The (Pittsburg, Kan.) Morning Sun, only 30 miles or so from the tornado-stricken city of Joplin, Mo., gets our vote today for best front page.
It's difficult to imagine how any of the 50,000 Joplin residents survived this tragedy. At last count, the death toll reached 116, as noted in the first bullet point below the big one-word headline.
The editors chose this photo showing ravaged homes in what's left of a neighborhood. Compelling photos for stories such as sthi need to be played big. The Morning Sun did just that.
Images of the devastation I'm certain left many people speechless, which is why the photo needed no cutline. Should have included a credit, but this photo needed no explanation. The front-page content provided plenty of context.
Running an editorial in the top-most position (by Andrew Nash) is not a gutsy move, but a wise move for second-day coverage. Doing so makes the paper appear to be less monolithic and more human, touching on the good and bad sides of how people reacted immediately following the storm.
Perhaps the most important piece of content on the front page is the "How can I help" box down the right side. People in nearby unaffected areas such as Pittsburg are shown what's needed most by survivors — new and used clothing, undergarments, diapers, toiletries, etc. The list really drives home how much was lost. If a house is completely blown away, with it goes every article of clothing, every daily necessity.
Also, listing where donations are being colleced helpe people act quickly for those in need.
Very nice page.
Joe Greco is corporate design director for GateHouse Media.
Contact him at jgreco@gatehousemedia.com.
UPDATE: Andrew Nash, managing editor at The Morning Sun, sent me a note about the lead photo. Here's what he had to say:
Thank you for selecting us as Front Page of the Day. I was reading your write up and I noticed you did not see our cutline and credit for the dominant picture. We included both cutline and credit in the large box on the bottom left, above our typical page information/bar code items.
We are planning on using the How to Help box for a few days, and adding to it as new ways to help are added.
Yes, Andrew, I certainly did miss that cutline. What confused me? The secondary photo had a cutline in the traditinal place. Thanks for the note, Andrew!
The (Pittsburg, Kan.) Morning Sun, only 30 miles or so from the tornado-stricken city of Joplin, Mo., gets our vote today for best front page.
It's difficult to imagine how any of the 50,000 Joplin residents survived this tragedy. At last count, the death toll reached 116, as noted in the first bullet point below the big one-word headline.
The editors chose this photo showing ravaged homes in what's left of a neighborhood. Compelling photos for stories such as sthi need to be played big. The Morning Sun did just that.
Images of the devastation I'm certain left many people speechless, which is why the photo needed no cutline. Should have included a credit, but this photo needed no explanation. The front-page content provided plenty of context.
Running an editorial in the top-most position (by Andrew Nash) is not a gutsy move, but a wise move for second-day coverage. Doing so makes the paper appear to be less monolithic and more human, touching on the good and bad sides of how people reacted immediately following the storm.
Perhaps the most important piece of content on the front page is the "How can I help" box down the right side. People in nearby unaffected areas such as Pittsburg are shown what's needed most by survivors — new and used clothing, undergarments, diapers, toiletries, etc. The list really drives home how much was lost. If a house is completely blown away, with it goes every article of clothing, every daily necessity.
Also, listing where donations are being colleced helpe people act quickly for those in need.
Very nice page.
Joe Greco is corporate design director for GateHouse Media.
Contact him at jgreco@gatehousemedia.com.
UPDATE: Andrew Nash, managing editor at The Morning Sun, sent me a note about the lead photo. Here's what he had to say:
Thank you for selecting us as Front Page of the Day. I was reading your write up and I noticed you did not see our cutline and credit for the dominant picture. We included both cutline and credit in the large box on the bottom left, above our typical page information/bar code items.
We are planning on using the How to Help box for a few days, and adding to it as new ways to help are added.
Yes, Andrew, I certainly did miss that cutline. What confused me? The secondary photo had a cutline in the traditinal place. Thanks for the note, Andrew!
