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Re: The POST & Death of Jon Reynolds



Several list members/friends have suggested that, in view of the untimely
death of Jon Reynolds and today's 11-day old obituary news story, that I try
to explain The Washington Post obituary process as I have walked through five
times in the last year acting as the "contact person" for the surviving
families.  Because of what I learned when my own father died in 1984, I now
do this for my friends "in lieu of flowers" because, by sad experience,
grieving people find out too late how the system actually works.

Even then, one unassuming individual whose name is nevertheless on buildings
in Washington, and whose philanthropy totals well into the millions, was not
deemed worthy of a news story because a certain "critic" had never heard of
the individual!  Well-meaning estate lawyers thought all it would take was
faxing the information to The Post.  Not until I spent three hours on the
telephone with an excellent writer, did we get the job done, and very well
written, I should add.  That's why, when a friend dies, the first thing to do
is to gather the information you will see below, and fax it to the Post Obit
Desk, so that there is a chance of a news story within some proximity to the
person's demise.  In fact, I keep up-to-date files in the format outlined
below  for about a dozen people.  The night before the funeral is too late to
try to find out what year someone was graduated from college.

The "Classified Death Notices" -- the paid advertisements -- may be placed in
the paper Monday through Friday (8:30 am- 5 pm) and on weekends from Noon
until 5 pm).  The deadline is 5 pm for the next day's publication.  Faxed
copy deadline is 4 .m. for the next day's publication. (Source: information
box on today's obituary page)

New Obituaries -- the biographical articles written by The Post that appear
on the obituary pages -- are an entirely different matter.  The Post
maintains complete editorial control of who and when or if these news
articles are written.  While the Obituary Desk has its own prewritten obits
for government officials and "famous people," it also presumably scans the
day's deaths for others about whom to write. It is still necessary to follow
a procedure for the fact-gathering. The information required for
consideration as a news story is enumerated on a recording at (202) 334-7389.

Because The Washington Post is considered, like The New York Times, a paper
of record, it must have the following information for a news story to be
considered:
    Name
    Age at death
    Date of Birth
    Place of Birth
    Date of Death
    Place of Death
    Medical cause of death (this is an absolute requirement)
    Name of mortuary and phone number (not published, but used to verify
death)
    FAMILY HISTORY
    Name of surviving spouse:  All former spouses must be identified.  If
marriage    ended by divorce, story will so state.  If widowed, will so
state.  Number of years         married and to whom.
    Children/Stepchildren, (names and addresses)
    Parents, Stepparents, and, if living, where
    Siblings (names and addresses)
    Grandchildren (will use only the number, not the names)
    EDUCATIONAL HISTORY
    MILITARY CAREER
    WORK HISTORY
    Volunteer work
    Memberships (including church, civic, and military)
    These news stories will not give the time nor place of funeral or burial.

Overall, a person must have lived in the Washington area for at least the
past five years.  There tend to be lots of stories about school teachers,
military men, children, and, often, those who die too young, like Jon
Reynolds.

When my own father died in 1984, although his former students filled the
halls of government throughout Washington, I was informed this former wartime
dean of the USDA Graduate School and former president of three political
science associations, was not a candidate for a Post news obituary because he
hadn't lived in Washington for the last five years.  However, Peter Lawford,
President Kennedy's ex-brother-in-law who died the same day, and who hadn't
ever lived in DC, was the subject of a very lengthy obituary -- because he
was "notorious" and, well, he, uh, was a Kennedy by marriage and divorce. The
Obit Desk took pity on my political scientist father and included a single
paragraph about him under "Deaths elsewhere!"  "Elsewhere," namely Lexington,
Kentucky, his death was a front-page story. Go figure.

Perhaps Georgetown University's Public Relations Department will prepare a
more extensive obituary or someone who knew Jon well will write it up as a
Letter to the Editor.  I hope this allays concerns and explains why this
happened the way it did.  All things considered, the Post obit writers do a
terrific job.

Margaret Shannon
ShannonRBL@aol.com

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