Blog 11: Headlines

Blog 11: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...Headlines

I think that headlines are so fun. They are very difficult to write, but they are arguably the most important part of a story. Headlines are what draw readers in. Essentially, they are the first impressions of the writing world, and despite what everyone says, we all judge books by their covers and articles by their headlines. As I researched online news sources for good headlines, I found a few that stuck out.

1. A headline that uses a good, strong verb

Tens of thousands commemorate Arafat in Hamas-run Gaza

2. A headline that is specific

Scores dead after quake strikes Iraq

3. A headline that stresses the message, not the messenger (Attribution is found at the end of the headline)

At least 1,000 injured as shocks were felt in Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Turkey, agencies say

5.  A headline with a humorous tone

Kansas Teens Too Young to Vote are Running for Governor Instead

6. A headline that uses present tense to indicate past action (typical)

Trump absolves Putin and shoots himself in the foot

My favorite headline was number five, the humorous one, because it appears like a normal headline but has subtle humor.

For my editing mistake this week, I found an easy, minor mistake. In the first paragraph of this click-bait article, the second to last sentence has a double article, “The centuries-old tradition required someone to be present to confirm a a royal birth was actually happening.” Honestly, this is one of the easiest editing mistakes to make and the hardest to find.