air strike that hit an unfinished house in southern Lebanon, killing 56 people, including 37 children. At least a dozen front pages prominently featured the same Associated Press photo of an aid worker carrying the body of a child away from the rubble. Apparently two families had taken shelter in the house, believing it safer than their own homes. The Oregonian’s headline zeroed in on this twist of fate: “Air strike turns shelter into tomb.”

A few newspapers made room for enterprise reporting today. The Times-Picayune in New Orleans continued digging into allegations of post-Katrina fraud. Reporter Brian Thevenot took a hard look at Biodefense America, which got an $8 million contract to clean up part of the flooded criminal courthouse. When Thevenot tried to visit the company for an interview, he found that its listed addresses turned out to be a trailer and a private home. Both were empty.

The Boston Globe ran a report titled “Debtor’s hell: A court system compromised.” The story focused on alleged abuses of small-claims court by debt-collection agencies. A local man has been pursued relentlessly over a small credit-card balance after missing his first court date — while in a hospital recovering from losing both arms in the Iraq war. The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram marked a grim anniversary. It was 40 years ago tomorrow that a troubled student climbed up the University of Texas tower and opened fire, killing 17 people and wounding 31 others.

The Winona (Minn.) Daily News had an unusual headline today: “So this is what anarchy looks like.” About 100 young people descended upon Windom Park over the weekend for “CrimethInc Convergence,” a “grass-roots collective whose members [oppose] capitalism and authoritarianism.” Among the event’s highlights: games, music, free clothes and “dumpster diving.” Two teenagers told the News that they had enjoyed their festival meals, some of which came from the trash: “Two liberated pizzas were delicious.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Landis takes Tour de Headlines;
lady bandits bust Beaumont

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Major dailies continued to front Mideast news; most concentrated on Israeli’s activation of up to 30,000 reserve troops. The Chicago Tribune broke from other big newspapers on its top international story. The Tribune went with an in-depth piece on democratic elections in the Central African nation of Congo, whose people are trying to form a democracy after a “history of bloody civil war.”

It was only a week ago that American cyclist Floyd Landis’ smiling face beamed from dozens of front pages after he won the Tour de France. Today, the headlines told a different story: “Tour de fraud,” “Tour de farce,” “Tour de fiasco” and “Tour de shame.” Landis reportedly tested positive for elevated testosterone levels.

California newspapers were filled with the news that a heat wave had killed more than 100 people. The Modesto Bee’s coverage struck a particularly grim note. A report detailed how the coroner’s office was overwhelmed by the death toll, and that visitors had been asking, “What is that smell?”

In Colorado, a stunning confession from convicted killer Robert Browne dominated the news. In a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, Browne claimed he had killed up to 48 people — “a spree that would make him one of the nation’s most prolific serial killers,” according to The Denver Post.

The Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise also had a big crime story today. Apparently four “gun-slinging female bandits,” some with fake beards, have conducted four “stickups” in Jasper County. The cops are baffled, both by the robbers’ gender — no women have been arrested for robbery there in at least 15 years — and the get-ups. “I don’t know what’s going on in the water here,” said Police Chief Todd Hunter.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Gay marriage top news in Northwest;
Aussies go bananas over inflation

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Mideast news stayed out front on most major dailies, which concentrated on rising casualties or diplomatic stasis, or both. Typical headlines: “Losses mount as talks stall,” The Providence (R.I.) Journal; “Casualties rise in Lebanon,” Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch.

In Washington, a state Supreme Court decision upholding a gay-marriage ban dominated: “The ban stands: 5-4,” reported the Kitsap Sun. Opinions differed over whether gay-marriage proponents had other avenues: The Olympian said, “Ruling doesn’t end political debate.” The Seattle Times came to a different conclusion: “Gay-marriage backers may be out of options.” On the East Coast, The Roanoke (Va.) Times fronted a different sexual-orientation issue: “Heterosexuals complain of intolerance,” a story about straight folks in Provincetown, Mass. — known as a haven for vacationing homosexuals — who said they were harassed and discriminated against there.

In New York, a society scandal hit tabloid and mainstream newspapers alike. The grandson of multimillionaire philanthropist Brooke Astor accused his father of neglecting his 104-year-old grandmother, leaving her “in chilly misery on a couch that smells of urine,” according to The New York Times. The grandson has asked a court to remove his father as Mrs. Astor’s guardian.

Down Under, pictures of beautifully ripe bananas graced several front pages. But the news wasn’t very tasty. Cyclone Larry hit Queensland banana farms hard, and prices have skyrocketed. This, along with rising fuel costs, has sent inflation skyrocketing. But The Courier Mail in Brisbane seemed more worried about the upcoming “toilet-to-tap poll” — a measure that would have residents of the drought-stricken region “drinking recycled sewage.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

U.N. deaths lead international news;
update on the stripper, seveed hand

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The U.S. diplomatic mission to the Middle East was overshadowed by news that Israeli bombs had killed several U.N. workers in south Lebanon. Headlines varied on whether three or four people were killed. Several newspapers led with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s accusation that Israel deliberately targeted the U.N. post. He said he was “shocked and deeply distressed.”

The Boston Globe continued its extensive coverage of the July 10 Interstate 90 tunnel collapse that killed a woman. A safety officer, in an exclusive Globe interview, said he warned his bosses that the tunnel could collapse and he “feared for his conscience if someone died.”

Endangered children showed up prominently on several front pages. The State in Columbia, S.C., ran an in-depth report on a woman who allegedly took her four children — ages 7, 9, 11 and 13 — on burglaries. She told her kids they were going on “adventures,” police said. Utah newspapers were dominated by a break in the case of 5-year-old Destiny Norton, lured from her home and found dead just two doors down. A neighbor, Craig Roger Gregerson, reportedly has been arrested. He was one of hundreds of people who participated in the search for the child. A happier ending to a missing-child case in Portland, Ore.: Two “lost boys,” who wandered away from their parents in the woods, were found 24 hours later, clutching a bouquet of wildflowers they had picked for their mom.

Finally, an update on yesterday’s bizarre Courier News report in Bridgewater, N.J. An exotic dancer — arrested after police found six human skulls and a severed hand in her home — may have gotten the hand from a man in the medical profession. But she’s still in trouble. “You can’t purchase or own a body part in New Jersey,” the police chief said.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Headlines give mixed reports on Rice;
zombies, skulls and strippers — oh my

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Front pages showed a range of conclusions from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s diplomatic visit to Beirut. Some tried to sum up what, if anything, Rice accomplished by meeting with Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. “Rice won’t push Israel,” said the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times. “Lebanese leaders don’t like all things they hear from Rice,” reported The Courier News, Elgin, Ill. Other newspapers sidelined the Rice visit in favor of a casualty report: “More bloodshed in Mideast,” said The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.

California newspapers topped Page One with the weather report; some reported that at least four people had died because of a heat wave. The Merced Sun-Star headline writer let loose with the sarcasm: “Cooling trend: 112 to 111.”

The Decatur (Ala.) Daily fronted the news that a 47-year-old minister was among 27 people arrested for public indecency at a wildlife refuge. The Rev. Gradson L. Tanner denied the charges. “I stopped … to take a leak,” he told the Daily.

Police also were working overtime in Bridgewater, N.J. The Courier-News’ lead story: “6 skulls, severed hand lead to stripper arrest.” Cops made the grisly discoveries in exotic dancer Linda E. Kay’s home after a domestic disturbance call. “Our main concern is finding out where the hand came from,” the police chief said.

The news just got weirder in St. Paul, Minn.: “Party’s over for these zombies.” Well, they weren’t real zombies. Apparently six partygoers thought it would be fun to get drunk, dress up as zombies and stagger down Sixth Street. Police disagreed.

Maybe the Minnesota zombies were just taking some advice from the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News: “New research indicates that, over time, one is more likely to have greater regrets about choosing virtue than lingering guilt over indulging vice.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Death and diplomacy in the Middle East,
Tiger’s tears in the U.K. top stories

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Newspapers continued to follow military and diplomatic developments in the war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. An-Nahar in Beirut anticipated Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit today. Yedioth Ahronoth in Tel Aviv led with bombing death tolls and the plight of those who had lost loved ones and homes.

Sports fans are used to seeing Tiger Woods’ smiling face on many Monday front pages. But today, readers saw a different side of the golfing powerhouse. After winning the British Open, Woods broke down in tears, overcome by the emotion of his first win since his father’s death from cancer in May. Several newspapers twinned the Woods story with the triumph of another Yank overseas: Floyd Landis took the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.

The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., ran a prominent report on the Haas sisters, who reportedly have been hoarding more than 100 cats and dogs in their Dover home. The News Journal defined the differences between people who just love animals and people who hoard them, disregarding the animals’ basic health and safety, to the point of keeping dead animals stashed in their homes. But it wasn’t until the seventh paragraph that readers learned why police stepped in: The Haas sisters allegedly also were keeping the remains of their own mother — last seen about a year ago — in a closet.

Finally, a love story, of a sort, from Seoul’s JoonAng Daily. North Korea’s “dear” leader, Kim Jong-il, has a new girlfriend: Kim Ok, his former secretary. An anonymous South Korean official said that word on the street is that Ok, who is “very clever” and enjoys piano, is “virtually North Korea’s first lady.” Kim Jong-il is quite the ladies’ man: “Sources … said Mr. Kim had married or lived a long time with three women,” the newspaper reported.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Dailies dig in to Middle East but find
space for teen queens & carousing cows

By Christy Mumford Jerding

U.S. newspapers stayed with the Israel-Hezbollah conflict today, but many front pages showed a greater mix of national, regional and local stories than has been the case for the last week. The Day in New London, Conn., drew a grim conclusion from its coverage: “Middle East braces for the long haul.”

