February 01, 2003
Covering Columbia
Here's a roundup of how major newspapers have reacted to the crash of the space shuttle Columbia, including the headlines for their packages. The Florida and Texas papers were naturally the most ambitious.
Florida Today, which describes itself as "serving Florida's Space Coast," put out two extra editions and an online package, Columbia Lost. UPDATE: Poynter Online did an email Q&A with the editor of Florida Today on his paper's coverage. Here's an excerpt:
"The space program touches all parts of our community and this was an intensely local story for everyone. ... There was never a question about doing the Extras, we knew they were needed and we would act."
The New York Times created a special online section: Loss of the Shuttle.
The Houston Chronicle (Tragedy Over Texas) folded its coverage into its existing SpaceChronicle section and put out an extra print edition. See front page image here.
The Dallas Morning News (which also called its package Tragedy Over Texas) simply compiled a list of stories but also offered an online editorial.
The Miami Herald (The Shuttle Columbia Tragedy) also put out an extra print edition and published the entire eight pages online as a PDF.
The Orlando Sentinel published an extra. Here are the stories. Here is the front page.
The Florida Times-Union (America Loses Columbia) has video-rich special section.
The Los Angeles Times only compiled a list of stories.
The Washington Post (Columbia Shuttle Tragedy) put together a special page.
The Tampa Tribune (Space Shuttle Lost) published and extra edition and has an online package.
The San Antonio Express-News ('Columbia is Lost') has a thin online package, but it did publish an extra.
Posted by Tim Porter at February 1, 2003 04:05 PMThanks Tim for the info.
I was drinking coffee this morning waiting for Mom to wake up when a a loud boom and a shock to the house happened. I had no idea what it was. Looked out the front and side windows , saw nothing. Then I went outside and walked down the North side of the house, where the noise seemed to come from. Nothing. I did not look up to the roof nor did I turn on the TV, not thinking about a sonic boom. When I did find out, it seemed even more sobering to me, as if somehow I had participated in the awful tragedy. Terrible news.
Thanks again for the links.
Dad