Breaking News in San Diego

The afternoon crash of a military jet in a San Diego neighborhood killed three people. The San Diego Union-Tribune responded with stories, a photo gallery and video of an eyewitness on its Web site. Its information included an at-a-glance description of the F/A-18 Hornet, which was trying to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, an aerial view of the crash site and links to related sites.

Tribune Under Debt

This morning's Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times refer to inside stories about parent Tribune Co., which has hired bankruptcy advisers. The Times said, "A bankruptcy action is possible but not certain." Tribune, which is $13 billion in debt, owns eight newspapers and 23 television stations along with other assets. The news was reported by The Wall Street Journal's Web site on Sunday and appears on today's Washington Post front page.

Update: Tribune has filed for bankruptcy protection, The New York Times reports.

Leadership in the Community

The Detroit Free Press devoted its front page today to a "Message to Washington" editorial that calls on members of Congress to help the ailing Big 3 automakers.

Editor Paul Anger noted that a copy of the newspaper was being sent to every member of Congress. "We ... know that while a newspaper needs to inform, there are times when a newspaper needs to speak up for what's right."

Big 3 Drives Front-Page Coverage

The Big 3 automakers return to top headlines in Detroit as they head to Capitol Hill this week to plead for a $25-billion rescue.

"Bold pitch takes shape," said the Free Press banner headline. It used red ink to highlight words in subheads: "UAW to mull concessions/GM to cut executive pay/Ford to show future cars."

Yesterday, The News reported on automakers' strategy. Today, it leads with "UAW mulls reopening contracts to aid Big 3."

Both newspapers printed columns -- the Free Press' on the front page ("Only a vision of overhauling the industry will do" by Tom Walsh) and The News' Daniel Howes' "Shared denial takes Big 3 to the brink" inside.

The News also offers a map illustrating other countries that are considering bailouts for their automakers, and the Free Press' coverage include a sports perspective: "NASCAR's (team boss) Rick Hendrick: Don't punish Big 3, assist them."

Both newspapers also balanced this morning's front pages with news of the guilty plea to perjury by a former aide to the the ex-mayor.

Man Who Owns the News

Michael Wolff's biography of Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corp., will be released tomorrow. Politico has a few advanced details on The Man Who Owns the News, including that Murdoch does not "want News Corp. to be defined by Fox News."

The New York Times has reported that Murdoch, whom Fortune has called one of the "25 most powerful people in business," took issue with the book and its description of his relationship with Fox News.

Murdoch's most recent acquisition was The Wall Street Journal. In its book review, the Times says: "This book is tethered, like an extended magazine piece, to a single dramatic business transaction: News Corporation’s acquisition of The Journal and Dow Jones." News Corp. also owns the New York Post.

Terror in Mumbai

More than 125 people were killed in Mumbai when gunmen stormed luxury hotels and other key landmarks in the financial and tourism center of the Indian city. The Times, a leading English-language newspaper in India, used a breaking-news banner at the top of its Web site and posted video of the terrorists. At least seven terrorists and 14 police officers were among those killed. The newspaper -- the 24th largest in the world with more than 1-1/2 million readers -- also linked to the news on Twitter.

World-Class Treatment

In a multi-year project, The Des Moines Register is exploring how an Iowa education could be world class.

Today's front-page letter from Editor Carolyn Washburn explains the project and refers to inside content about schools in Finland (an academic all-star).

Online, the newspaper outlined what it found in examining schools in Iowa, Chicago and Finland. On Dec. 7, Canada will be added. An interactive map compares how U.S. students and students around the world performed on tests, and a quiz tests readers' knowledge of student performance. Q&As, guest columns, a transcript of educators' roundtable discussions and education links are offered. A deputy editorial-page editor, who researched the project and visited schools, has been blogging world-class schools, and a live chat is planned for later this week.