The Detroit Free Press led with dire economic news in Motor City: “Ford: More pain.” The Detroit News also led with a report that a $123 million second-quarter loss had spurred Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr. to announce further downsizing, though he put on a brave face to the reporter: “This is a tough company.”

In Daytona Beach, Fla., the News-Journal continued heavy coverage of the “Deltona Mass Murder” trial. Four men are charged with killing six people, and a dog, apparently due to a dispute over house squatting.

Amid war, murder and other assorted mayhem, Page One editors found room for some Friday fun. The Journal Gazette in Mattoon, Ill., reported that, after three tries, Alyssa Staton had finally won Miss Teen Bagelfest. The Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune led with “Beef gone wild,” a story about escaped cows that were “herded home by amateurs.”

But not everyone had a sense of humor. The Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif., reported that a local minister is fed up with the filming of Comedy Central’s “Reno 911” in the area. “We don’t want this in the neighborhood,” David Wilson told the Breeze. “If I … yelled the F-word, I’m going to get arrested.” So he successfully got a city ordinance passed that bans film crews from “loud, lewd or improper” language.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Death toll rises in Middle East;
mercury rises in Midwest

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Attacks and reprisals between Israel and Lebanon continued to top U.S. newspapers. Many editors led off with news that the death toll had risen to more than 300 in Lebanon. The Denver Post picked up a New York Times story but added its own screaming headline: “Lebanon ‘torn to shreds.’” Photo editors at The Washington Post and The Washington Times probably weren’t pleased to pick up their rival’s front page: Both used the same AP photo to illustrate reports on evacuation efforts.

President Bush showed up on many front pages today, mostly for vetoing a stem-cell research bill. But the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News considered another Bush move to be front-page news: his impromptu neck massage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel a few days ago at the G8 summit. The story focused on the blogosphere’s apparent obsession with the video, which showed Merkel making an “ewwww” face in response to the president’s gesture.

Midwestern, Western and Southern newspapers lamented the heat wave that has gripped much of the nation. The Daily News in Los Angeles covered the always touchy electricity situation. Kansas newspapers played the numbers big: The Topeka Capital-Journal reported a high of 106, The Wichita Eagle said 109.

The Salinas Californian’s front page went all-local today. The top story: “Excitement, danger on hand at PBR,” a thrilling tale of “skill, bravery and constant danger” at the Pro Bull Riders event. Two riders already have been injured. One got kicked in the chest by a bull and had trouble breathing. The marketing director assured the reporter that the rider’s doctor “thinks he’ll be OK.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Local news finds space on Page One
among developments in Mideast

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah was still a top story today, but editors opened their front pages a bit. Major dailies concentrated on the latest military and diplomatic developments, as well as the ongoing evacuation of foreign visitors. Smaller-circulation dailies personalized the far-off story with reports on hometown folks separated by the conflict. The Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif., in “Worry in the South Bay,” interviewed a man whose wife and two children are stuck in Lebanon. The Huntsville (Ala.) Times had one of the few positive spins: “UA student ‘not scared at all’ living in Beirut.”

Several newspapers ran reports on the arrests of three New Orleans hospital workers, charged with killing patients as Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters surrounded them. The Times-Picayune had extensive reporting, including a piece on the ethical boundaries of “mercy killings.” One interesting contrast: The T-P ran photos of the accused women that showed them smiling and happy; The Advocate in Baton Rouge and USA TODAY both went with police mug shots, which showed the women looking solemn and haggard.

Along with a Lebanon evacuation story, the Daily Herald in Chicago ran a cautionary tale for suburbanites who slack on their yard work. John Tarkowski found out last week that the Environmental Protection Agency had sealed off his property because of “extensive and chronic open dumping.” A list of the offending items included, but was not limited to, “junk vehicles, boats, construction equipment, windows, plastic, office trash, tires, lead acid batteries and asphalt shingles.” But Tarkowski said he liked his yard just the way it is: “I don’t see no dump here.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Escape from Lebanon
top story around the world

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Foreigners’ efforts to flee Lebanon in the wake of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah made front pages from Australia to America. In Beirut, a popular vacation spot, thousands of visitors besieged their embassies with pleas for help. In “Aussies blaze escape route,” The Courier-Mail reported that 86 Australians had made it into Syria. The Morning News in Fayetteville, Ark., profiled a local man anxiously awaiting word from his Lebanese fiancée. An Associated Press photograph of a frightened, wide-eyed French child amid a crush of his countrymen got many Page One editors’ attention — it showed up prominently in The Denver Post, The Washington Post and many others.

Some stories focused on diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting: The Daily Telegraph, London: “Blair in push for peace in Mid-East.” Rival daily The Guardian seemed unimpressed: “Lebanon: The world dithers.”

The Middle East was not the top story in Asia. In Jakarta, the Kompas led with the tsunami that hit the region yesterday, killing at least 300. Seoul’s JoongAng Daily was concerned about damaging rain as well as ongoing tension with its neighbor to the north.

The always irreverent Red Eye in Chicago gleefully pointed out that President Bush had been caught using an expletive when he thought his microphone was off. This prompted the newspaper to run a piece titled “Freedom of Bleep: Everyone curses … even the president. Is it wrong, or do people just need to relax?”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors dig deep in Middle East,
ride the heat wave in the U.S.

By Christy Mumford Jerding

War between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah again led most U.S. dailies. Headlines assured readers that nothing much had changed over the weekend – phrases such as “fighting rages” and “violence intensifies” were common. Some newspapers went beyond updates of the latest air strikes to go a little deeper. The Hartford (Conn.) Courant’s lead story, “Anger, despair engulf two cities,” took a look at life in Lebanon’s Beirut and Israel’s Haifa, areas where bombings have been most intense. Beirut’s Camille Younis told the reporter, “We feel raped.” Israeli Liran Levy sounded a similar, deflated note: “There’s nothing we can do about this.”

Rising temperatures across the United States put weather stories out front. The Mattoon (Ill.) Journal Gazette said residents were “baking under temperatures that could hit 100.” The Orange County Register in Santa Ana, Calif., reported that residents had made it through their first electrical blackout of the summer. The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Va., had more bad news for sweat-soaked readers: “You thought yesterday was hot.”

The Denver Post put a sports story – of a sort – on Page One. Reporter Felisa Cardona covered the disappointing announcement that Skate City had canceled hip-hop night after a “brawl” broke out between two teenage girls and an off-duty police officer. The girls allegedly punched the officer and hit him in the head with a roller skate. Ronnell Albright, father of one of the alleged assailants, defended his child: “Everything is false charges.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Wars — large and small — rage
across today’s front pages

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Escalating attacks between Israel and Lebanon dominated the news for a second day. Beirut’s An-Nahar ran a disturbing image of a man holding up a child apparently killed during an Israeli strike. The top headline in Israel’s Haaretz made the government’s point of view plain: “Air Force readies for assault … in retaliation for Hezbollah attack on Haifa.” The Irish Independent was having none of it. Its report was titled “Slaughter of the innocent children.”

Meanwhile, President Bush’s visit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped the Deutschland dailies. Several photos showed Bush and Merkel, the country’s first female leader, looking awfully cozy as they were snapped mid-air kiss. Few U.S. newspapers fronted the diplomatic trip.

A glance at the front page of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., may have led readers to think it was coverage of the Middle East. But the headline — “Crews to rev up air attack” — referred to efforts to contain raging wildfires in the area.

Alabamans waged a (much smaller) war of their own today — against “freak” yellow jackets. The Opelika-Auburn News reported that yellow jacket nests “as large as a Volkswagen” are cropping up in the eastern part of the state.

But The Des Moines (Iowa) Register had Opelika beat. Cemetery caretakers have taken on an even-more vicious foe: grave-robbing groundhogs. The critters have been hard at work burrowing tunnels through Davenport City Cemetery and tossing up human remains. Workers “on a killing spree” have nabbed 15 groundhogs so far.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Israeli invasion dominates;
unusual obit gives readers the giggles

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Israeli retaliation against Lebanon for Hezbollah’s capture of two Israeli soldiers made the top spot for dailies in the Middle East, across Europe and the United States. An-Nahar in Beirut led with large photos of damage from Israeli strikes. Tel Aviv’s Maariv featured a map of areas along the border that had been raided by Hezbollah as well as photos of soldiers who had been kidnapped or killed. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette noted the severity of Israel’s incursion: “Israeli military unleashes fury.” The Daily News in Los Angeles seemed worried about the big picture in the region: “A world of conflict.”

In Arizona, dailies continued their front-page coverage of a series of rapes and murders that has terrified residents and started to gain national notice. The Arizona Republic covered a community meeting of 1,000 people about the “Baseline Killer” and a copycat killer who may be responsible for 38 shootings and five deaths.

The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., topped Page One with “Faking speeches typical for lawmakers.” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is in hot water over submitting a fake dialogue into the Congressional Record that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in a legal brief. “I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again,” the senator said.

