The Gallery

Journalists love to learn by comparison.  During and after a big story, you’ll hear “How are we doing against the other guys”  throughout the newsroom.

These comparisons are powerful teaching tools.  Everyone has the same materials.  Let’s see what was built and learn from those constructions.

In the time before the Web if you wanted see almost other newspapers, the company’s librarian was your best friend. (Truth be known, librarians are always your best friend.)  This was especially true if you had a library with lots out of town newspapers.  Other than writing a bunch of newspapers, which is what I often did, you depended on the kindness of the library help you learn “what the other guy had done.”

The Gallery at Newsroom History, contains collections of various major events, from plane crashes to war. It also includes interesting pages.  I hope to include other material.

Many of these pages were used when I was teaching visual journalism.  If you have similar collections, I’ll be happy to create a space for you to share. Just drop me a note at hfinberg@newsroomhistory.com.

–Howard Finberg

American Airlines Flight 191 Crash (1979)

This was a flight from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago to Los Angeles International Airport. On May 25, 1979, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 operating the flight crashed moments after takeoff from Chicago.

The Invasion of Iraq (1991)

This was a story made for map makers and information graphics creators.  Lots of data and no photographs. In addition to helping readers understand the various aspects of the war, these graphics provided an strong visual element for the front page.

Soviets Shoot Down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (1983)

This gallery has a number of newspaper front pages that use maps and diagrams to explain a breaking news stories.