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Curious issue reporting Kennedy's assassination...
Curious issue reporting Kennedy's assassination...
Item # 724058
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November 22, 1963
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-- "Second Extra", Nov. 22, 1963
* Bizarre JFK - John F. Kennedy assassination issue
This “Second Extra” edition has a curious–if not macabre–combination of headline and photo.
As would be expected of an “Extra” of this date, the large & bold headline proclaims: “KENNEDY KILLED” but immediately beneath it is a photo of a street sweeper pushing his trash cart with a pair of trousers & boots protruding from the top, with the caption: “Sweeper Means What He Says”, as if related to the assassination report.
One might excuse the editor, for I’m sure that in rushing this edition to the streets as quickly as possible the planned headline was removed and the Kennedy death report quickly inserted with little thought as to what else was scheduled above the fold that day. Indeed, the "Third Extra" has the same headline but a photo of the Kennedy motorcade immediately after the shooting.
This issue remains one of the more unique & "interesting" newspapers of the 20th century, and a great example to editors everywhere to be aware of headlines & photos which appear in close proximity..
The complete 54 page issue in two sections, foxing at the central fold and a bit at the margins, slight dirtiness at the margins of the front page.
background: The "Second Extra" edition of The Atlanta Journal from November 22, 1963, stands as one of the most jarring examples of editorial oversight in 20th-century journalism, created when the frantic urgency of breaking news collided with a pre-set human-interest layout. In the chaotic minutes following the confirmation of President Kennedy’s death, typesetters rushed to replace the standard banner with a massive, bold "KENNEDY KILLED" headline but neglected to remove a large, unrelated photograph directly beneath it depicting a local street sweeper pushing a cart filled with what appeared to be a pair of legs and boots. The resulting image, paired with the caption "Sweeper Means What He Says," created a macabre and unintended visual metaphor that suggested the President’s body was being carted away like refuse—a blunder so significant that it was immediately scrubbed and replaced in the "Third Extra" with the now-familiar motorcade imagery. Today, because of its brief press run and "bizarre" nature, this specific 54-page issue is highly coveted by collectors, often fetching prices as high as $675 in the rare newspaper market, far exceeding the value of more common "Extra" editions from that tragic day.
Category: The 20th Century
No Longer Available
