Login
Login

U.S. Deaths Near 100,000, An Incalculable Loss

{{short description|2020 New York Times front page}}

{{use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}

{{italic title}}

File:The New York Times, front page 24 May 2020.jpg

U.S. Deaths Near 100,000, An Incalculable Loss was the front-page article of The New York Times on May 24, 2020; the Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend. Its subheader read "They were not simply names on a list. They were us." It contained one thousand obituaries of individuals from across the United States who had died from COVID-19 during the pandemic, as the U.S. death toll reached 100,000.

Background

The article was intended to convey the vastness and variety of the tragedies resulting from the pandemic by personalizing them, countering data fatigue from constant reporting on the pandemic. Assistant graphics editor Simone Landon lead a team of researchers in searching obituaries that listed COVID-19 as the cause of death and extracting names and key personal details.{{Cite web |title='Incalculable loss': New York Times covers front page with 1,000 Covid-19 death notices |work=The Guardian |date=May 24, 2020 |access-date=August 6, 2020 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/24/new-york-times-front-page-1000-covid-19-death-notices}}

The list was assembled by researcher Alain Delaquérière through various online sources for obituaries and death notices. A team of editors read them and gleaned phrases that depicted the uniqueness of each life lost.{{Cite web |title=New York Times devotes front page to COVID-19 victims as US deaths near 100K |work=ABC7 Chicago |date=May 24, 2020 |access-date=August 6, 2020 |url= https://abc7chicago.com/new-york-times-front-page-coronavirus-covid-19/6208188/}} Clinton Cargill, assistant editor on the National desk, co-directed the editing process with Landon. Other key figures include Matt Ruby, deputy editor of Digital News Design; Annie Daniel, a software engineer; and the graphics editors Jonathan Huang, Richard Harris and Lazaro Gamio. Andrew Sondern, an art director, did the print design.{{Cite web |title=The Project Behind a Front Page Full of Names |author=John Grippe |work=The New York Times |date=May 23, 2020 |access-date=August 6, 2020 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/reader-center/coronavirus-new-york-times-front-page.html }}

Reception

An image of the front page was tweeted by the Times the Saturday before publication; it had 61,000 retweets and more than 116,000 likes within hours. This tweet was later deleted and replaced with an image of the late edition after one obituary was linked to a homicide victim.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-05-24|title=CR man mistakenly listed in New York Times' front-page COVID-19 obituaries|url=https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/cr-man-mistakenly-listed-in-new-york-times-front-page-covid-19-obituaries|access-date=2021-09-18|website=KGAN}} Many noted that the front page resembled those of newspapers in the late 1800s or early 1900s due to its lack of large headers or photos.{{Cite web |title=New York Times covers front page in names of those killed by coronavirus: 'An incalculable loss' |work=The Patriot-News |date=24 May 2020 |access-date=6 August 2020 |url= https://www.pennlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/new-york-times-covers-front-page-in-names-of-thoes-killed-by-coronavirus-an-incalculable-loss.html }}

A number of publications again highlighted those that matched their target demographic: KNXV-TV the eight from Arizona,{{Cite web|first=Adam|last=Waltz |date=2020-05-26|title=Valley family, New York Times honors father who died from COVID-19|url=https://www.abc15.com/news/state/valley-family-remembers-father-who-died-due-to-covid-19|access-date=2021-10-17|website=KNXV|language=en}} Nola.com the 20 from Louisiana,{{Cite web|date=2020-05-24|title=These 20 Louisiana names are of the 1,000 coronavirus victims printed in Sunday's New York Times|url=https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_977d6e2c-9dcb-11ea-8df3-8b6586b9b35a.html|access-date=2021-10-16|website=NOLA.com|language=en}} Boston.com the 80 from Massachusetts,{{Cite web|title=More than 80 Mass. residents were included in the New York Times' tribute to coronavirus victims. Here's who they were.|url=https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/05/29/massachusetts-residents-featured-new-york-times-tribute-coronavirus-victims/|access-date=2021-09-18|website=Boston.com|language=en-US|date=May 29, 2020|first=Dialynn |last=Dwyer}} KOCO-TV the three Oklahomans,{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-05-25|title=3 Oklahomans among COVID-19 victims listed on front page of New York Times|url=https://www.koco.com/article/3-oklahomans-among-covid-19-victims-listed-on-front-page-of-new-york-times/32655512|access-date=2021-09-18|website=KOCO|language=en}} Philippine Daily Inquirer the two Filipinos,{{Cite web|last=Bergonia|first=Tony S.|date=2020-05-25|title=2 Filipinos on historic NY Times' page one memorial for COVID-19 fatalities|url=https://globalnation.inquirer.net/187934/2-filipinos-on-historic-ny-times-page-one-memorial-for-covid-19-fatalities|access-date=2021-09-18|website=INQUIRER.net|language=en}} The National Herald the twelve Greek-Americans.{{Cite web|last=Κήρυξ|first=Εθνικός|title=Twelve Greek-Americans Among the 1,000 COVID-19 Dead, Whose Names Were Published on New York Times Front Page|url=https://www.thenationalherald.com/community_general_news/arthro/twelve_greek_americans_among_the_1_000_covid_19_dead_whose_names_were_published_on_new_york_times_front_page-343986/|access-date=2021-09-18|website=The National Herald|language=en|date=May 24, 2020}}

