Grim milestones were hauled out by everyone from ITV and the BBC to The Telegraph, New York Times and Northern Echo yesterday to describe the news Britain had passed 100,000 official coronavirus deaths.
But surely if ever a phrase under-sold the enormity of such a development and encouraged the reader to switch off by presenting them with a hackneyed metaphor it is this one.
Thankfully there were few milestones in evidence on today’s UK newspaper front pages which mostly focus on a figure which seems less a grim milestone than a giant, terrifying sign that something has gone badly wrong in the UK compared to other nations.
The Express and Metro both use a close-in crop of a sombre-looking Boris Johnson taken at yesterday’s daily coronavirus press conference. His closed eyes make the prime minister’s face resemble a death mask, which is perhaps fitting under the circumstances.
The Express, Metro, Mail, Guardian and Telegraph all lead with Johnson’s apology for the loss of life while The Sun opts for its own tribute headline ‘WE WILL REMEMBER THEM’.
The Times and i go have both decided to go big on the number, accompanied with a photomontage showing some of the faces of those who have died.
Only the FT, Mirror and Daily Star opt to lead with a different story today.
The Mirror, like the Daily Mail, has launched a campaign to help children access home-learning materials. And kicks it off with news of a £1m donation from the National Education Union.
The FT has news of a $400bn surge in bond and equity fundraising by companies, fuelled by government stimulus.
And having ‘jumped the shark’ yesterday by suggesting Piers Morgan should become prime minister, the Daily Star doubles down on that front page today with an apology about the same story.
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