Putting a news story in perspective

Interestingly, I have no problem with this lead hed in the Journal Sentinel:

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=WI_MJS&ref_pge=lst

 

I don't have a problem with the hed if it were on A-6 as a sidebar. I get the Packers' importance in Wisconsin. I still would not willingly do something this silly.

 

Honestly, I don't have a problem with the hed, even as a lead. That was the story yesterday: Obama didn't want his speech to be the same night as the game, and Boehner didn't want the speech to overshadow the Republican debates (and he knew putting the speech on Thursday would mean less viewers). The paper just localized the hed.

 

I would have changed it to:

Meaningless
Pack practice
expected to
drub Obama

 

Maybe in August, but for the regular-season opener, maybe a bit more straightforward.

Frank, you and I are kindred brothers, but we'll have to disagree on this one.

 

I'm usually one of the first to tell my sports cohorts to keep things in perspective, but I'm fine with this one given (A) it actually was a prime consideration at the time, and (B) it localizes a national story for a readership that eats, breathes and sleeps all things green and yellow.

 

I understood people would take an opposing viewpoint and I respect their reasoning, but the deck and lede were inaccurate. The third graph says the time of the speech was undecided, thus they were making a leap in saying the speech would be "during opener." It now appears they were wrong anyway, that the speech will conflict with the pregame, not the game. It may strike some as hairsplitting, but I think I would be called on it by my bosses if I made that type of assumption. They combined wires, wrote their own lede and fucked up. I would want to focus on Obama caving anyway because there he goes again. I can see why some would want the Packers angle, but you still have to be accurate no matter which way you go.

 

Homes designed like ship cabins???

Ridiculous.