Big news day...

big actual breaking news, too, rather than big we-knew-it-was-coming-but-were-unprepared-all-the-same 'news' of last week.

it's interesting being in a newspaper office on days like this - you get to see so much more in terms of words and pictures than will ever be printed by a single paper, and see how each paper shapes its coverage to its readership and its view of the world. but you also get overloaded with words and pictures - as a reader, if you've read enough or don't fancy it, you turn the page; as a sub, i have to read every word right to the end at least twice.

i don't play a part in filtering what goes in, that's the job of the editor, the newsdesk, the picture desk and the backbench; my part is taking slabs of that and pretty much forensically reading and examining it. the pieces i was dealing with were merely tiring in terms of concentration, but there have been times when i get to the end of the copy and feel emotionally drained too (a piece when peter tobin was first convicted will always be with me); the picture chaps recall the same sensation from 11 sept, 2001, the volume of pictures and the awfulness just got too much.

there's normally a buzz in the newsroom on days like this, but it felt oddly lacking most of the time - perhaps due to the fact it broke overnight; perhaps that the team was so tiny we didn't have time to stand back and see the moment for trying to get the thing put together.

can't say i like the front page here - it shouldn't be about revenge, and crowing about it makes us look petty. never mind that crowing then forgetting will make us look even more ghastly in the eyes of those radicals who supported OBL. other than that i think our coverage wasn't bad tho. all that needed said was said (tho that won't stop us doing more pages tomorrow of more analysis...). i do recommend to anyone with a copy they read the perspective section piece by terrorism expert prof paul wilkinson- intelligent and informative and sober and sensible. he's an excellent writer as well as being something of a genius, never mind expert, in his field.

there may be a similar blip later this week since i'm working election night too!