By: Joe Strupp
Updated at 4:20 p.m. Eastern Standard TimeThe New York Times plans to run a special daily section on the war in Iraq similar to its "A Nation Challenged" terrorist reports that began following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said Al Siegal, a
Times assistant managing editor. He said the
Times had planned to run the first special section today, but was not able to reconfigure the paper in time following the 9:30 p.m. U.S. air strikes in Baghdad Wednesday night.
"We were not in the position to make structural changes in the paper when this broke," Siegal said. "We were planning a massive report on preparations for war, which we had to change." The special section, to be called "A Nation at War," will fold in the paper's sports pages in the New York metro edition, Siegal said, in a format similar to that used for the post-Sept. 11 sections.
Several papers, such as
The Boston Globe (owned by the New York Times Co.), had plans in place for an extra edition, but scrapped them because of the timing of the attacks.
Globe Editor Martin Baron said an extra would have gone out if the attack had taken place in the early or late morning. "Had it not occurred until 3 a.m., we would have put out an extra edition," Baron said. "That plan was in place." The
Globe's coverage included a separate, 8-page open section of Iraq news, which Baron said would continue as the war progressed.
Chicago Tribune Managing Editor James O'Shea said his paper also would have been able to run an extra had the attack occurred later. "But we were able to hit our regular deadlines," he said, adding that the paper had 10 pages of coverage, including two additional open pages. "It was good timing for a morning paper."
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