It’s rare that an obituary makes front-page news. But the death notice for Fred Clark — which he wrote himself for the Richmond Times-Dispatch — was that good. A story titled “Here’s to you, Fred Clark,” reported that about 500 readers around the world have left condolences for the family after reading his "uproarious" good-bye. His last wish: “In lieu of flowers, Fred asks that you make a sizable purchase at your local ABC store or Virginia winery … and get rip roaring drunk at home with someone you love or hope to make love to.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Newspapers cover themselves;
marine mammals frolic on front pages

By Paul Sparrow

Terrorist attacks against trains in India generated front-page coverage all over the world. The Times of India declared MUMBAI ATTACKED and added a new date to the calendar of terror: 7/11. Details differed on the number of casualties, but graphic photographs of the bloody aftermath showed the human cost of global terror.

In the United States, the bombing competed with two other major stories. Many papers, including The San Diego Union-Tribune, led with the bombing, but also reported the White House would follow the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners and that the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new crackdown on online gambling.

The Chicago Tribune ran the train blasts in India next to a local train fire and derailment that forced hundreds of Blue Line passengers to escape through smoke-filled tunnels. Boston’s “Big Dig” made headlines again when a section of tunnel collapsed, killing a woman and prompting a criminal investigation.

But there was good news out of Mississippi, where the Daily Journal reported that Tupelo’s annual Elvis Presley Festival earned $61,000 for civic improvements. Building on this year’s success, organizers promised that next year they would have “more Elvis.”

Paul Sparrow is the executive producer and director
of Newseum Productions.

Dailies dig in to Middle East but find
space for teen queens & carousing cows

By Mike Fetters

The death Monday of Chechen rebel Shamil Basayev, Russia's "most wanted man," in an explosion in southern Russia made many U.S. front pages today. Basayev, called "Russia's bin Laden," directed the 2004 seizing of a school in Beslan, Russia, that eventually resulted in the deaths of 331 hostages, many of them children. Russia President Vladimir Putin called Basayev's death "just retaliation" according to The New York Times and the Deseret Morning News and "just retribution" according to The Washington Post. The difference was likely attributable to different translations of Putin's televised remarks.

Meanwhile, two new guides released at the International Union Against Cancer conference in Washington, D.C., predicted that more than one billion could die of tobbaco-related deaths by the end of the century, a toll that would be 10 times higher than that of the 20th century. "Smoking Gun," read the headline on the Stockton, Calif., Record.

Foreign editors still have World Cup fever. No individual was more prominent on more global front pages than French soccer captain Zinedine Zidane, whose head butt of Italian Marco Materazzi in the 110th minute of the World Cup final on Sunday continues to be big news.

Kyle MacDonald used his head in a decidedly different fashion. Over nearly 12 months, the blogger bartered his way from paper clip to new home in 14 trades, and earned international media attention along the way.

Mike Fetters is the communications director
of the Newseum.

‘Baghdad horror’ top news;
editors wake up to World Cup mania

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Newspapers led with a double dose of bad news from Iraq: More U.S. soldiers were charged in the rape-killing of an Iraqi woman and her family; and Shiite gunmen killed 41 people. At first glance, headlines describing the new charges seemed contradictory — some said four more soldiers had been arrested, others said five. A closer look showed that four were charged with participating in the slayings, a fifth accused of dereliction of duty for failing to report them. The Portland (Maine) Press Herald called it all the “Baghdad horror.” The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel was one of the few newspapers to attempt a positive note with a feature on returning soldiers: “Welcomed warriors.”

The final nail-biting match between Italy and France for soccer’s World Cup got heavy play. Italian newspapers trumpeted their countrymen’s win: “Miracolo Italiano!” U.S. newspaper editors (finally) paid attention to the tournament that has riveted the rest of the globe. The Hartford (Conn.) Courant localized its coverage. Sports columnist Jeff Jacobs said that fans in Little Italy were “suffering the angst of … overtime” and then “running out of the door as if their pants were on fire.”

A different kind of sport captured the Page One editor’s attention at the Tulsa (Okla.) World: Don Brewer was crowned the champion of the Okie Noodling Tournament this weekend. Noodling is the practice of catching catfish with one’s bare hands. Apparently this is more dangerous than it sounds. The story’s headline: “Noodlers’ scars are a badge of honor.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Frogs, toads, casinos and
strip clubs land on Page One

By Rod Sandeen

News from North Korea, Mexico and space kept percolating on Page Ones around the nation, but editors mostly went with stories that they deemed relevant to their circulation areas.

News originating in New York and Georgia on gay marriage could be found on some front pages across the country. But it was big news for The New York Times — “New York Judges Reject Any Right to Gay Marriage" — and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — “Ga. keeps ban on gay marriage.”

New Jersey appeared to settle its state budget standoff, which closed casinos in Atlantic City, but The Press was hedging its bets: “We (may) have a deal,” said the top headline.

The Tennessean played big a story that a lot of people at a nearby Army base were waiting for: “101st gets call to come home.” The headline topped a story about the impending arrival, in about two to three weeks, the newspaper said, of 20,000 troops who were stationed in Iraq.

The docking of the shuttle Discovery with the International Space Station got big play, especially in Florida, but a local story eclipsed the space maneuver. As The Tampa Tribune reported: “Tobacco Companies Win in Fla. High Court; Justices Throw Out $145 Billion Jury Award.”

USA TODAY played front and center the World Cup under the headlines “World Cup Guide” and “Why USA doesn’t take to soccer.” The San Francisco Chronicle put a frog and a toad on its front page over a headline with worldwide implications: “Extinction Crisis for Amphibians.” There also was a little story about organized tours of San Francisco strip clubs.

Finally, take a look at The Bakersfield Californian. It’s getting a lot of attention for its unconventional front page.

Rod Sandeen is the vice president/publications and administration for the Freedom Forum.

Lots of News Means
Lots of Page One Choices

By Rod Sandeen

News about missiles in North Korea, the death of Enron’s founder, closed casinos in Atlantic City, the status of the shuttle Discovery, immigration policy, an election in Mexico and record-high oil prices vied for front-page coverage across the nation. With all that to choose from, and no single story dominant, editors packaged local stories around the world and national news.

In the Northeast, playful headlines told the story of the budget standoff in New Jersey by focusing on the closing of casinos. “Still No Dice,” said The Philadelphia Inquirer. “In Shutdown, All Bets Are Off,” said The Star-Ledger in Newark.

The death of Ken Lay was big news and made Page One nearly everywhere. The Houston Chronicle, Enron’s home base, took a second-day look at Lay’s demise. “Lay’s Criminal Record May Vanish with His Death,” the lead headline shouted.

Florida Today, near Cape Canaveral, ran a three-column front-page graphic detailing the shuttle docking procedure with the International Space Station. The top headline said: “Tiles good, so docking to go ahead.”

Meanwhile, interesting stories and even an unusual correction showed up on front pages elsewhere. The Chicago Tribune had a compelling story under the headline “I Am Alive” on a U.S. soldier who lost three limbs in a roadside bomb explosion in Baghdad. In Milwaukee, the Journal Sentinel reported on the golfing exploits of a man who said he had never shot under 100. The golf novice shot two holes-in-one in one round, and made Page One under the headline: “Hole in One in 67 Million.”

And in Spokane, Wash., The Spokesman-Review’s Page One correction under the headline “To Our Readers” started: “An egregious error overlooked by a half-dozen writers and editors damaged an otherwise significant July Fourth editorial … .” The newspaper reprinted the editorial on July 6, correctly saying July 4 was the 230th, not the 130th, anniversary of the nation.

Rod Sandeen is vice president/publications and administration for the Freedom Forum.

July 4 was really a blast,
judging from the headlines

By Rod Sandeen

Front pages blasted off today with news from North Korea, Cape Canaveral and their own back yards.

Lead stories on Page One in most U.S. dailies heralded the worrisome news that North Korea, the secluded nation that may have a stockpile of nuclear weapons, had test-fired six missiles, or the comforting news that the shuttle Discovery launched successfully from Florida. In addition, nearly all U.S. newspapers found room for a picture of exploding fireworks, usually from local July 4 celebrations.

The Los Angeles Times captured the mood of the U.S. government in its lead headline, “In Defiance, North Korea Fires Missiles,” while The Washington Post played it straight: “North Korea Test-Fires Long-Range Missile.” Both newspapers also played the shuttle launch on Page One along with pictures of exploding fireworks.

Between the coasts, newspapers such as The Indianapolis Star, The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, the Tulsa (Okla.) World and the Amarillo (Texas) Globe-News chose colorful photos of bursting fireworks to grab the attention of readers.

Such grave matters as expanding nuclear arsenals and long-range missiles took a back seat in some newspapers to the results of World Cup play between Germany and Italy in Dortmund, but headlines still blasted the news. In Venice, La Nuova Venezia played the happy news big: “Italia in Finale,” said the headline readable from perhaps a block away. Meanwhile, in Fulda, Germany, the newspaper Fuldaer Zeitung told the unhappy story through a photo of a dejected player.

And finally, the RedEye in Chicago muddied the wedding plans of lovebirds by turning over Page One to some cautionary advice: “Love, Honor & Prenup.”

Rod Sandeen is the vice president/publications and administration for the Freedom Forum.

Court ruling on military tribunals
gets top play in most dailies

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that President Bush broke the law when he ordered military tribunals for Guantanamo Bay detainees was the top national story for most dailies. In Seattle, where the case originated, the Post-Intelligencer ran a front-page news story as well as a New York Times analysis that said the ruling was “the most significant setback” for the Bush administration’s post 9/11 security policies. Page One editors agreed: “Bush rebuked,” “Court deals Bush a blow,” and “S.C. rebuffs Bush” were typical headlines.

