Now news that The Associated Press has prepared an obituary for 26-year-old Britney Spears has put the spotlight on a debate transpiring within the business of reporting death: With people grabbing the celebrity spotlight at a younger age, and some of them living lives of obviously dangerous excess, is it time for news organizations to begin preparing for early exits from celebritydom's under-30 crowd? …

"Somebody like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan or Amy Winehouse, you could arguably put something together," [Washington Post reporter Adam Bernstein ]said, naming three young stars who have lately become more prominent for bouts of bizarre behavior than displays of talent. …

It was [Anna Nicole] Smith's death that served as a "wake-up call" to be prepared to report immediately on any high-profile person with a public history of troubled behavior, said Lou Ferrara, the AP's managing editor for sports, entertainment and multimedia.

-The AP, on the AP's announcement that it had prepared an obituary for Britney Spears.

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