Coverage of the attack on the World Trade Center challenged all the resources of the Times-Union on Tuesday.
The eight-page extra edition that hit the streets during the noon hour was a testament to the teamwork of all departments of the newspaper.
The Times-Union was one of the first newspapers in the nation to hit the streets with an extra. Unfortunately, it seems there weren’t enough copies to meet the incredible demand. Readers flooded the newspaper with desperate requests for the extra.
The newspaper printed over 20,000 copies. Many more could have been distributed. For instance, the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk printed 50,000 copies and they were gone quickly.
The extra was free, a public service of the newspaper, but that may have backfired, since readers were taking multiple copies. Perhaps the copies were taken for friends, family and co-workers. Some readers said they looking for collector’s items. Several subscribers presumed they would receive one through home delivery.
The Times-Union was one of the first newspapers in the nation to hit the streets with an extra. Unfortunately, it seems there weren’t enough copies to meet the incredible demand. Readers flooded the newspaper with desperate requests for the extra. There were reasons why the number of Extras had to be limited. There were concerns that they could be delivered to drop-off points during the lunch hour. And the next day’s paper still had to be published.
Yet, Editor Patrick Yack understood why readers wanted a copy of the Extra. There is a power and a permanency to the printed page that is extraordinary, he said. People have a visceral, emotional reaction to the printed page. The newspaper is more than a keepsake, he said.
Photo disturbs readers
The power of the printed page helps explain the emotional reaction of 16 readers who complained about a photo yesterday that showed a person plunging headfirst off the World Trade Center. The color photo was a half-page long.
“It was the last thing America needed to see today,” said Heather Ellis.
“That took everybody’s breath away in our office,” said Cherie O’Riordan. Women were gasping at the upsetting picture, she said.
Several readers worried about the impact of the photo on their children. One woman said she didn’t know how to explain it to her 13-year-old daughter.
One reader said it was irresponsible to show an apparent suicide in the newspaper. In fact, a recent study suggested that inappropriate coverage of suicides can produce a contagious effect.
The study by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the American Association of Suicidology and the Annenberg Public Policy Center resulted in a number of recommendations. Here is one that seems on point: “Research indicates that detailed descriptions or pictures of the location or site of a suicide encourage imitation.”
The Times-Union wasn’t the only newspaper to run that photo. The New York Times ran the photo in color, almost exactly the same size as the Times-Union did.
Yack said the decision to use the photo was not made lightly.
“I understand and appreciate why people feel the way they do,” the Times-Union editor said. “We’re talking about a horrific incident that many say is unparalleled in our history. That picture, among others, captured how horrible a day it was. We didn’t do this to inflame emotions.”
Editors sought to alert readers with a front-page note yesterday: “Please be aware that some descriptions and photographs are disturbing, but editors decided to include them to underscore the horrific outcome of these terrorist acts.”
My comment: Reasonable people can differ on the decision, but the note was the responsible thing to do.