In Florida, all eyes were on the space shuttle Discovery, set to launch from Cape Canaveral on Saturday. The Press Journal and The Stuart News focused on possible weather delays. FLORIDA TODAY took a look at the “risky” spacewalk planned for the mission. The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel had an investigative piece, based on internal NASA e-mails obtained by the newspaper, on officials’ “lingering doubts about the foam threat” that doomed Columbia in 2003.

Several newspapers made the holiday weekend a front-page story. The Modesto (Calif.) Bee predicted it will be “a spectacular summer.” The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press wasn’t so sure — it warned readers who planned to swim in Lake Champlain to “keep their mouths shut” against harmful bacteria. The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reminded readers that summer fun can turn deadly — a 12-year-old boy was found drowned in a local pool. Apparently neighbors heard his screams for help, but dismissed them as the noise of kids just playing around.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Northeast weather woes
flood front-page coverage

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Severe flooding stretching from Virginia to Vermont dominated many Page Ones. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette led with the worst news: “Floods kill 10 in Northeast.” Other newspapers revealed their readers’ anxiety that the situation could worsen: “Floods and fear,” The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.; “How high will it rise?”, Pocono (Pa.) Record. The Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y., put it simplest: “Disaster.”

The top international story for a second day was trouble in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli security force arrested Hamas leaders today “responding to the abduction of one of its soldiers,” the AP reported. The Miami Herald seemed to conclude that Israel was moving assertively: “Israelis buzz Syria, batter Gaza.”

Back in the states, Democratic Party politics showed up in a few spots. The Anniston (Ala.) Star thought that an appearance by prominent Dems at a Christian convention merited the front page: “Evangelicals roll out the welcome mat for Democrats.” Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois told several outlets that Democrats needed to talk about religious beliefs on the campaign trail: “Keep the faith,” said the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Scottsdale (Ariz.) Tribune, apparently weary of the world’s troubles, had some advice for its readers: “Work, schmurk — it’s a holiday … enjoy yourself.” But some locals may be having too much fun. The story just below the Tribune’s Independence Day exhortation: “Prostitution ring busted.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Political fireworks over flag-burning
make for lively Page One

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many newspapers gave prominent play to the Senate’s rejection — by one vote — of a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to ban desecration of the American flag. Opponents have fought the bill on the ground that it violates the First Amendment. USA TODAY, which has been following the story closely, ran a front-page list of how senators voted on the measure. The Daily Press in Hampton Roads, Va., noted how the debate has become highly partisan: “Webb rips into Allen over flag.”

A new surgeon general report on the effects of secondhand smoke made the front pages of major metros and smaller dailies. The Dallas Morning News said the surgeon general’s conclusion that separate smoking sections don’t protect bystanders from smoking’s ill effects amounted to “new ammunition” for anti-smoking activists.

In Tennessee, a late-breaking story didn’t quite make the front pages. The Tennessean, the News Sentinel and the Johnson City Press were following the scheduled execution of a man convicted of raping and killing a female Marine. As the presses rolled, Sedley Alley had gotten a stay of execution. But a short time later, the stay was overruled. Alley was executed and pronounced dead at 2:12 a.m.

The top story for the Rapid City (S.D.) Journal today: “Tribe to begin beer blockade.” Leaders of the Oglala Sioux tribe are threatening to erect roadblocks to stop people from bringing beer onto the reservation in a “desperate effort to fight the ravages of alcoholism.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors get soaked
by news from nation’s capital

By Christy Mumford Jerding

News out of Washington showed up coast-to-coast. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, reversed a Kansas high-court decision from 2004, reinstating the death penalty there. All three major Kansas dailies led with the news, and all three ran mug shots of the men now being returned to death row. The Press-Register in Mobile, Ala., emphasized the narrow vote: “Court reveals fracture over death penalty.”

Washington weather was the big story in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Heavy rains have caused major flooding. The Washington Post played the story straight: Roads, rails, federal offices deluged.” The Times went with the tried-and-true phrase “Water, water everywhere.” The Baltimore Sun didn’t offer readers much optimism: “Rain came, rain coming.”

Detroit dailies continued their extensive coverage of the area’s economic troubles. News that 47,600 auto workers had to take buyouts was the latest blow. The Free Press quoted one worker that people were signing the papers “under duress.” The Lansing State Journal led with the impact on children: “More Mich. kids live in poverty.”

The Arizona Daily Star ran a rare curse word on Page One: “Downtown project ‘too damn tall.’” Although the phrase was in quotes, readers had to go to the jump to find the attribution — nearby resident Tom Pashos, who fumed that the Presidio Terrace condominium project is “just completely out of place.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Iraqi insurgency, Buffett’s billions
dominate Page One

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The war in Iraq took the top spot in many dailies. The big story was a statement by the Iraqi prime minister that he would offer amnesty to insurgents who threw down their weapons and promised to join “the political process.” The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader led with congressional reaction: Some members are angry that the proposal may apply to insurgents who have killed U.S. soldiers. Two Ohio newspapers put vastly different headlines on the story. The Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Iraqi leader unveils peace plan.” The Columbus Dispatch: “Killers could get amnesty.”

Investment tycoon Warren Buffett’s plan to donate a huge hunk of his fortune — $37 billion — to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation made many front pages. The move, reportedly the largest charitable donation by an individual in U.S. history, made editors’ jaws drop: “Buffett bombshell,” said the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald.

On the other side of the world, celebrity news dominated — actress Nicole Kidman wed country music star Keith Urban in Sydney, Australia. The same photo showed up everywhere, but The Press in New Zealand had the most alliterative headline: “Kidman kisses Kiwi Keith.”

Back in the states, Girl Scouts celebrated the first days of summer on the cover of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal with “Water, sun, fun.” But the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World cover story was a buzzkill: “Summer dangers: poison ivy, skin cancer, heat-related injuries, food poisoning, snake bites.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Thwarted terrorists,
toasty temps top news

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The FBI’s arrest of seven suspects in an alleged terror plot topped headlines around the nation. Illinois and Florida newspapers hit the story hard: The suspects were working out of a Miami warehouse and apparently had planned to target the Sears Tower in Chicago. Most articles quoted FBI and other law-enforcement officials anonymously — they didn’t want to be named because the investigation is ongoing.

A debate in the Senate over two measures that dealt with the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq landed in the news with a dull thud. The Republican-controlled Senate rejected both proposals, but political observers said that the Dems’ failure to present a united front was a much bigger misstep. A front-page analysis in The Christian Science Monitor stated it baldly: “Democrats fail.”

Rising temperatures in the South and West made several front pages in those regions. The Arizona Daily Star reported on a sad, but all-too-typical, story of summer: the death of a child left inside a vehicle.

Maryland newspapers led with an announcement by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Douglas M. Duncan that he is dropping out of the race. One report said that Duncan, who has been diagnosed with clinical depression, spent hours holed up alone in his office. Many others share Duncan’s feelings of isolation, according to the Detroit Free Press. Its front-page feature, “Feeling cut off,” explored a new study that found Americans “have fewer friends than ever before.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Marines accused of murder;
massive earthquake predicted for California

By Paul Sparrow

Many newspapers gave prominent play to a report that seven Marines and one sailor have been charged in the kidnapping and death of an Iraqi farmer in April. Stars and Stripes gave the story banner treatment. The Denver Post also recapped three other recent instances of American military personnel being implicated in civilian deaths.

The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif., fronted the Iraqi story, but led with a new report warning that the San Andreas fault was overdue for a major earthquake. The Bakersfield Californian headlined the story with a question, "Is the 'Big One' on its way?" The report noted that the southern end of the fault has not experienced a major quake since 1690 and that the coming seismic event could be 70 to 80 times more powerful than the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

In Florida, newspapers headlined a story about a fatal shootout between federal agents and prison guards who were suspected of being involved in a sex-with-inmates scandal. One federal agent and one of the suspects were killed in the gunfight that erupted when agents tried to arrest the guards.

Record high temperatures made the front pages in Alabama when thermometers hit the 100-degree mark announcing the official arrival of summer with a blast of hot air and humidity. The weather was nicer in Hawaii where The Honolulu Advertiser reported on some unusual participants in an upcoming naval exercise known as RIMPAC. In addition to the 19,000 sailors, 40 ships and 160 aircraft, six bottle-nose dolphins and four sea lions will be taking part. The "marine mammals" will be used to detect and recover underwater mines.

Paul Sparrow is the executive producer and director
of Newseum Productions.

War in Iraq, immigration battles
in Congress remain front page news

By J. Michael Fetters

The discovery and identification of the bodies of two U.S. soldiers who were kidnapped Friday made the front page of many U.S. newspapers, with coverage ranging from graphic — “Kidnapped, Tortured, Butchered,” screamed The Daily News — to straightforward. USA TODAY’s front page also included a report on a disturbing trend of “phony war heroes, who often buy medals on the Internet and wear them at public events.” The increasing number of investigations into such acts is creating support in Congress for the “Stolen Valor Act” and stiffer penalties for those convicted of such frauds.

Congress also received coverage of today’s anticipated debate in the Senate about pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, and the announcement by leaders of the House of Representatives that they will hold summertime hearings around the country on the hot-button issue of immigration reform.

And speaking of summer, which begins today, the New York Post turned its attention to a report that marries two lifestyle staples: movies and fashion. Its front page promised an inside look at the wardrobes of the upcoming film “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Finally, the Miami Heat won the NBA finals with a dramatic, game-six win over the Dallas Mavericks.

