NY Times Video Obits Give the Departed 'The Last Word'

Obituaries are a newspaper standby, but the New York Times has removed the journalistic middleman with its series of video obits, Editor & Publisher reports. After starting 2 years ago with humorist Art Buchwald’s greeting of “Hi, I’m Art Buchwald and I just died,” the Times has added 30 more to its “Last Word” stockpile.

The video obits are kept confidential until the time of their subject’s death. Of those currently completed, all the Times would reveal is that the list includes entries by a Nobel Laureate, a playwright and a former president—though George W and George HW Bush have both said they did not participate. (More obituary stories.)