The Charlotte Observer
Subterranean Saddam

How the idea developed.
So much had been written, but so little shown, of Saddam's underground bunkers. I wanted to research and illustrate a bunker graphic. We were planning a special section on the war, and DME/Presentation, Tom Tozer, had also expressed an interest on doing something on the bunkers to run in the section.

How it was researched
I started searching articles from various sources. Looking for specific words and phrases when applicable. I also read through several underground building and bunker articles from previous wars and from survival groups.

Much of the intelligence on the Iraqi's building efforts since the first Gulf war had been focused on the palace complex at Tikrit. The palace is reportedly Saddam's favorite and Tikrit is also Saddam's hometown and his tribal home place.

What emerged was a general picture of how many bunkers were constructed and some specific information from actual visitors to the Tikrit site and other presidential sites. I decided to use the Tikrit site ­ satellite photos gave a clear image of what lay above ground ­ as the setting for a generalized view of what these complexes and bunkers look like and how they are constructed.

Feedback
Very positive feedback from readers and the newsroom staff. We promoted this specific feature on the cover of the special section when it ran on March 23. We also posted the graphic on our web page and shared it throughout the KRT Real Cities network. A smaller, chopped up version was offered through KRT/Presslink as well. The graphic offers, I think, an example of effective visual reporting on a subject of high interest to readers.

Who worked on the graphic?
I researched, designed, illustrated and wrote the graphic. Our national staff double-checked facts, Jo Miller, art director and Dee Dee Strickland, perspective editor edited the graphic. Carolyn Bayreu copy edited the graphic; Tom Tozer was the overall editor for the section.

--Submitted by Wm Pitzer/News Graphics Editor