Number of words: 156

Today’s media puts a premium on the timely distribution of a well prepared obituary. To make this possible, news organizations archive (“can”) obituary files for use when someone notable passes on; they may even keep them current. A January 2006 report by Editor & Publisher said that the Associated Press alone has more than 1,000 canned obits on hand, with other major wires and newspapers maintaining similarly stocked databases. The New York Times, which had only 150 on hand in 2001, claimed more than 1,200 by early 2006. Editor & Publisher noted that “major papers continue to stockpile advance obits more than ever, while also devoting more writers to the dedications. Growing interest by readers in biographical pieces, along with an increased effort to present them more as stories than public notices, also adds to the renewed effort to stay one step ahead of death.”
Excerpted from page 167 of ‘Regret the Error’ by Craig Silverman