On the day after the Printing Summit, the eruption of the Icelandic volcano was the top story in all news media in Europe.
If conference participants had any doubt as to the power of print, they need only look to this example of volcano coverage.
On Saturday, 17 April, BILD (the largest-circulation European daily newspaper, from Axel Springer, Germany) topped its front page with the headline “The Ash Monster,” accompanied by a satellite photo of the volcano, which with three craters resembles a skull. In addition, the entire page appears to be strewn with dark gray dust – including the headline and even the masthead.
Regardless of one's views of boulevard journalism, this issue of BILD shows how print can effectively add impact to the news.
