dl Cristi Lupsa mi-a fct dimineata frumoasa trimitindu-mi un articol despre cum echipa departamentului Obituaries de la Washington Post a scris textul despre moartea lui Michael Jackson.

The first rumors that Michael Jackson had died surfaced around 5:30 — a good half-hour or more after our usual daily deadline.

Michael Jackson was 50 years old, with no known life-threatening health problems, and we had no advance obituary prepared. Adam Bernstein and I began an immediate crash course in all things Michael, as the editors scrambled to figure out how to handle the huge, unexpected story.

(…)

Meanwhile, Adam and I tried to fill in the early and middle portions of Jackson’s career — from roughly birth to the 1991 album, “Dangerous.” I was shipping copy to Hank by e-mail, sometimes one paragraph at a time. At one point, Hank’s editor, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Henry Allen, who has been at the Post for 40 years, came up and stood over my desk, calmly but extremely firmly stating, “We need that copy NOW!”

By about 8 p.m., we fiinished, and I sent the last of my copy and notes to Hank. It had to have been the most intense two hours I’ve had during the five years I’ve been on the Obits desk.

Matt Schudel.
Intreaga poveste a articolului mi-a adus aminte de o duduie pe care am vzt-o ieri dimineata la stiri la rtv care n-avea alta competenta decit ca era jurnalist si se duce la concerte, asa ca si-a dorit sa fie si la MJ in 92 dar n-a fost. Asta n-a impiedicat-o sa bata cimpii pret de 5 minute dindu-se cu presupusul despre orice, numai sa mentioneze si numele lui MJ ca sa iasa treaba.

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noi nu stim sa ne documentam si sa tratam fiecare poveste ca si cind ar fi una de viata si de moarte, sa sapam pina ajungem la esenta. bine, nu stim nici esenta sa o punem in cuvinte cit mai simple ca sa evitam pateticul, dar e deja alta discutie.

ne e mai usor sa spunem ca daca noi am vzt ceva, stim desigur despre ce e vorba.

in situatiile astea prefer sa ma uit la CNN, desi stiu ca e teoria strutzului: “daca nu vad, poate nu exista.”

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aici e Necrologul lui MJ asa cum a aparut in washington post, cu 5 surse la vedere (citate in material) – printe ele, publicistul lui MJ de acum citiva ani,Michael Levine, dar si Quincy Jones – si nenumarate alte surse ascunse (spital, medici, specialisti in muzica etc).
un story scris de doi oameni in citeva ore, cu reporting de la alte 5 persoane.

si nu, nu e un argument ca ei aveau acces la alte surse decit am fi avut noi; cu un minim efort facem o lista de cel putin 5 romani conectati la MJ f f direct 🙁