J. Michael Fetters is director/marketing and communications for the Newseum.

Foreign policy on editors’ front burner

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Continuing developments in U.S. relations with North Korea make a second-day appearance on front pages. The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., picked up a New York Times story on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s warning to North Korea to stop long-range ballistic missile testing. The Sun gave it a banner head: “U.S. puts N. Korea on notice.” (The Times ran the story on page 7.)

Iraq news showed up a lot. The Republican American in Waterbury, Conn., led with the prosecutor’s closing argument in the Saddam Hussein trial: “Saddam should be hanged.” Several other editors led with charges brought against three soldiers accused of murdering three Iraqi prisoners. Other top stories focused on two missing GIs, apparently kidnapped, and the families who were waiting for word. Morning television reports revealed the soldiers had been found dead.

Back home, The Times-Picayune in New Orleans reported that Mayor Ray Nagin is “not going to take it anymore.” He’s called in National Guard troops to patrol the city, which has been rocked by an increasing number of murders and other violent crimes.

A crackdown of another sort is going on in Sebring, Fla. The Highlands Today’s top story: “Ordinance could halt lewd behavior.” A new parking regulation around Lake Denton is aimed at combating nudity, drunkenness and public sex acts — “hedonism at its best,” according to reporter Chris Butler. Fines for said hedonism will range from $35 to $50.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Bishop takes a bow,
golfer takes a fall

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The announcement of a new presiding Episcopal bishop probably wouldn’t usually make national headlines. But Sunday’s election did — the new bishop is a woman, the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori of Nevada. Newspapers noted that Schori will make waves, especially in the wake of the 2003 election of an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire. The Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune titled its report: “Episcopalians toss out another changeup.”

North Korea’s apparent plans to test a long-range ballistic missile got prominent play, displacing ongoing Iraq war news in some instances. South Korean newspapers led with the report, too. North Korean newspapers don’t participate in the Newseum’s Today’s Front Pages.

Along with Bishop Schori, the face of golfer Phil Mickelson showed up on many Page Ones. Mickelson competed in the U.S. Open golf tournament, one of the sport’s most-challenging competitions. But Mickelson didn’t win the tournament; he lost a two-shot lead on the 18th hole and cleared the way for Australian Geoff Ogilvy to take the honor. A frequent photo-headline combo showed Mickelson, crouched in defeat, under the words “Mickelson meltdown.”

The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal was holding open a front-page kicker for some other big sports news: the NBA basketball match-up between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. But someone pressed a button a bit too early — the front page sent to the Newseum reads “Heat Xxxxx xxxxx Mavericks.” The Palm Beach Post got the score: Heat 101, Mavs 100.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Congressional debate takes lead;
out West, Bill Gates tops Page One

By Christy Mumford Jerding

A heated debate in Congress over whether to set a deadline for military withdrawal from Iraq took the top spot in several newspapers. Some editors twinned the political story with the fact that the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq has reached 2,500. The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., packaged the report with the death of local Marine Cpl. Michael Estrella, whose mother said he told her once: “If it happens, it happens.”

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates’ announcement that he would step down from that post in two years made front pages across the nation, but West Coast newspapers hit the story the hardest. Gates said he would devote the bulk of his time to his charity work. The Seattle Times poked a little fun: “Gates’ next full-time job: Trying to save the world.” The Post-Intelligencer went with the simpler “Gates 2.0.”

The Opelika-Auburn News in Alabama put a push for good journalism on its front page. A story on Auburn University’s four-day high school journalism workshop got the full feature treatment with multiple photos and a banner head: “Building a better paper.”

The Morning News in Rogers, Ark., played prominently a story titled: “Coroner: Groups Vie for Bodies.” Apparently, air ambulance services are feuding over jobs because the business has become so lucrative. Each flight can mean up to $6,000 for the helicopter company. Coroner Kim Scott fumed that the groups were literally “fighting over dead bodies.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Newspapers cover themselves;
marine mammals frolic on front pages

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The Anniston (Ala.) Star led with news that Michael Gordon, its former metro editor now working for The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, has been booted out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Gordon and three other journalists were the only media on base Saturday when three detainees hanged themselves. The Observer also fronted the story but didn’t lead with it.

The Los Angeles Times also kept its front page in the family today. The Chandler family, former owners of the Times, sent a “blistering letter” to the parent Tribune Co., saying it made “disastrous” decisions. Cushioning the blow of such hard-news pieces, the Times ran a beautiful photo of dolphins with a report that President Bush will announce that a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii will be declared the world’s largest marine protected area. The Honolulu Advertiser’s designers settled on monk seals. The Washington Post went with clown fish.

In Texas, the continuing debate over the Wright Amendment – which blocks long-haul flights out of Love Field Airport, used by Southwest Airlines – heated up and made several state Page Ones. A compromise in the long fight over the amendment will be announced today.

The Miami Herald international edition put an existential headline on a science story: “How much do we control who we are?” Researchers are finding ever-increasing connections between DNA and behavior. For some, “the idea that they may not be entirely at fault… is liberating,” the reporter noted. “Others feel doomed.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors localize FBI
crime-stats report

By Christy Mumford Jerding

A new FBI report revealed that violent crime in the United States rose 2.5%, or about 1.4 million crimes. Editors took the opportunity to compare the national rate to local crime numbers. Cities with bigger jumps got bigger front-page stories: “Violent crime up 18.5%,” Lansing (Mich.) State Journal; “Violent crime rises 11.6 percent,” The Advocate, Stamford, Conn. A couple of newspapers noted the good news that their cities had decreasing crime rates.

Florida newspapers had the first of probably many weather stories of the summer with the approach of tropical storm Alberto: “Alberto revs up,” was a typical headline. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel headline writer seemed already weary of the woes of hurricane season: “It’s starting early.”

Several newspapers put a bit of health news out front. A new study found that coffee may “counteract alcohol’s poisonous effects on the liver and help prevent cirrhosis.” The Day in New London, Conn., had the best headline: “The right cup may help those often in their cups.”

The feel-good story of the day came from the American Press in Lake Charles, La. The Press reported that the residents of DeRidder had banded together to find Meeko Mae, a missing pet monkey. Owner Donna Clark expressed her relief to the newspaper: “I had never in my life felt so empty and so dead when she was missing. And when we found her, I had never felt so much joy.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors balance Gitmo-deaths story
with weekend sports news

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Grisly news from the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, made the top national news slot in many dailies. Three detainees were found dead Saturday, apparent suicides. Headlines generally focused on the fact that there would be an extensive investigation into procedures at Gitmo — criticized for both its physical conditions and the fact that many detainees have been held there indefinitely without being charged with a crime. The Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune titled its report with a quote from a defense lawyer: “Despair hangs over Guantanamo.”

The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee led with a First Amendment story — the new push for a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. The Bee’s Washington bureau reporter Margaret Taley called the flag bill “a seasonal rite of patriotism on Capitol Hill.” The graphic breakdown of votes for/against the proposal concluded that the amendment is “one vote short of passage.”

Amid such seriousness, sports fans found a few items to cheer about. World Cup soccer gave headline writers some fun material: “GOOOOOAALLLLLLL!!!” said The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., picking up the announcer’s famous exclamation. Mexican newspapers rejoiced at its country’s victory over Iran. But The Washington Post found the French Open more interesting, as did El Mundo in Madrid: Spain’s Rafael Nadal took the title. The Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News also had sports on the front page: a Minneapolis Star Tribune story on “competitive gurgitators” — eating contests. But for some reason, Star Tribune editors didn’t consider the report front-page worthy.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Dead terrorist dominates
coverage in U.S., abroad

By Christy Mumford Jerding

From Washington, D.C., to Sydney, Australia, the killing of al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi dominated newspaper front pages. Some newspapers that got put to bed too early to catch the Wednesday-night news ran with a straight report on the terrorist leader’s death. Other front-page pieces concentrated on the details of the offensive: how an informant tipped off authorities about al-Zarqawi’s location; how the military tracked him down; how Air Force F-16s dropped two 500-pound bombs on the house.

Some headlines sounded gleeful about the news: “Out of business,” “Eliminated,” “Executed,” “Death Blow.” Many editors had no compunction about running very large photos of the dead al-Zarqawi’s blood-spattered face. The Times of Shreveport, La., broke from the pack and instead ran photos of locals quoted with reaction to the news. The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, struck a more subdued tone with its report: “Terror survives loss of leader.”

In happier news, the start of World Cup soccer in Germany showed up on several front pages. While many sports fans abroad display a maniacal following of “original football,” some U.S. editors have begun to note readers’ growing interest here. But The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle noted that Germans aren’t happy about U.S. involvement — especially since America’s Budweiser became the tournament’s official beer. One disgusted fan said drinking the King of Beers is like drinking “Spuelwasser” — dishwater.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

West Coast editors catch
late-breaking news from Iraq

By Christy Mumford Jerding

A few newspapers in California, Washington and Oregon took advantage of the time difference to scoop East Coast competitors with a report that alleged al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had been killed in an air raid north of Baghdad. The San Francisco Chronicle's headline hedged on the late-breaking news a bit: “Al Qaeda militant reported dead.” The Seattle Times seemed sure: “Al-Zarqawi dead.”

