The New York Post and the Daily News, ultra-competitive tabloids that pride themselves on their outrageous and original headlines, had nearly identical front pages Tuesday announcing the verdict in the Michael Jackson case.
“Boy, oh, boy!” exclaimed the Post, over the subhead, “Jacko cleared of kid molest.” The Daily News went with the slightly more subdued “Boy, oh boy” — with no exclamation point — and the subhead, “Jacko cleared in sex rap.”
Both used mirror-image layouts, with a close-up photograph of Jackson’s face for their cover art.
The Post added one extra touch: a tiny inset photograph of “Home Alone” actor Macaulay Culkin with his hands clasped to his face and his mouth open in surprise.
In 1997, the papers ran identical photographs of England’s Prince Charles and his sons at the funeral of Princess Diana with the identical headline, “Leave my kids alone.”