Wide Shot Stars at Inaugural

CBS' Bob Schieffer said in his analysis of the inauguration that the real star of the afternoon ceremony was the sea of humanity gathered at the Capitol and along the Mall to witness the historic event. "The star of this show is the wide shot," he said. CBS included a crowds photo gallery in its inauguration coverage, and USA TODAY used an image of the crowd on its Home Page. The Chicago Tribune's The Swamp blog quoted a Washington Post estimate of a record 2 million in attendance.

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.

One Day in the Campaign

The presidential campaign has had its ups and downs and stops and starts. A one-day snapshot of the campaign is provided by The Washington Post, The New York Times and USA TODAY, which reported a surge in voter registration for Democrats, a move by Barack Obama to gather support among blue-collar voters and a strong run by John McCain. The Newseum is archiving front pages from the campaign.