Season's Greetings

If ever there were days to do something special with the front page, today -- Christmas -- is one of them. The holiday spirit was overflowing in Kansas, where The Topeka Capital-Journal, The Wichita Eagle and The Hutchinson News used full page photos or art to capture the spirit of the day. Said a note on the News: "Dear Friends, May this season's joy enrich you year-round."

A Moment in History

The Chicago Tribune smartly noted that "Tuesday night was a time to marvel at a once-inconceivable moment in American history." Its main edition front page captured the moment.

Pretty in Pink

Today's Miami Herald is, well, pink. In honor of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the newspaper is supportively pink. A "New Hope" front-page centerpiece notes Breast Cancer Awareness Month and reports on research being done by the University of Miami. Would you print your newspaper in pink or other color?

Dow Gets Banner Headline

Yesterday's stock market plunge was a "778-point cry for help," USA Today reported after the House rejected an economic bailout plan. Front Pages responded to the tears, producing compelling packages that often took up most of the page. The Detroit Free Press reported the news from Capitol Hill and Wall Street graphically, adding a local column, auto company stock prices and references to more content inside. Reporting that a "Depression unlikely, but a recession could be painful," the Chicago Tribune tracked the stock market during the Great Depression and incorporated into its design a photo from a 1934 soup kitchen line.

More than OK

The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City shows off a new design today that it says was 18 months in the making. The newspaper is now smaller, and the design includes a larger font size and colors that represent an "Oklahoma pallet." Editors promise more consistent design and more stories and entry points on the front page. The newspaper has a multimedia explanation of the changes.

Farewell to the House that Ruth Built

How do you say goodbye? When it came to the 85-year-0ld Yankee Stadium, saying goodbye meant past champions and fans, salutes and waves, aerials and closeups. However they chose to bid adieu, New York and New Jersey newspapers said it on the front page.

A Year in the Making

A year after the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed -- raising concerns about bridge safety across the country -- a replacement bridge has opened. To mark the opening, the Pioneer Press of St. Paul chronicled the construction of the new span in a creative front page that welcomes the new fixture across the Mississippi.

New Sun Rises

A newly redesigned Sun of Baltimore has made its debut. The Tribune newspaper followed in the footsteps of sister newspapers the Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun-Sentinel, both of which changed design this summer.

A reader guide said the Baltimore redesign included a four-column layout and more readable (although not larger) type. A new nameplate added "Baltimore" in what the newspaper said was an increased commitment to local news.


New design

Previous design

Changes in the Daily Miracle

The right-hand column of today's Plain Dealer in Cleveland begins "Dear Reader." It's a column by Publisher Terry Egger explaining changes in the paper that take place on Tuesday. The column also includes a link to a nicely done "Making 'the daily miracle'" that explains "24 hours in the production of your Plain Dealer." It's the kind of transparency in media that inspired Newseum architect James Polshek.

New look in New Jersey

The Record of Hackensack, N.J., sports an at-a-glance summary of important stories of the day in a design that made its debut today. Editor Frank Scandale describes the changes in this column for readers. The change brings "more visuals and guides to the best stories inside the newspaper" in an update of the previous design. The billboard front page has been used before. Hundreds of historic front pages in various formats and designs are on display in the Newseum's News Corporation News History Gallery.

Moment of silence

If you have time to look at only one front page today, Gene Mater of the Newseum suggests the one page be The Beijing News. But while front pages in China mark the one-week anniversary of the devastating earthquake, news organizations in other parts of the Asia have moved on to other stories, Mater reports. China is among the countries featured in the Newseum's World News Gallery.