»On obituaries

For many years, the New York Times's tradition of researching and publishing excellent obituaries has introduced me, if only upon the occasion of their death, to many riveting characters, to some quiet personalities, and given me the opportunity to reflect on some historically significant events.

Over the past few weeks, I have read with increasing dismay the story of Joe O’Donnell, “a longtime White House photographer” who supposedly took the iconic photograph of John, Jr saluting his father's coffin, and served in the now-defunct United States Information Agency. I have felt dismay at the story of his deception, and of his habit of casually taking credit for others' photographs — a habit that went undetected, partly because press agencies did not credit photographers by name in the 50s and 60s. Some of the dismay is at the dishonesty of the photographer, and some at the newspaper that published the obituary, a newspaper that has suffered through several troubling episodes of inaccuracy and outright fraud in its reporting these past few years.

The newspaper's Public Editor today published a thoughtful piece on the problem, noting specifically that the practice of interviewing close associates would have paid off in this story. This is the most interesting and significant piece that the office of the Public Editor, an ombudsman-type position that has been held by two prominent journalists, has yet produced.

Also in today's paper, a beautiful obituary of Eva Crane, whose scholarship and passion brought new science to the study of bees.