Other California newspapers devoted chunks of front-page space to follow-ups on primary elections earlier this week. The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and The Sun in San Bernardino both focused on low voter turnout: “Where were you?” The Los Angeles Times ran an analysis of Democratic contender Phil Angelides, facing an uphill battle for governor against incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger: “From the victor to the underdog.”

Alabama newspapers, also doing election wrap-up stories, turned their attention to Judge Roy Moore, who took a “crushing defeat” in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Moore made national headlines – and found a sizable following – with his campaign to display the Ten Commandments in public buildings. But the tide may have turned, according to the headlines: “Can Roy Moore return?”, “Voters reject Moore’s politics,” “Too much religion may have turned off voters.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Amid financial and legal news,
Devil and Jesus duke it out on Page One

By Christy Mumford Jerding

National newspapers led with financial news; Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that interest rates may continue to rise to combat inflation. Investors responded, and the Dow Jones industrial average fell 199 points. One analyst told The Washington Post that Bernanke’s statement was “just what the market didn’t need to hear.”

An upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case nabbed top-story status in many newspapers. The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., where the case originated, ran a large package on the issue, a challenge to the local school system’s desegregation policy. But the outcome could affect schools across the nation, according to legal analysts: “Looming in the background … is the constitutionality of affirmative action,” a law professor told the Courier-Journal.

But many newspapers had larger issues — of biblical proportions — to tackle. Today’s date — 6/6/06 — loomed large on front pages. Called “the number of the beast (Satan)” in the Bible, many see the day as unlucky — or even a sign that Armageddon is upon us. Editors noted that the day is a good one for marketing scary fare — “The Omen,” a movie about the birth of Damien, the Antichrist, opens today. (The actor’s grandmother told The Express-Times in Easton, Pa., that the little boy “doesn’t scare her.”) But the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune refused to give the Devil his due. Its front-page story focused on a local man who claimed to have photographed an image of Jesus.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Amid financial and legal news,
Devil and Jesus duke it out on Page One

By Christy Mumford Jerding

National newspapers led with financial news; Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that interest rates may continue to rise to combat inflation. Investors responded, and the Dow Jones industrial average fell 199 points. One analyst told The Washington Post that Bernanke’s statement was “just what the market didn’t need to hear.”

An upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case nabbed top-story status in many newspapers. The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., where the case originated, ran a large package on the issue, a challenge to the local school system’s desegregation policy. But the outcome could affect schools across the nation, according to legal analysts: “Looming in the background … is the constitutionality of affirmative action,” a law professor told the Courier-Journal.

But many newspapers had larger issues — of biblical proportions — to tackle. Today’s date — 6/6/06 — loomed large on front pages. Called “the number of the beast (Satan)” in the Bible, many see the day as unlucky — or even a sign that Armageddon is upon us. Editors noted that the day is a good one for marketing scary fare — “The Omen,” a movie about the birth of Damien, the Antichrist, opens today. (The actor’s grandmother told The Express-Times in Easton, Pa., that the little boy “doesn’t scare her.”) But the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune refused to give the Devil his due. Its front-page story focused on a local man who claimed to have photographed an image of Jesus.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors put human face
on gay marriage, AIDS anniversary

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The upcoming Senate debate on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage caught editors’ attention. Some newspapers, such as the Hartford (Conn.) Courant, focused on political maneuvering by proponents and opponents. The Erie (Pa.) Times-News’ report quoted local residents on both sides of the issue: “Proposals split community.” The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News also personalized the story by talking with locals but seemed to come to the opposite conclusion: “Gay marriage amendment has generated little debate.”

A grim anniversary provided a news peg for stories on AIDS. It’s been 25 years since the first medical diagnoses of the virus surfaced, and reporters found the landscape much changed. In a report titled “I don’t know why I am still alive,” The Arizona Republic told the story of Jeff Nehrbas, diagnosed in 1984. At the time, it was a death sentence. Nehrbas, and others profiled in the Baltimore Sun and other newspapers, are living with the virus because of more effective drug treatments. The San Francisco Chronicle focused on the disease’s impact on the black community: “Disease denial devastating for African Americans.”

The Connecticut Post in Bridgeport also seemed to be in denial of the fact that it’s Monday. Today’s front-page feature seemed more appropriate for a happy-go-lucky Friday reader. Reporter Dirk Perrefort got the tough assignment of riding the commuter train from New York City to Bridgeport with denizens of “the bar car.” Photos of commuters happily downing long-necks rounded out the package.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors pull out their dictionaries
for national spelling-bee coverage

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Many newspapers gave front-page coverage to the 79th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. Reflecting the rising profile of the competition, some newspapers followed the action with Super Bowl-like intensity. Editors gave particular attention to local competitors. The Daily Herald in suburban Chicago consoled competitor Theodore Yuan, 13, who went down in the 11th round with “syringadenous”: “Don’t sweat it.” There could be only one winner, and The Record in Hackensack, N.J., had her. Hometown girl Katharine Close, 13, took the spelling crown with “ursprache.” “She put a spell on us,” The Record stated.

Follow-up stories on alleged U.S. military misconduct in Iraq made several front pages. The Seattle Times led with a statement from the Iraqi prime minister that his country will conduct its own investigation. The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press went with the announcement that U.S. troops would be required to take ethics training. The Concord Monitor in New Hampshire localized its story: “Iraq killings disturb local Marines.”

The Daily World in Opelousas, La., went its own way with Page One — no spelling champs or soldiers made the cut. One top spot went to bluesman Clarence Carter, who reportedly will be “Strokin’” at a music festival. The other top story — “Cockfighting stays alive: Committee kills ban.” Sunset Mayor Danny Louviere was quoted with local reaction: “I consider this good news for our town.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Storms — political and otherwise —
are brewing on today’s front pages

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Diplomatic news took the top national spot in many dailies. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that the United States would open negotiations with Iran if it suspended its uranium-enrichment program. Several newspaper headlines noted that the move is a significant change in U.S. policy: “U.S. shifts policy on Iran talks,” “President changes direction on Iran.” Other headlines painted the move as a magnanimous gesture: “U.S. offers to talk to Iran,” “Iran gets overture from U.S.”

The beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season weighed heavily on southern editors. After last year’s record-breaking destruction, stories drove home the message that everyone should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times in Texas said it best: “When a storm comes blowin’, better get goin’.”

Follow-up articles on Iraqi civilian deaths caused by the U.S. military made several front pages. The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, Calif., ran an investigative piece comparing the situation to Vietnam: “Is killing of Iraq civilians an echo of My Lai?” Focusing on the military’s investigation of the deaths, The Christian Science Monitor wondered “Can the military probe itself?” Meanwhile, The Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser ran a profile of Air Force airman Brian Ferguson, who has a tough job: “Find good news in Iraq and Afghanistan and pitch it to reporters stateside.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Free-speech ruling,
Bush’s money man top national stories

By Christy Mumford Jerding

A Supreme Court ruling piqued the interest of several major-metro editors. The Court ruled 5-4 that a district attorney’s office did not violate a prosecutor’s First Amendment right to free speech by demoting him after he had written that a deputy had lied to obtain a search warrant. The Washington Post story said that the ruling was significant in that it “bolstered the government’s power to discipline public employees … ruling that the First Amendment does not protect those who blow the whistle.”

President Bush’s nomination of Goldman Sachs Chairman Henry M. Paulson Jr. as Treasury secretary also got prominent play. The New York Times’ main piece stated that Bush had “wooed” Paulson to say yes to the job “to add economic star power to his administration.” As expected, The Wall Street Journal hit the story hard, too, reporting that Paulson had been reluctant to take the post and did so only after Bush “promised him more clout … than either of his predecessors.”

The Journal also saved some front-page real estate for a lengthy feature, designated by the newspaper’s distinctive text box. Today’s story was a profile of 41-year-old Eric Pierson, an amateur bowling league lane manager who is fed up with so many perfect strikes. In an effort to bring back “nuance” and “precision” to the sport, Pierson is oiling the lanes differently to make it harder. So far, so good: players’ accumulated average is about 174. “I think we’re on target,” Pierson said.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Newspapers dominated by
Memorial Day at home, violence abroad

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Most dailies led with Memorial Day ceremonies honoring soldiers killed in the line of duty. Coverage varied from wire reports on President Bush’s speech at Arlington National Cemetery to local events. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran the same photo of David Rowe, whose son who died in Iraq in March, comforting his son’s pregnant widow after a service in Bushnell, Fla. Page One designers took advantage of beautiful, poignant photographs and ran them large. The San Diego Union Tribune juxtaposed the seriousness of the holiday with the way many locals actually spent it — at the beach.

Front pages also featured stories on weekend violence in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Baghdad, a car bomb killed four people, including CBS News cameraman Paul Douglas and soundman James Brolan. Correspondent Kimberly Dozier was “seriously injured,” the AP reported, and transferred to a German hospital for treatment. In Kabul, a U.S. military convoy crash ignited anti-American sentiment and touched off a deadly riot.

The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., packaged these stories on its front page with a bit of context: “Violence surges on all war fronts — As the nation spent Memorial Day reflecting on the fallen, violence raged in the current theaters of war. In Iraq, two CBS News crew members were among dozens killed. In Afghanistan, at least 14 died in the worst unrest since the Taliban fell.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Enron, immigration provide
grist for lead stories

By Rod Sandeen

The Washington Post played all the stories prominently, choosing the conviction of two Enron executives as the top story, the immigration bill passed by the U.S. Senate as the off-lead and still managing to get “Bush, Blair Concede Missteps on Iraq” above the fold.

