Ask The Post

This Week: Yvonne S. Lamb, Obituaries editor for The Washington Post, was online Wednesday, April 26, at noon ET to answer questions about the news obituaries that appear in the Metro section. The Post's obituaries staff covers both famous and ordinary people each day in the section. Have questions about how decisions are made or how the obituaries are compiled? Just Ask the Post.

The transcript follows.

____________________

Washington, D.C.: What's the hardest part of your job?

Yvonne S. Lamb: Good afternoon and welcome.

Obituary writing is a job that requires the best journalistic skills and a deep sense of compassion, I believe. The hardest part of my job is disappointing a family in some way by not being able to either run the obituary of a loved one or my causing a mistake to appear in an obituary.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: I know you are going to hear a lot of this today - The Post obits are neck and neck with the NYT for the best in the business, and that's pretty good company to keep. Do you foresee any changes in the way that you all write the obits?

Yvonne S. Lamb: We strive daily to improve the writing of our obituaries and the look of the obituary page. A redesign of the obituary page is underway. We have a great staff of obituary writers who are always looking for compelling and inspiring stories to tell about how people lived their lives, and we just hope to do more of those stories.

_______________________

Baltimore, Md.: Just a comment: I love reading the obituary features each day. I find them to be a unique historical perspective--a mini-biography if you will--of a life, be it an ordinary or extraordinary life that was lived. The Post's coverage seems to have expanded in this section over the years and I, for one, appreciate this thoughtful, respectful and well-written section. Thank you.

Yvonne S. Lamb: Thank you for your comment.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: I like some of the story-like pieces you run about people. The woman who walked her dog and helped the CIA decide if a bridge could carry a missile was great.

We may be wanting one in the future. How do you get one of those into the paper?

Yvonne S. Lamb: Pat Sullivan wrote the article on Mary Atkeson on March 18. It was a fascinating peek behind the scene of the life of a former school teacher and wife of an Army general.

The Washington Post will publish an obituary of anyone who has lived in the Washington area for a substantial period of time. We ask that you email(newsobits@washpost.com) or fax (202 334-6553) information about your loved one. Once you call at 202 334-6477, we will go over the information with you and write a story.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I thought your obit this morning for Jane Jacobs was excellent. It seems to me that you have progressed dramatically over the past 10 years. Back in the mid-'90s, I remember an obituary you ran for "J. C. Swayze, news anchor." Reading that obit, a reader not familiar with John Cameron Swayze would have had no idea that he was the first TV news anchorman.

Yvonne S. Lamb: In general, obituaries here and at other newspapers have improved. The interest in life stories is increasing, and journalists who do this job see this as a very good trend.

(Adam Bernstein wrote the Jacobs obituary.)

_______________________

How many in the hopper?: How many people do you have standing obits ready for? And do you do a regular rotation to update those? Always been curious about that facet of the business.....

Yvonne S. Lamb: We don't have enough advanced obituaries ready, I have to admit, about 100. We try to prepare for the eventual death of a famous person by writing the biography material, sometimes interviewing the subject,if they are willing, and talking with people who know them.

Trying to capture the significance and breadth of someone on deadline is difficult work, and doesn't always lend itself to elegant writing. The advance obit give the writer more opportunity to report more thoroughly and write more gracefully.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Typically, Catholic priests who are members of particular orders are identified as such. ("S.J." follows the name for a Jesuit (Society of Jesus), for example). In Patricia Sullivan's otherwise fine obituary for the Reverend Bernard J. Dooley, S.J. in Sunday's paper, this form was not followed. Was this an oversight or is this a stylistic convention of The Post?

Yvonne S. Lamb: Our style is not to say S.J. or C.S.M. or other abbreviations for religious orders. The obit did mention that the Rev. Dooley was a Jesuit.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: How do you know when someone not so famous deserves a bio. I am reminded of the City News Bureau in Chicago would make their reporters call relatives of the deceased to see if any of the obits were news worthy. Does the Post do something like that?

Yvonne S. Lamb: Yes, we do. Sometimes a person just has an fascinating story to tell. It also partly depends on if anything has ever been written about the person or if the family has some interesting stories to tell.

For example, Matt Schudel did a story last year about David Gregal, a labor department official who had incredible mechanic ability even though he was blind. He could repair cars and boats, and often was called on by neighbors to help. Just a great story!

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: When the obituaries are compiled do you make any conscious effort to make a life seem poignant or meaningful or do you just state the facts and let them stand for themselves? Does the person's station in life have any bearing on how you approach writing their bio?

