Melodramatic or sticking to the facts?

A New York Times article published online today and slated to appear in tomorrow’s print edition provides up-to-the-minute coverage of the return to Pakistan of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the suicide attack that killed scores of people cheering her on as she processed in Karachi. The article begins with the facts of the attack, appropriately, since its early publication is based on new information. After discussing theories about the identity of the suicide bomber, it turns to the larger context surrounding Bhutto’s return to Pakistan. It does an excellent job outlining the changes in the country to which she has returned from exile and her plans of action for the future.

In contrast to the tragic deaths in Pakistan, a piece of local news in The Boston Globe today turned out to be less disastrous than it seemed. An article on a small earthquake in Littleton reveals that the police switchboard in that town lit up after the quake last night with concerned residents calling to describe a loud noise that sounded to them like a plane crash or an explosion or serious car accident. This seems like an interesting response to have to an earthquake, but it is not mentioned until the end of the article. The beginning of the article notes all the 911 calls without describing the nature of the concerns. By splitting these two facts, the story seems to be distorted. On the upside, I suppose, it avoided an opportunity to sensationalize the news.

The Washington Post, on the other hand, enjoys a bit of scandal in its coverage of French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy’s divorce from his wife, Cecilia. It begins with the clever remark that Cecilia “voted with her feet” this week after splitting from her husband. The article, although it reports that the break-up was mutual and amicable, alternates between subtle interpretations of the divorce as her leaving him and vice versa. One of the earliest quotes in the article describes the news as France’s “biggest soap.” True to this suggested soap opera style, the rest of the article chronicles the moments when the press has aired their strongest doubts that the marriage would last over the course of the last year.