In Houston, where the Enron trial was held, the Chronicle said in big type: “Bottom line: Guilty.”

In Salt Lake City, with two morning dailies, editors split on what was the most important story for their readers. The Deseret Morning News led with “Senate approves immigration bill” while The Salt Lake Tribune shouted “Guilty of greed.”

The Enron convictions also led The New York Times, but in the serious, descriptive tone that its readers expect: “2 Enron Chiefs Are Convicted in Fraud and Conspiracy Trial.”

In addition to those big stories, there was other news. Two big banks, both based in Birmingham, Ala., but with branches in the Southeast, agreed to merge, prompting this headline in The Birmingham News: “Merger could cost 3,700 jobs.”

And in Poland, where Pope Benedict XVI is visiting his predecessor’s homeland, Polish newspapers covered the pontiff with big pictures and stories on the front page.

In Washington, D.C., the Post isn’t the only newspaper, and The Examiner made that point emphatically with its lead headline: “Where have all the gas stations gone in the city?”

Rod Sandeen is the vice president/publications
and administration for the Freedom Forum.

‘American Idol’ rules
the stage — and the front page

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Entertainment news dominated newspapers with the results of television’s juggernaut, “American Idol.” Alabama’s Taylor Hicks took the singing crown, and his hometown newspapers led with his victory: “It’s Taylor!” and “Soul Patrol!” The San Francisco Chronicle had the story behind the story: “'Idol' finale a thriller, but its huge ratings are real story.”

The Arizona Daily Star reported on a state Supreme Court ruling that will put a damper on TV news ratings. KNXV-TV did a story in which a TV reporter, pretending online to be a teen, lured an adult to a meeting, apparently to have sex. But the court ruled that someone cannot be charged with a crime unless the person doing the luring is actually a minor — or a police officer.

A dust-up over the new Egypt exhibit at the Field Museum made the front page in Chicago. An Egyptian antiquities expert publicly chided an exhibit sponsor for displaying an ancient sarcophagus in his office. “Tut, Tut, Tut,” said the Tribune.

The end of the school year made several Page Ones. The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y., had a heart-warmer about a young man who wants to be an artist in spite of blindness in one eye and other disabilities. But the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind., had a perhaps more-typical interview with graduate Amanda Bennett, who said she was looking forward to “living in my own apartment out from under my mom.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Local news all over the map

By Christy Mumford Jerding

No big national news stories dominated, so editors turned their attention to local-news staples like traffic accidents, city politics and notable deaths.

In Texas, newspapers said goodbye to favorite son Lloyd Bentsen, the former senator and vice-presidential candidate who died Tuesday at 85. Amid coverage of Bentsen’s long list of political accomplishments, each story highlighted his famous put-down of Dan Quayle in the 1988 vice-presidential debate: “Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.”

Several states continued to grapple with local smoking regulations. Debate over the place and manner for smoking made front-page news in several spots from Anchorage, Alaska, to Atlantic City, N.J.

The Dayton (Ohio) Daily News reported that a local official got caught with his government credit card out at a strip club. Also in Ohio, The Times Reporter in Philadelphia gave the top spot to an annual high school seniors’ prank, or lack thereof: “Senior shirt plot foiled again.”

The Leaf Chronicle in Clarksville, Tenn., reported a fire chief’s anger that a stuffed chicken had been hung outside the station. (Turns out other firefighters did the deed as a joke.) The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., helpfully reminded readers not to feed alligators, no matter how hungry they may seem.

Editors at the Santa Barbara (Calif.) News-Press put aside such earthly concerns to contemplate the mysteries of the universe. Their lead story: “Is there life out there?”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Vets’ data theft, storm fears
lead many dailies

By Christy Mumford Jerding

News that the personal data — including Social Security numbers — of 26.5 million veterans had been stolen was the top national news story for many newspapers. Stories featured reassuring quotes from government officials as well as anxiety-inducing quotes from data-security experts warning veterans to be on the lookout for identity theft.

Chicago-area newspapers gave front-page play to a visit by President Bush. The Daily Herald noted that Bush came to talk about Iraq, but also promoted his immigration policies — particularly of interest to his audience, the Restaurant Association of America, “the industry that employs more illegal immigrants than any other in the United States.”

In Florida, the top story was the annual hurricane forecast. After the last year, the temptation was to hit the story hard: “16 named storms predicted: Hold on tight,” “Intense storm system expected.” The Orlando Sentinel devoted a lot of space to putting the forecast in perspective: “The predicted 13 to 16 named storms … would fall well short of the record-shattering fury of 2005.”

Today’s feel-good front page was The Orange County Register in Santa Ana, Calif., which featured extensive coverage of an “escape from Alcatraz” — 7-year-old Braxton Bilbrey became (as far as anyone can tell) the youngest person to swim the 1.4 miles from the former island prison to shore.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Lead stories include latest from Iraq,
tough times in Louisiana

By Christy Mumford Jerding

An Associated Press report on the new Iraqi prime minister led several dailies. Nouri al-Maliki, speaking at his first Cabinet meeting, said he would use “maximum force” to stop sectarian violence and insurgents. Headlines reflected al-Maliki’s bold statements: “Iraqi leader talks tough,” “Tough talk from top Iraqi.” The Daily Herald of suburban Chicago titled its story — apparently without irony — “Iraq vows force to end deaths.”

Louisiana newspapers had several big stories to jump on today. Ray Nagin won Saturday’s runoff election to remain mayor of New Orleans, beating Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieau. Washington bureau reporters got their moment in the sun covering allegations against Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, who allegedly took $100,000 in bribe money from an undercover FBI agent. Reports also said that agents found Jefferson’s freezer stuffed with $90,000 in stacks of $100 bills. The state’s pages also were filled with a tragedy in Baton Rouge: A gunman stormed into a Sunday church service, killed four people, then abducted and murdered his wife.

Racing enthusiasts and animal lovers closely followed the story of Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby-winning colt whose right rear leg was shattered in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes. Stories about Barbaro’s successful surgery made front pages in Maryland, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, where veterinarians treated the horse. Barbaro is not out of the woods yet; his chances for survival are still “a coin toss,” The Philadelphia Inquirer said.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

DaVinci gets more ink than
CIA nominee Hayden ever will

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Serious-minded editors made the confirmation hearings on CIA chief nominee Gen. Michael Hayden the top national news story. Headlines reflected the wide-ranging discussion but mostly praised the general’s performance: “Hayden seen as right choice,” “Hayden holds the line.” Meanwhile, in Arizona, Hayden’s commander-in-chief visited the Mexican border to promote his immigration choices. Several front pages featured the same photo of President Bush waving happily from a border-patrol dune buggy.

But more than any other topic, today’s front pages were dominated by “The DaVinci Code,” the new movie based on Dan Brown’s bestselling novel. Coverage reached a crescendo today for the film’s opening weekend. Scholars, ministers, priests, nuns, critics and random people on the street gave their opinions on the premise: Jesus married Mary Magdalene, fathered a child and the Catholic Church covered it up. Despite the protests, boycotts and lawsuits, the movie’s biggest challenge may be its poor reviews: “Dull Vinci,” said the Connecticut Post.

Floridians’ fears of all creatures great and small may have hit a fever pitch. Today’s Daytona Beach News-Journal devoted a huge chunk of its front page to “creepy crawlies” — the snakes, spiders, and of course, alligators that Floridians encounter living in a warm, waterfront environment. The News-Journal’s kicker revealed longtime residents’ feelings on the matter: “Docile or dangerous, critters here first, natives say.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Immigration ‘tussle,’ gas woes
lead many dailies

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The action on the ongoing immigration debate shifted to the Senate, and the nation’s newspapers followed. The Washington Times led with the fact that the Senate voted against “securing the border first,” and noted that President Bush said he would “not accept” any immigration bill that did not include guest-worker and citizenship plans. The Burlington County Times reflected the prevailing uncertainty on the issue: “N.J. reaction mixed on immigration.”

Rising gas prices showed up on many front pages, too. Stories shifted focus from the fact that prices are high to how people are responding. Several newspapers noted that more commuters are taking trains, buses and bicycles to work instead of automobiles. The Kansas City (Mo.) Star, looking to a possible future alternative, ran a primer on ethanol, a fuel made from corn.

A new report that housing sales have cooled made Page One in several California cities, and for good reason: The Los Angeles Times told Southern Californians, who enjoyed a red-hot market for years, to “say goodbye to your good friend: double-digit price appreciation.”

Three-thousand miles away, New Yorkers also got some bad — but perhaps less surprising — news. The subways are dirty. The annual “schmutz report” found that 53% of subway cars were excessively grimy. But the New York City Transit told the Metro reporter that it did not believe the schmutz report’s findings.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Immigration ‘tussle,’ gas woes
lead many dailies

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The action on the ongoing immigration debate shifted to the Senate, and the nation’s newspapers followed. The Washington Times led with the fact that the Senate voted against “securing the border first,” and noted that President Bush said he would “not accept” any immigration bill that did not include guest-worker and citizenship plans. The Burlington County Times reflected the prevailing uncertainty on the issue: “N.J. reaction mixed on immigration.”

Rising gas prices showed up on many front pages, too. Stories shifted focus from the fact that prices are high to how people are responding. Several newspapers noted that more commuters are taking trains, buses and bicycles to work instead of automobiles. The Kansas City (Mo.) Star, looking to a possible future alternative, ran a primer on ethanol, a fuel made from corn.

