A Miracle on the Hudson

No deaths or serious injuries are being reported after a US Airways plane with 155 people on board went down in the Hudson River. The plane that took off from LaGuardia airport apparently hit a flock of birds that disabled two engines.

Newsday on Long Island published a staff-written story on its Web site: "Jet crashes into Hudson River; all passengers rescued." The site offered video and photos and asked readers for the names of passengers on the flight.

From the plane's destination in Charlotte, N.C., The Observer reported that a passenger called a neighbor by cell phone from a rescue ferry and that Bank of America and Wells Fargo confirmed some employees of the Charlotte-based banks were on the flight. The Observer also had a photo gallery of AP photos and stills taken from TV video. Among the photos was a shot of passengers standing on a wing waiting to be rescued.

"Ferries and other boats quickly converged to help with a rescue effort, as the plane drifted south in the water," The New York Times Web site said.

The Observer's "All survive crash of Charlotte-bound flight" and The Washington Post's "'A Miracle on the Hudson'" headlines were reminiscent of the "Miracle" headline in the first edition of USA TODAY.

What's That ..

... at the bottom of today's New York Times? An advertisement.

The newspaper joined others across the U.S. and around the world in printing ads on Page One. The first ad was bought by CBS, promoting its No. 1 status among networks. The headline in the ad: "Front Page News."

Still publishing sans advertisements (at least for now) is The Washington Post's Page One.

List in the News

On this the 10th anniversary of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton by the U.S. House of Representatives, the former president is again in the news. Clinton released a list of donations by foreign governments and other contributors to the William J. Clinton Foundation. Clinton agreed to make the list public after it became a potential stumbling block to his wife's appointment as Secretary of State. The Washington Post, New York Times and Los Angeles Times reported details of the list on Page One. "In Clinton List, A Veil is Lifted on Foundation," The New York Times said. Said the Los Angeles Times, "The Clinton Foundation's contributions include millions from Saudis and Indians." The Washington Post bulleted contributions on its front. What did your news organization do with the list?

New Edition

The New York Times today reported the end of the Iraq war and the establishment of national health care.

Oh, wait. It's not real. (What gave you a hint?)

With an "All the news we hope to print" edition dated July 4 of next year, some pranksters with the help of a group called The Yes Men papered NYC with the 14-page fake. On its Web site, Yes Men says its mission is "Impersonating big-time criminals in order to publicly humiliate them."

USA TODAY's On Deadline blog writes about it here. The Times itself blogged about it and provided a PDF of the fake and invited comments.

The actual Times (at right) published stories about financial crisis, budget shortfalls, bankruptcy, death and a fight over education. No doubt about its authenticity.