The Surprise On Page 3

So I sat down in the airport with the Chicago Tribune, the real paper in my hands for something like the fifth time ever. Open it, and on the first inside page, page 3, where the national section starts, is this story, 35 minutes to live, feel love.

It ran with a delivery room photo, next to a wire story about the attorney gereral's e-mails being subpoenaed.

I read it, the airport hustle to gates and bagage claim over my shoulder. Sorta felt like the wind got knocked out of me at the end.

Now, is it a great, ground-breaking piece of journalism? Dunno. A triumph of access, for sure, being in the room while a family wathces their newborn die.

What I guess stunned me was the play. First page of National. Page 3. Just opened it up. It seems most of these sorts of stories get buried somewhere, the ones with the people, the ones the newscocks can't stand to see in newspapers. Isn't there a features section where they ruin these? (But never called features, it's Style or Today or something.

It could be that I don't get to hold enough newspapers. But the play made me think, Next time I see a Chicago Tribune I'm going to get it, because there could be something in there.