A new report that housing sales have cooled made Page One in several California cities, and for good reason: The Los Angeles Times told Southern Californians, who enjoyed a red-hot market for years, to “say goodbye to your good friend: double-digit price appreciation.”

Three-thousand miles away, New Yorkers also got some bad — but perhaps less surprising — news. The subways are dirty. The annual “schmutz report” found that 53% of subway cars were excessively grimy. But the New York City Transit told the Metro reporter that it did not believe the schmutz report’s findings.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Bush immigration speech
top national story

By Christy Mumford Jerding

President Bush’s televised address on immigration grabbed a good part of today’s front-page real estate. His plan to send 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border to support Border Patrol agents got a mixed reaction from commentators and politicos: “Arizona likes Bush plan, but will it really work?” East Valley Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.; “Plan … may not satisfy GOP,” The Seattle Times.

Violence in Sao Paulo made some U.S. newspapers and was the top story in Brazil. Prison gangs, using smuggled cell phones, have coordinated armed attacks on police stations, patrol cars, banks and buses. A disturbing photograph of a prison inmate threatening to cut a guard’s throat ran on several front pages. At least 80 people are reported dead.

Across the globe in Indonesia, the top news was the rumbling of the Mount Merapi volcano. About 20,000 people have been evacuated; the volcano has been spewing clouds of hot gas and smoke, and lava is flowing down the sides. Some villagers have refused to leave because of “ancient mystical beliefs,” The Associated Press reported.

Back home in Florida, the top story was still alligators. The Palm Beach Post, Orlando Sentinel and Press Journal all had huge front-page features on panicked Floridians’ efforts to avoid the gators’ powerful jaws. Business is booming for trapper Todd Hardwick: “It’s like the citizens of Florida have declared war,” he told the Press Journal. “People are really going crazy.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Editors look for new angles
on immigration story

By Christy Mumford Jerding

President Bush’s decision to send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border led many newspapers. Some reports — based on information leaked to journalists in advance of Bush’s address to the nation tonight — focused on the details of Bush’s plan: Troops would support border security agents along the 2,000-mile stretch as a “stopgap measure” to slow illegal immigration. Other newspapers led with the swift — and negative — reaction of Mexican President Vincente Fox, a longtime Bush ally.

The Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif., used the National Guard story as a news hook for a front-page update on the proposed legislation that touched off the uproar months ago. The Beaver County Times in Pennsylvania did a compare/contrast between today’s immigrant “battle cry” and the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The Kentucky Enquirer in Fort Mitchell focused on illegal immigrant raids that “fill Hispanics with fear.”

New England newspapers led with weekend floods in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. N.H. papers had a bit of a fun with their headlines: “Super soaked” and — acknowledging yesterday’s holiday — “Mother of a storm.” The Maine newspapers played it straight and serious. The front page of the Sun Journal in Lewiston, Maine, was all doom and gloom. As if the flood weren’t enough, the paper reported that a “massive asteroid is headed this way.” Readers who like to plan ahead even got a date of impact: Sunday, April 13, 2036.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Outcry over phone-data
collection top national story

By Christy Mumford Jerding

The news that the National Security Agency was secretly collecting information on millions of domestic phone calls ignited a furor. Most U.S. newspapers put the story out front and many led with it. Big headlines and prominent illustrations characterized many treatments. The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel went with a question headline: “Does the government have your phone records?” The Arizona Republic in Phoenix localized its coverage with reactions from, among others, Sen. Jon Kyl, who said the report has been blown out of proportion and that media coverage threatens national security. Maj. Norm Beasley, head of the state Counter Terrorism Information Agency, disagreed: “This is America. We still operate under a constitution.”

A (perhaps) smaller constitutional issue got resolved in Gwinnett, Ga. The Daily Post reported that the months-long debate over whether the local elementary school library would carry the popular Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling finally came to an end. Although some parents objected that the series “encourage(s) witchcraft, casting spells and demonic activity,” others said the book was a positive influence on kids and encouraged reading. Harry, Ron, Hermione and company will stay on the shelves in Gwinnett.

Another school in Clarksville, Tenn., also was concerned with their students’ reading habits, so the principal and assistant principal agreed to dress like the other for the day if students met their reading goals. The twist: the principal is female, and the assistant is male. The Leaf-Chronicle’s headline: “Promoting reading can be a drag.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Tornadoes, club-fire sentencing
big regional stories

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Texas newspapers had more details today on the deadly tornadoes that cut a swath through a rural community northeast of Dallas. Several newspapers ran an aerial photograph that showed a tornado's path, leaving uprooted trees and debris stretching for acres. Stories said that three people died and eight were injured. The extent of the property damage was still unknown.

Front pages in the Northeast were dominated by the sentencing of a former band manager whose pyrotechnics ignited a nightclub fire. One hundred people died. The manager got four years in prison. The newspapers' summation of family members' reactions was universal: "anger," "anguish," "tears."

The New York Times had a front-page obituary for A.M. Rosenthal, a former executive editor of the Times, who died Wednesday at 84 after a stroke. A Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent, who spent most of his 60-year career with the Times, distinguished himself by “driving his staffs relentlessly, pursuing the news aggressively and outmaneuvering rivals for the executive suite,” the Times reported.

Floridians also had a tough time of it. President Bush, in a visit to Orlando, said that a “disquiet” is hanging over Americans. To make matters worse, alligators continue to be a problem. A 28-year-old woman was attacked and killed yesterday, the Sun-Sentinel reported. The Charlotte Sun had a much happier ending for its front-page gator story: “Woman, 75, fends off 5-foot-alligator with garden hose.”

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Mother Nature trumps
president for top spots

By Christy Mumford Jerding

Newspapers gave due diligence to national stories — President Bush’s low poll ratings, trouble with Iran, a $70 billion tax-cut plan — but extreme weather led many front pages.

The Dallas Morning News pushed last night’s deadline to cover tornadoes that struck Collin County, killing three people and injuring several others. The Honolulu Advertiser led with a story about the lingering damage from heavy rains that led to severe mudslides and large debris. In South Dakota, residents had to pull out the snow shovels. The News Herald in Panama City, Fla., had photos of wind damage, with billboards and airplanes scattered about like children’s abandoned toys. To Floridians — exhausted by fires, heavy rain, gusting wind and hail — The Daytona Beach News-Journal provided cold comfort: “You can’t control nature.”

The Telegraph in Nashua, N.H., displayed a curious bit of news judgment today. A story about “ducklings in distress” — a firefighter rescue of eight baby birds from a storm drain — dominated the front page. Buried at the bottom was a story titled “Infant deaths put U.S. among worst modern nations.”

Guys who consider themselves players on the dating scene got some bad news from The Beaver County Times in Pennsylvania: Apparently women can tell, just by looking at a man’s face, whether he’ll be a good father. The savvy ladies also know which men — due to their high testosterone levels — are just out for a fling.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

CIA nomination a top national story

By Christy Mumford Jerding

For the second day, many newspapers led with the nomination of Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden for CIA chief. President Bush gave Hayden a strong endorsement: “the right man to lead the CIA at this critical moment.” But some press accounts said that Hayden has an uphill battle. Editors at the Christian Science Monitor wondered, “Can Hayden clear Senate?”

The rescue of two Australian miners broke in time to make the front page of several newspapers in the United States, still reeling from the Sago mine disaster in West Virginia. The time difference meant that the Aussie papers just missed getting photos of the happy men. Editors had to make do with “almost there” stories.

“The DaVinci Code” won’t hit theaters until May 19, but it’s already made news. At least four front pages featured the film – and the Catholic backlash against it. Churches in California, Florida, New Hampshire and Idaho are sponsoring lectures that they say will separate fact from fiction.

The Boston Globe devoted much of its front page to victim statements about a nightclub fire that killed 100 people. Another Boston paper, Metro, also covered the courtroom drama, but led with a story about Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s campaign to eliminate an “irresponsible” advertisement by the French Connection clothing company. The ad showed two lingerie-clad women duking it out. The mayor was not amused. “In Boston, we don’t consider hand-to-hand combat stylish,” a spokesman said.

Christy Mumford Jerding is the editorial director
of the Freedom Forum.

Politics and prescriptions
catch editors’ attention

By Christy Mumford Jerding

President Bush’s likely pick for CIA director led many metros today. Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden’s rumored appointment quickly became a hot national story; several Democrats and Republicans said that his military background is inappropriate for a civilian agency. The Washington Times called the brouhaha “bipartisan caution.” The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La., topped its story with a quote from Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich.: “Wrong person, wrong time.”

A couple of other stories competed for front-page play. Weekend violence in Iraq — with 16 killed in car bombs and 11 bodies discovered in Baghdad — had prominent mention. Several newspapers, mindful that many readers are over 65, developed packages on how to enroll for Medicare’s new prescription-drug plan. Florida newspapers gave a good deal of space to area wildfires. FLORIDA TODAY’s top story was a horrific crash on I-95 that killed two people. Poor visibility due to the smoke appeared to be the cause.

The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle gave due diligence to the Iraq and Medicare stories, but seemed most taken with Davy Hite, a pro fisherman from Ninety Six, S.C. Hite triumphed in the weekend Pride of Augusta Citgo Bassmasters Elite Series tournament. He “braved lightning and steady rain,” the Chronicle reported, to bag 71 pounds, 12 ounces of bass — and $100,000. In case you missed it, tournament highlights will be shown on ESPN2 this Saturday.