Front page stories and how they get there, part II: I've noted before how getting a front page story can sometimes be intentional (the journalist is well aware it's going to be the lead piece), and sometimes be arbitrary -- especially for a writer covering the general area of technology, like me. Unlike, say, the San Jose Mercury News, which almost daily features tech stories on page 1, the Irish Times only rarely runs anything tech on page 1, generally because of a) job losses; or b) job gains (in a small country, jobs stories are always big). Well, I had a front page byline in Saturday's paper and had no idea until I bought the paper and was having a read over a coffee, late in the day. A pleasant surprise but I had no idea they were even considering the piece (on the Bugbear virus) for the front. That's how arbitrary it can be to get a coveted page 1 piece! One of the news desk editors had asked if I could do a short story on Bugbear and I'd assumed it would be buried well in the back somewhere (which was undoubtedly the plan at the time). Yet there it was on the front:

<<'Bugbear' computer virus targets keystrokes and confidential data
The latest nasty piece of hacker work, the "bugbear" virus, is causing major headaches for Irish businesses and home computer users, writes Karlin Lillington>>

Usually the Irish Times runs a lighter story in the #3 slot on the front (we do a three-story front cover and the #3 piece is usually either something a bit amusing or unusual or quirky or attention-grabbing in some way. It appears on the bottom half of the page,  'below the fold' in newspaper jargon, and therefore is not seen immediately when the papers are stacked to be sold. The spot of choice is a front page story above the fold, but front page anywhere now and then does me just fine! In the late news conference the news editors must have decided good old Bugbear was intriguing enough to get bumped to page 1. Certainly, it was ripping through Irish company systems and personal computers, with one large company alone getting about 2,000 infected emails in a few days, according to the security guy I spoke to.

Anyway, it's not a really, really big deal, especially with a little piece like Saturday's, but it sure gives you a little lift on the day to find you're sitting up at the front and not back in steerage.

11:24:17 PM  #   your two cents []

Here's Your Genetic Code. That'll Be $500 Grand, Please. Plastic::SciTech::DNA: <<"How'd you like to have your own genetic info available on a CD? Well, now you can. Those so inclined can pony up a cool half million dollars for the right to carry their genetic roadmap on a CD. ">> [Plastic: Most Recent]
8:04:26 PM  #   your two cents []

Thomas Jefferson. "The advertisement is the most truthful part of a newspaper." [Quotes of the Day]
8:01:39 PM  #   your two cents []

And here we go again: Music Industry Targets Net Swappers [New York Times: Technology]
8:00:42 PM  #   your two cents []

Mein gott: this is just too perfect. Lazy, trashy Sunday reading at its best -- and from the New York Times, no less: Brawling With Barbra Online: <<The Internet is a terrific place to have a brawl, at least if you want a crowd. In this case, the combatants are Barbra Streisand and Matt Drudge. >>

7:58:44 PM  #   your two cents []