UPDATED: Major Papers React to Bhutto Killing on Their Web Sites

By: E&P Staff Major U.S. newspapers reacted swiftly on their Web sites this morning to cover, and offer original material on, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan.

The Washington Post featured coverage by Griff Witte and Debbi Wilgoren and carried a video from the rally via MSNBC. Witte also submitted a 6-minute audio report, including information from some riding in the vehicle with her. The Post also republished the op-ed she wrote for the paper on November 14, on the "electoral farce," which opened: "All through the years of the Soviet empire, its Politburo held 'elections.' Of course, calling something an election and actually having it be an election are different things."

Later it put up its December 17 Q & A with Bhutto. Asked about fear of assassination, she replied, "They [warned] me, but I thought they were trying to frighten me off. The militants had tried to kill me in the past, but I couldn't believe they would try it in front of all the cameras." The paper's blog The Fix examined how all the presidential candidates were reacting -- although the home page headline for that was an obvious "Candidates Denounce Death," as if they would do anything else.

The New York Times republished an op-ed she wrote for it on November 7, offered a full profile of her, photos of the dead being carried from the site of the suicide bombing that followed the assassination and killed at least a dozen, and placed a link to readers comments in the #2 slot on its home page. It carried an AP video report and later a striking photo at the top of its site of her waving to the crowd today, taken from behind.

By 2 p.m. the AFP/Getty photo topping its home page showed Bhutto's coffin being passed through followers.

The Los Angeles Times carries on the top of its site an AFP/Getty photo of a smiling Bhutto taken at the rally just before her shooting death. Times staff writer Laura King reported from Rawalpindi. The paper later put up a photo gallery that included several striking shots by John Moore of Getty: Bhutto in her motorcade just seconds before the attack, plus shots of the carnage in the streets, with one photo just three dead bodies and the other at least a half dozen.

USA Today's 'On Deadline' blog carried numerous updates. It also directed readers to its 'On Politics' blog for statements by nearly all of the presidential candidates and President Bush.