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AP gets Britney's obit ready

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by JayFarrar, Jan 17, 2008.

  1. HejiraHenry

    HejiraHenry Well-Known Member

    And you can tell, from time to time, that they're left to scramble a bit when somebody dies unexpectedly. Halberstam comes to mind.
     
  2. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    i have learned to become your biggest fan because of posts such as that.

    solid. damn solid.
     
  3. BillySixty

    BillySixty Member

    I've worked at several papers that have obits in the can, including my college newspaper. We had a budget for a tab in place for a former coach that was still very popular, and several stories in the can. We managed to put together an 8-page special section in a matter of hours because most of the work was done in advance.
     
  4. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    Amen.
     
  5. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Worse than "two hands, three holes"?
     
  6. Simon_Cowbell

    Simon_Cowbell Active Member

    Kind, kind words, Tom.
     
  7. shotglass

    shotglass Guest

    I'll be quite honest with you all ... we have most of a 24-page section in the can on Happy Valley's oldest coach.
     
  8. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    Damn. That one stuck with you, didn't it?
     
  9. EStreetJoe

    EStreetJoe Well-Known Member

    I wonder how many pages the LA papers have in the can on John Wooden.
     
  10. Barsuk

    Barsuk Active Member

    Jeebus, Britney ... ever heard of maxi pads? That's effin' gross.
     
  11. GuessWho

    GuessWho Active Member

    I've had to do a few advance obits. They're actually pretty easy. Call friends, colleagues and rivals of the subject for quotes, explaining that "we're just trying to get some stuff ready in case anything happens" and they're almost always eager to share thoughts and stories.

    What occasionally made it weird was when you're interviewing A about B and you've already got an obit in the can on A. You kind of wonder if A is wondering whether you've done the same thing on him.
     
  12. Bob Slydell

    Bob Slydell Active Member

    Well, that was gross.
     
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