You really have to hand it to the editors of theage.com.au. There is no story they can’t reduce to a Herald Sun-quality headline these days.
Take, for instance, the story about the possible threat against Obama during the DNC.
Obviously, any talk of a threat against Obama is serious news. The NYT treated it with due diligence - a blog post from Healy on the 25th and a follow-up story on the 26th.
Four people were arrested after a traffic stop that uncovered arms, drugs and a possible plot to assassinate the Democratic candidate. Healy is quick to point out, however:
It was not clear how well along the possible plot was, or whether the people under arrest had found a way to overcome the heavy security surrounding the Democratic convention.
…
The United States attorney for Colorado, Troy Eid, seemed to play down the degree of threat that Mr. Obama faced… “We’re absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the candidate, the Democratic National Convention, or the people of Colorado.”
Sounds like news, but something unsurprising - though fundamentally upsetting - and an issue dealt with quickly and effectively by law enforcement.
Here’s how The Age put it:
Target Obama: An American nightmare
IT IS a recurring American nightmare, a fear that haunts a nation and that has stalked every presidential candidate since the Kennedys.
Now, 40 years after Robert Kennedy was gunned down in Los Angeles, Americans have been confronted again with the spectre of political assassination.
Mercifully, their collective fear was activated this time not by the ringing out of gunshots, but by the random arrest of a suspected drunk driver in Colorado.
It goes on from there, though I think those three paragraphs reflect the fever pitch of hysteria that characterizes an alarming number of stories at theage.com.au these days.
Obviously, a letter to Age editor-in-chief Andrew Jaspan seemed in order, had it not been for the unceremonious sacking of Jaspan a day after Fairfax fired 550 of its staff.
(It says something about the structure of your newspaper when stocks go up after the elimination of 165 editorial positions.)
The Age (or at least its online equivalent), however, managed to sex up Jaspan’s firing given a day of thought.
Here’s the initial headline and lede:
Jaspan replaced as Age editor
The Age’s editor-in-chief Andrew Jaspan has been replaced one day after Fairfax Media announced 550 jobs would go at its Australian and New Zealand operations.
And here’s the story a day later:
Age editor-in-chief removed in job-cutting sweep
THE Age’s editor-in-chief, Andrew Jaspan, has been removed from his position less than 24 hours after the newspaper’s owner, Fairfax Media, announced 550 job losses.
Practically makes it sound like they hauled him from the building. And damned sooner!
(The second article also features a hilarious caption - ‘Andrew Jaspan: Removed’)
Here’s a tip guys - continuing to lower your standards does not appear to be working. I know you’re losing your classified revenue; try making up for it with quality journalism! Think of us as a niche market.
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