Across America, Newspaper Front Pages Reflect A History Still Being Written

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A man holds a fresh copy of The New York Times on Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House on Wednesday morning.

Hannah McKay/Reuters

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Hannah McKay/Reuters

The front page of the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday trumpeted the biggest local news: President Trump had captured the state’s electoral votes.

Paul Driscoll/Screenshot/NPR

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Paul Driscoll/Screenshot/NPR

In Peoria, Ill., the Journal Star’s headline was a twist on a word used with great frequency in the past four years: «Unpresidented.

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Wednesday’s front page in the Peoria, Ill., Journal Star was a play on the word many have used for Donald Trump’s four years in the White House: unprecedented.

Journal Star/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

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Journal Star/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that voting had gone smoothly â but that the race for the White House was going to the wire, and the state’s two U.S. Senate races could be headed to runoffs.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

Elsewhere, election results shared front-page real estate with the other story: the COVID-19 pandemic.

Central Maine’s Kennebec Journal, for instance, noted state records for both voter turnout and coronavirus infections.

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The front page of Maine’s Kennebec Journal on Wednesday featured both record-setting voter turnout and record numbers of coronavirus cases.

Kennebec Journal/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

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Kennebec Journal/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

«Handful of states will decide presidential race, declared the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday. California is not among them.

San Francisco Chronicle/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

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San Francisco Chronicle/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

And some newspapers sought to capture a mood: of a nation waiting anxiously to learn what comes next.

The Baltimore Sun eschewed photos of voters or candidates, and instead showed a somber image of the White House, illuminated against the night.

The front page of Wednesday’s Baltimore Sun captured a mood: the White House illuminated against a dark sky, as «The Nation Waits for a result.

Ben Leonard/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

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Ben Leonard/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

And on its front page, the Columbia Missourian captured the anxiety of many Americans about the too-close-to-call election.

Under the headline «Still Counting was a photo of one person, waiting and watching to learn the outcome.

At the Columbia Missourian, the front page reflected a sense of anxiety about the too-close-to-call result. The lead image was of a person in MacPherson Square in Washington, D.C., fingers tented in anticipation, under the all-caps headline: «Still Counting.

Hannah Norton/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

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Hannah Norton/Twitter/Screengrab by NPR

Will Thursday’s front pages show a winner?

Like the presidential contest, it’s just too soon to tell.