Yvonne S. Lamb: One of our writers, Joe Holley has a knack for taking the bare facts of a person's life and filling them out with reported facts and gems gleaned from interviews with family and friends. Often family members don't realize how interesting their family members are, but Joe's stories often leave me wishing I had known the person. have told him more than once that he writes as though he knew the person about whom he was writing.

_______________________

Anonymous: I also appreciate and like your Section very much but you need to improve your phone answering and messaging capabilities. Grieving families, working families, etc. can't spend their days after a death calling and calling your phone line in hopes of finally/maybe getting through. I hope you'll consider making improvements in that area.

Yvonne S. Lamb: You're right. We realize that we sometimes fall short in the area. Sometimes the number of calls are overwhelming, and we can barely keep up. We are looking into ways to improve the service.

_______________________

N. Bethesda (S. Rockville), Md.: The new feature of having small photos of individuals featured in the obit on the front page of the section is a great way to engage readers and bring them to the obit section.

1. Any story about how those pictures got there?

2. Any indication of an increase in readership due to those pictures?

Yvonne S. Lamb: We just decided that photos would be a great way to make the page more engaging and help the readers connect with the person they are reading about.

Not sure it it has any impact on readership.

_______________________

Lansing, Mich.: What's the longest you've had an advanced obit lying around? I imagine you had obituaries for Ronald Reagan and Bob Hope prepared for a couple of decades before they died.

Yvonne S. Lamb: That may be Marion Barry. We did have Ronald Reagan and Bob Hope.

_______________________

Bowie, Md.: Does The Post accept "hold for release" obit material? (I'm 81). If so, what are the rules, if any? If not, why not?

Yvonne S. Lamb: Not really. We don't have a system for doing so. If you would like to talk about this give me a call.

_______________________

Derwood, Md.: I enjoy reading the obits as they are a source of local history. But...

Could you concentrate more on local people and less on obscure foreign actors? Seem to have a lot of filler obits on people ALMOST famous from other places (LA, Foreign countries, etc.) Don't local people pay to have decent obits run that you don't need to fill space with obscure outsiders?

Thanks.

Yvonne S. Lamb: Most of our obituaries are about local people. Many are the smaller obituaries, and some are quite lengthy. We also write about a variety of major figures from all walks of life. We want to bring our readers stories about the lives of people who have made a difference in their fields, regardless of where they live.

Also news obituaries are free of charge.

_______________________

Laurel, Md.: What's a common complaint you receive from families who submit info for their love one's obituary?

Yvonne S. Lamb: Often, family members want us to publish the biographical information just as they write it. However, we edit and write to conform to Washington Post style and journalistic standards. Some families want to publish the same eulogies that they have printed on funeral programs but we cannot do that.

_______________________

New Brunswick, N.J.: One of my favorite features in the Sunday Post is "A Local Life." The Post is unique in its recognition of the importance of every life, no matter how unsung. How do you choose the subjects for this feature?

Yvonne S. Lamb: The Local Life stories are favorites also of the obituary staff. We choose the subjects generally from the people we come across in preparing regular obituaries. They are people whose colorful and compelling lives spark a desire in us to know about them. Sometimes, people recommend someone.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: I really enjoy The Post's obits and think that they are a great example of writing that blends journalism with some creativity. But it must be very difficult to fact-check the particulars of a person's life on deadline. How does your staff handle this demand?

Yvonne S. Lamb: Thanks. Yes. it is difficult to fact-check on deadline, but we have to do it. Fortunately, the Internet and our easy access to on-line references and archived stories makes it easier.

_______________________

Columbia, Md.: Are the obituaries that are published just a selection of those that are submitted or do you publish an obituary for everyone for whom an obituary is submitted?

I would have thought you wouldn't have room for all submitted obituaries, but a funeral director recently told me that you publish everything that is submitted. Is that true?

Yvonne S. Lamb: No, we may not print everything obituary that is submitted. Sometimes questions don't get answered or the date of death is beyond our deadline.

Generally, though, The Post is committed to publishing the news obituaries of Washington area residents up to 30 days from the date of death.

_______________________

Yvonne S. Lamb: Thank you for your great questions and comments.

Peace

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: I want to submit a news obituary for William M. Riddick, III. I have called twice and left messages, but my call has not been returned. Can I e-mail or fax the obit to you?

Yvonne S. Lamb: Please email Mr. Riddick's obit to me at lamby@washpost.com.

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.