State Guardsman Dies in Iraq
Pioneer Press article can be found here: http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_5515504
Star Tribune article: http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1077920.html
Summary: Minnesota National Guard Sgt. Greg Riewer, 28, died from injuries sustained from a roadside explosive device Friday. Three members of his unit were also injured, one seriously.
The biggest challenge I saw in this article was balancing the factual coverage of the soldier's death alongside the profile himself and his family's reaction. The Pioneer Press article clearly concentrated on the emotional effect of the soldier's death on his parents, while the Star Tribune article was built primarily on fact and background.
Despite lacking information such as "Riewer, 28, is the 12th member of the Minnesota National Guard to die in Iraq. About 2,700 Minnesota Guard members are serving there," present in the Tribune article, I think the coverage by the Pioneer Press produced a stronger overall article. The quotes gathered by the author from the victim's parents Iadded a greater degree of humanization to the piece and allowed the audience to empathize with the family.