The Times Resolves a 'Fold' Dilemma

At the New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer and other broadsheet newspapers, front-page stories are ranked by the top editors into roughly two categories: "above the fold" and "below the fold," with the latter reserved for articles of distinctly less significance.

So put yourself in the place of Times editors last night. They had a story about a world moving closer to nuclear Armageddon (Iran resuming its nuclear program) and and a story about a Washington lobbyist named Jack Abramoff pleading guilty to criminal charges that threatened to embarrass the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress.

See if you can guess which of the above ran as the lead story -- with a rare three-line headline and accompanying breathless "news analysis" -- which one was shoved below the fold.

I know.... tough decision. Embarrassing Republicans or highlighting the threat from Iran. Must have taken Times editors all of three seconds to make that choice!

Hey, they don't call it the "daily edition of Counterpunch" for nothing.

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