June 05, 2004

President Reagan

by Jeremy Blachman

Sad news that President Reagan has passed away. It strikes me that we may be in for quite a media display in the upcoming days, since there's been ten years to put together retrospective pieces, with the knowledge that there'd be nothing new to add. Already, each network seems to have unveiled a logo, and on CBS and ABC I've seen some prepackaged bits -- "The Reagan Love Affair," "Reagan's Film Career." Photo slide shows on the screen; scores of video clips... Reagan's life coincides with the rise of the mass media -- there's probably more footage of his 93 years than there is of anyone else on Earth. And now's the last chance for them to showcase it. I expect there have been some masterful pieces prepared to illustrate his life and legacy -- I would hope so; and I would guess we'll have lots of chances to see them over the next few days. I hope this entry doesn't read as cynical -- I really do think it's sad news that he's passed away. But I'm honestly interested to see what the media has come up with for it, since they've surely been preparing.

June 5, 2004 05:33 PM | TrackBack
Comments

They have. I just told a friend about how we had a prepackaged two-page piece ready in the system and ever-present in "the basket" (where pages that were done and proofed but had not yet gone to print sat).

Posted by: Chris Geidner at June 5, 2004 05:49 PM

I seem to recall an interesting piece, perhaps from the New Yorker, regarding composing the musical compositions for news events. It's just as you've intimated - some stories can be finished long in advance. This is a great example.

Posted by: Greg at June 6, 2004 04:13 PM
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