By Michael Jonas

Just how long was the period between Osama Bin Laden’s emergence as the most wanted man on the planet following the 9/11 attacks and his killing last night in a firefight with US forces in Pakistan?  Long enough that Bin Laden outlived one of the authors of his New York Times obituary.  The  5,000-word obit now posted on the Times website – most of which, in keeping with standard practice with high-profile subjects, was written and stored some time ago – is co-bylined by Kate Zernike (a former Boston Globe reporter) and Michael T. Kaufman, a veteran Times reporter and columnist who, the tagline notes, died last year.

Michael Jonas works with Laura in overseeing CommonWealth Beacon coverage and editing the work of reporters. His own reporting has a particular focus on politics, education, and criminal justice reform.