On today’s front pages: unsealed documents show that a recent investigation is one of the largest since September 11, and that the insurgent group may be affiliated with Al Qaeda.
The story, with its irresistible blend of drama and detail, is the most frequently front-paged of the day. Apart from that, each paper seems to be airing the off-diary journalism, the features and quirkier angles, they’ve been looking for an opportunity to run. Which is actually a lot of fun for readers, many of whom must be sick of reading about troop levels in Afghanistan and the fools on the hill. Today we get a some gripping local tales – the boy who ran away and rode the subway for 11 days, the murder mystery in DC, the fear in a homeless community along the LA river – that it would be nice to see more of even when important things were happening.
Disclosure: I freelance write and report for newspapers that are included in this roundup. Where there is a direct conflict of interest I will make it clear.
The New York Times: looks towards the aptly-named Black Friday with a piece on discount wars between Amazon and Wal-Mart. In other wars of attrition news, a prisoner swap is looking likely in the middle east (although other reports say it is more dubious) and the Iranian government is stifling the opposition. But some people are working together! The left and the right both hate the expansion of the criminal justice system – so expect to see a Glenn Beck/Keith Olbermann joint campaign soon. Everyone likes it when terrorism investigations are unsealed – you get a story delivered complete, like this. And finally the tale of a 13-year-old boy who ran away from home and spent 11 days riding the subway around the city.
The Washington Post: everyone loves a murder mystery – look out for the use of the word ‘okay’ in a quote. It really makes you think the boyfriend did it. The unsealed terror charges against a group of Somali Americans make the front here too, nuclear power is back, a staggering 34.5 per cent of young black men are unemployed and, at the other end of the spectrum, property owners fight to keep their beaches in Florida.
The LA Times: has one of those embedded-with-the-marines in Afghanistan stories that used to be all the rage but have recently made way for tales of internecine fighting among the top ranks over troop numbers. There’s another front page standby here – the science-y giant telescope story, the feature is about violence along the LA river, Californians should use less water and the terror charges get another airing.
The Wall Street Journal: has further evidence that the recovery is nothing more than wishful thinking. Although people are buying a lot of gold. Barack Obama sucks at golf, which is actually something of a relief, and a new direction for Gucci.
The New York Post:has one of those ‘we all knew it’ stories about the United Homeless Front panhandlers – apparently, those who yell at commuters for money are not strictly above board. Related: Ronald McDonald is scary.
The Daily News: continues its anti-gun campaign with news that South Carolina has a gun sale on Friday. The picture inside – of an old redneck holding a gold Desert Eagle underneath a US flag would have been the front page of the year.
The Bakersfield Californian: completely disagrees with the Wall Street Journal about the housing market. Fight!
Las Ultimas Noticias (Chile): and the hair>to…
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