Princeton University Library made it part of its Graphic Arts Collection.{{Cite web|last=Mellby|first=Julie|date=2020-05-25|title=The New York Times, May 24, 2020|url=https://graphicarts.princeton.edu/2020/05/24/the-new-york-times-may-24-2020/|access-date=2021-12-23|website=Graphic Arts Collection|language=en-US}}

Its publication was followed by the first week of the George Floyd protests. This inspired the art director Adrianne Benzion and freelance copywriter Jessica McEwan duplicated the cover with 350 names of Black individuals who died following an interaction with the police since 2000. Instead of a short eulogy the status of the victims’ case is stated, a large share of which reads “pending investigation.”{{Cite web|last=Wilson|first=Mark|date=2020-06-11|title='The New York Times' stunned readers with its coronavirus front page. What if it did the same for Black deaths?|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90514532/the-new-york-times-stunned-readers-with-its-coronavirus-front-page-what-if-it-did-the-same-for-black-deaths|access-date=2021-11-13|website=Fast Company|language=en-US}}

The cover design was ranked 19th in Ad Age{{'}}s "30 Best Creative Brand Moves of 2020".{{Cite web|date=2021-01-04|title=The 30 best creative brand moves of 2020|url=https://adage.com/article/year-review/30-best-creative-brand-moves-2020/2302766|access-date=2021-09-18|website=Ad Age|language=en}}

Legacy

As the death toll continued to mount, the status of 100,000 deaths as being incalculable was referenced by journalists in order to express how hard a multitude of that figure was to put into frame{{Cite web |last=Mack |first=David |title=800,000 Americans Have Now Died From COVID. It Didn't Have To Be This Way. |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/us-covid-deaths-800k |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=BuzzFeed News |language=en|quote=When newspaper front pages declared 100,000 dead was an “incalculable loss,” what words did you imagine, if any, they might find to describe a figure eight times that?|date=2021-12-21}}{{Cite web |last=Yong |first=Ed |date=2022-03-08 |title=How Did This Many Deaths Become Normal? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/03/covid-us-death-rate/626972/ |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=The Atlantic |language=en|quote=Now the nation hurtles toward a milestone of 1 million. What is 10 times incalculable?}} or how callous later headlines by the Times were in comparison.{{Cite web |last=Thrasher |first=Steven W. |title=There Is Nothing Normal about One Million People Dead from COVID |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/there-is-nothing-normal-about-one-million-people-dead-from-covid1/ |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=Scientific American |language=en|quote=the newspaper’s more recent headline was the cruel and callous “900,000 Dead, but Many Americans Move On.”}}

Notable deaths

Among the obituaries there were a number of notable deaths:

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|

}}

There were also several that had a significant link to a notable person or institution:

