Obituaries of accomplished Kentuckians are an important part of the Herald-Leader’s news coverage. They provide an opportunity to tell readers about people who have shaped our communities, accomplished great things or lived interesting lives.
This past week was a good example. The passing of six notable Kentuckians received substantial coverage in the newspaper:
Raymond Betts, a brilliant and beloved University of Kentucky history professor, died Friday at age 81. His vision led to the creation of UK’s Gaines Center for Humanities and other innovative undergraduate programs.
Joy Hembree, also 81, died Thursday after a lifetime of service to Kentucky’s non-profit community. She was a steel magnolia whose vision, leadership and fundraising ability left many legacies, including the Kentucky Children’s Hospital.
John A. Bell III, a leader and visionary in the thoroughbred horse industry who founded Jonabell Farm, died Wednesday at 88. A recovering alcoholic for 30 years, he also helped others by creating the Bell Chair for Alcohol and Addictions at UK’s College of Medicine.
U.S. Army Sgts. Phillip David McNeill, 22, of Owingsville and John E. Cooper, 29, of Flemingsburg, who became the latest Kentuckians to die fighting in Iraq.
And then there was Barbaro, last year’s Kentucky Derby winner who raced undefeated until he suffered a catastrophic leg injury in the Preakness Stakes. Barbaro’s racing talent and eight-month struggle for recovery captured the imagination of horse lovers around the world. Of course, Barbaro wasn’t a human. But the passing of a great Kentucky horse is big news in the self-proclaimed Horse Capital of the World. Barbaro’s death was big news everywhere. It even made the front page of The New York Times.
Obituaries are an important part of a community’s story, and the Herald-Leader publishes two types of them:
Every day, inside the City & Region section, there is a list of local and state obituaries and memorials that are handled by the Herald-Leader’s Classified Advertising department. Everyone is entitled to a few lines at no cost; families who want to say more about their loved one often buy additional space. What information is included in those obituaries, and how it is worded, is up to the families.
Then there are news obituaries, which are handled by the newsroom. These are news stories, written by reporters, who try to sum up a person’s life and accomplishments. Herald-Leader editors decide whom to feature, what information is included and where the story appears.
These stories are often fascinating and sometimes controversial, especially when there were negative aspects to a person’s life, such as well-publicized legal troubles. Family and friends often want the public to remember only the good about their loved one, but the newspaper’s obligation is to be thorough and accurate, while keeping the good and bad in proper perspective.
How extensive and well-written an obituary is sometimes depends on when the news staff finds out about the person’s death. While we try to have material prepared for well-known Kentuckians, especially those who are elderly or ill, that doesn’t always happen, given the demands of daily news coverage. A reporter who has all day to work on an obituary is likely to do a better job than one is scrambling with only an hour or two before deadline. And because we don’t have a crystal ball, we sometimes don’t find out about notable deaths until much later. In those cases, a person might be included in the annual year-end wrapup, which has become popular with readers.
If you have thoughts about how the Herald-Leader handles obituaries, I would like to hear them.
Tom Eblen
Managing Editor
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