Memorial Day: NYT praised for ‘jaw-dropping’ front page honoring coronavirus fatalities

“100,000 dead. A terrible milestone. Every name a family devastated. A friend lost. A community and a country that will never be the same. 
This Memorial Day our nation mourns a preventable, catastrophic loss of life. A potent reminder that competent leadership matters. “

NYT praised for ‘jaw-dropping’ front page honoring coronavirus fatalities: ‘A visceral gut punch’

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By Bob Brigham


After revealing that Sunday’s New York Times would not feature an image on the front page, but would instead list the names of COVID-19 fatalities, the newspaper was praised online.

“U.S. deaths near 100,000, an incalculable loss,” the headline read above six columns of names.

“They were not simply names on a list. They were us,” reads the subhead. “Numbers alone cannot possibly measure the impact of the coronavirus on America, whether it is the number of patients treated, jobs interrupted or lives cut short. As the country nears a grim milestone of 100,000 deaths attributed to the virus, The New York Times scoured obituaries and death notices of the victims. The 1,000 people here reflect just 1 percent of the toll,” the paper explained. “None were mere numbers.”

brooke Jarvis @brookejarvis

“Mr. Bodkin said he did not remember any front pages without images during his 40 years at The Times. ‘This is certainly a first in modern times.'” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/reader-center/coronavirus-new-york-times-front-page.html  https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1264312206914719745 

The Project Behind a Front Page Full of Names

A presentation of obituaries and death notices from newspapers around the country tries to frame incalculable loss.

nytimes.com

Rachel Parris @rachelparris 

This is astonishing. Read closely; It’s not just their names, it’s a one line biography of each and every person. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1264312206914719745 

tammy Ingram @tammyingram

The president of the United States played golf today. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1264312206914719745 

Kaz Weida @kazweida

100,000 dead
A terrible milestone

Every name a family devastated. A friend lost. A community and a country that will never be the same.

This Memorial Day our nation mourns a preventable, catastrophic loss of life. A potent reminder that competent leadership matters. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1264312206914719745