  • Peter Bainum, doctoral advisor to aerospace engineer Aprille Ericsson-Jackson{{Cite news|title=Former Howard University professor ushered generations of scientists into careers in the aerospace industry|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/former-howard-university-professor-ushered-generations-of-scientists-into-careers-in-the-aerospace-industry/2020/05/11/ed29e4d8-9135-11ea-a0bc-4e9ad4866d21_story.html|access-date=2021-05-19|issn=0190-8286|date=2020-05-11 }}
  • Bob Barnum, descendant of P. T. Barnum{{Cite news|last=Iati|first=Marisa|date=2020-04-17|title=P.T. Barnum relative who paved the way for Pride in Florida dies of coronavirus|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/17/pt-barnum-descendant-lgbt-advocate-bob-barnum-dies-coronavirus/|access-date=2020-10-04|issn=0190-8286}}
  • Stephen J. Chamberlin Jr., son of WWII general Stephen J. Chamberlin Sr.{{Cite web|date=2020-04-24|title=Remembering the life of Stephen Chamberlin Jr. 1928 - 2020|url=https://obituaries.salemnews.com/obituary/stephen-chamberlin-jr-1079063266/|access-date=2021-09-05|website=The Salem News|language=en}}
  • Robert F. Brady Jr., brother of senator Michael Brady{{Cite web|title=Read the obituary for Avon selectman Robert Brady |url=https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/05/07/obituary-robert-brady-avon-selectman|access-date=2020-10-04|website=The Boston Globe|language=en-US|date=2020-05-07}}
  • Julie Butler, mother of writer Zora Howard{{Cite web|title=Community Honors Memory Of Harlem Veterinarian, Mentor Who Died During Pandemic|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/04/19/838073236/community-honors-memory-of-harlem-veterinarian-mentor-who-died-during-pandemic|access-date=2021-07-05|website=NPR.org|language=en|date=2020-04-19|first=Lulu|last=Garcia-Narro}}
  • Dante Dennis Flagello, son of opera singer Ezio Flagello{{Cite web|title=Flagello, Dante|url=https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/news/obits_death_notices/flagello-dante/article_caaff738-955d-58cd-bf13-3884f75898b5.html|access-date=2021-07-02|website=Northwest Georgia News|language=en|date=2020-04-14}}
  • Theresa Elloie, mother-in-law to rapper Mia X{{Cite web|first=Ramon Antonio |last=Vargas|title=Theresa Elloie, bar owner and elaborate corsage creator, dies of coronavirus at 63, son says|url=https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_23bd46e6-7063-11ea-9d8d-9f4d9c9ba7f9.html|date=2020-03-27|access-date=2021-07-08|website=NOLA.com|language=en}}
  • Jimmy Glenn, boxing coach of Floyd Patterson, Michael Spinks, Jameel McCline, Aaron Davis and Bobby Cassidy{{Cite news|last=Sandomir|first=Richard|date=2020-05-09|title=Jimmy Glenn, Ex-Boxer Whose Times Square Bar Endures, Dies at 89|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/09/nyregion/jimmy-glenn-dead-coronavirus.html|access-date=2020-12-19|issn=0362-4331}}
  • Norman Gulamerian, co-founder of Utrecht Art Supplies{{Cite news |last=Seelye |first=Katharine Q. |date=2020-04-28 |title=Norman Gulamerian, Artist With a Grand Passion, Dies at 92 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/28/nyregion/norman-gulamerian-dead-coronavirus.html |access-date=2023-11-29 |issn=0362-4331}}
  • Bobby Hebert Sr., father of American football player Bobby Hebert Jr.{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Luke |title=Bobby Hebert Sr., 'face of the bayou' and dad of former Saints QB, dies from coronavirus|url=https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_a9c6994c-711f-11ea-8a1e-9f6158e804aa.html|access-date=2021-10-16|date=2020-03-28|website=NOLA.com|language=en}}
  • Donald Reed Herring, brother of senator Elizabeth Warren{{Cite news|last=Astor|first=Maggie|date=2020-04-25|title=Donald Reed Herring, Brother of Elizabeth Warren, Dies of Coronavirus|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/us/politics/donald-herring-dead-coronavirus.html|access-date=2020-10-04|issn=0362-4331}}
  • Estelle Kestenbaum, former secretary of judge Edwin Stern{{Cite news|last=Shkolnikova|first=Svetlana|title=Loved and Lost: Estelle Kestenbaum radiated grace, served as mentor to young law clerks|url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/coronavirus/2020/06/25/coronavirus-nj-estelle-kestenbaum-radiated-grace-mentored-law-clerks/3254455001/|access-date=2020-10-04|website=North Jersey Media Group|language=en-US|date=2020-06-25}}
