AP news alert

NY Times:

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. Nov. 7 — The shuttle Discovery glided to a safe landing here today, bringing to a close one of the more eventful shuttle missions in the history of the shuttle program.

 

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Discovery and its crew returned to Earth on Wednesday and concluded a 15-day space station build and repair mission that was among the most challenging — and heroic — in shuttle history.

 

That makes it sound like they cleaned out the space station's garage or something and cleaned up a broken lightbulb.

 

Marcia Dunn is generally very good and has been covering the beat for an awful long time. Maybe too long?

On the other hand, it could have been an overzealous desk editor trying to "punch up" the lede.

You never really know with this sort of thing unless you're watching it happen.

 

I just like you because you're so positive!

 

The best thing about moving to Verizon FIOS service is now I get the NASA channel! Having watched the outdoor repairs, I'd say "heroic" might be editorializing, but "hair-raisingly dangerous" would be straight news.

 

True Quam.

 

And here I thought we were debating the over saturation of AP News Alerts???

 

Perhaps you haters just didn't know how heroic this mission was.

 

I have zero problem with the AP writer who is an expert in this field, presumably, labeling something "heroic," which apparently puts me in the minority here.

The bigger picture: Putting the handcuffs on writers and expecting "inverted pyramid, just the facts ma'am" reporting to draw and hold readers in this current environment is one of the reasons we're in this current environment.

 

Oh, and yes, with respect to our tireless and dedicated moderators, I think this thread was moved a bit prematurely. This is definitely a journalism topic.

 

Maybe AP should release news alerts in heroic couplet form.

Or a least in limerick form.