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Comment by Geoffrey M. Giordano on April 14, 2009 at 16:37

I was promoted to assistant managing editor/news and Sundays from senior front-page editor in 2000. In addition to helping run the news desk during the week and solo on many weekends, I was in charge of mapping our coverage plans for the major events. For Tim McVeigh's execution, I mocked up the usual modular approaches (middle-page centerpiece with two stories, deep strip with mainbar and refers). But my favorite was this treatment. With the execution slated for early morning, and with "best" art being the predictable vigil photos, I wanted the reader to stare into the unrepentant eyes of this killer. A bold choice for us...the paper hadn't done anything like it. During the course of page being shaped live (on my day off), some victims' mugs were added, which I felt detracted from the overall effect (especially given the Virginian Pilot's legendary treatment of McVeigh's death sentence). Imagine my surprise about six-and-a-half years later when, perusing front pages in the wake of Saddam Hussein's execution, I saw the Chicago Tribune's 1A. Six-column treatment to the top of the page with a big silo'd mug of the perp. The small "Executed" headline exudes such elegance, it's easy to see why many chose this as their favorite Saddam page.