  • Carole and Barry Kaye, benefactors of the Florida Atlantic University College of Business{{Cite web|last=Owers|first=Paul|date=2020-05-01|title=Philanthropists, FAU donors Barry and Carole Kaye pass away|url=https://business.fau.edu/news/deans-office/2020-05-01-barry-and-carole-kaye.php|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-24|website=}}
  • Peter Laker, father of journalist Barbara Laker{{Cite news|last=Miles|first=Gary|date=2020-04-29|title=Peter Laker, 93, was a colorful charmer|language=en-US|website=The Philadelphia Inquirer|url=https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/coronavirus-covid-peter-laker-obituary-obit-20200429.html|access-date=2020-10-04}}
  • Artemis Nazarian, benefactor of the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School{{Cite web|date=2020-04-16|title=Philanthropist Artemis Nazarian Dies|url=https://mirrorspectator.com/2020/04/16/philanthropist-artemis-nazarian-dies/|access-date=2020-10-04|website=The Armenian Mirror-Spectator|language=en-US}}
  • Sheena Miles, mother of politician Tom Miles{{Cite web|year=2020|title=SR 35 (As Adopted by Senate) - Commend life and healthcare service of Sheena Renee Comfort Miles and extend condolences of Mississippi Senate.|url=http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2020/html/SR/SR0035PS.htm|access-date=2021-07-02|website=|publisher=Mississippi Senate}}
  • Marguerite Peyser, widow of politician Peter A. Peyser{{Cite web|date=2020-05-13|title=Marguerite Peyser, 89|url=https://thehudsonindependent.com/marguerite-peyser-89/|access-date=2020-10-04|website=The Hudson Independent|language=en-US}}
  • Lloyd Cornelius Porter, brother of artist Gregory Porter{{Cite news|last=Roberts|first=Sam|date=2020-05-22|title=Lloyd Porter, Cafe Owner Who Found Joy in Everyone, Dies at 49|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/obituaries/lloyd-porter-dead-coronavirus.html|access-date=2020-10-04|issn=0362-4331}}
  • Robert C. Samuels, son of writer Charles Samuels{{Cite news|date=1982-05-08|title=Charles Samuels, 79; Journalist, Biographer|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/08/obituaries/charles-samuels-79-journalist-biographer.html|access-date=2021-05-19|issn=0362-4331}}
  • Bernard David Seckler, doctoral student of mathematician Joseph Keller{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Bernard Seckler|url=https://mathgenealogy.org/id.php?id=33418|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-24|website=Mathematics Genealogy Project}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-04-14|title=Bernard Seckler Obituary (1925 - 2020)|url=https://www.legacy.com/amp/obituaries/bostonglobe/195967194|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-24|website=Boston Globe|language=en}}
  • Ruth E. Shinn, sister of theologian Roger L. Shinn{{Cite news|title=Ruth Shinn, justice advocate at YWCA and Labor Department, dies at 97|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/05/14/ruth-e-shinn-justice-advocate-ywca-labor-department-dies-97/|access-date=2021-10-25|date=2020-05-14|first=Michelle |last=Boorstein|issn=0190-8286}}
  • Jaimala Singh, descendant of the poet Vir Singh{{Cite news|date=2020-05-07|title=Jaimala 'Mala' Singh, interior designer, creator of South Asian garb, dies of covid-19 at 65|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/05/07/jaimala-mala-singh-interior-designer-creator-south-asian-garb-dies-covid-19-65/|access-date=2021-05-19|issn=0190-8286}}
  • Bettie London Traxler, mother of jurist William Byrd Traxler Jr.{{Cite web|title=Bettie London Traxler obituary (1922 - 2020) The Greenville News|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/greenvilleonline/name/bettie-traxler-obituary?id=13463068|access-date=2021-10-25|via=Legacy.com|publisher=The Greenville News|date=2020-05-07}}
  • John C. West Jr., son of former South Carolina governor John C. West Sr.{{Cite web|title=Bill 5436: John C. West, Jr.|url=https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/bills/5436.htm|access-date=2021-09-02|website=South Carolina Legislature Online|date=2020-04-08}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/24/us/us-coronavirus-deaths-100000.html U.S. deaths near 100,000, an incalculable loss]

{{COVID-19 pandemic in the United States}}

Category:COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Category:Works originally published in The New York Times

Category:Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

Category:Works about the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Newspaper articles

Category:2020 works