wonderful world of headlines

hey all,

i won't be in class on wednesday to defend my headlines, so be easy on me in the discussion!

GOOD > "Iraq Court Charges Hussein with Genocide of Kurds" nytimes.com from 4/4
this headline is exactly what i think a headline should be: short, simple and easily understood. broadcast majors learn the acronym "KISS," or keep it simple, stupid. i think it works well for headline writers, too.

GOOD >"DeLay Decides to End Career in Congress" nytimes.com from 4/4
there is no confusing what the article following this headline is about. it is simple and clear, just as the first headline is. if you reread it a few times the alliteration of the Ds and Cs begins to sound sort of silly, but then again, who really reads writing over and over again anyway for alliteration? haha.

BAD >"No More DeLay: Smarmy even in defeat and disgrace, the exterminator bows out of Congress" salon.com from 4/4
EEK!! This headline is attempting to say what the "DeLay Decides..." headline says, but adds an extra eight words. i wonder if this headline works because salon.com is a more magazine-y site. either way, i think nytimes.com handled it much better. (and i must confess, i had to look up the word "smarmy," which i found out means "ingratiating and wheedling in a way that is percieved as insincere or excessive." i'm hoping i'm not the only one who isnt' familiar with the word, but at the risk of looking stupid, i'm going to say i didn't like salon's word choice because i didn't know what they meant. smarmy...what the heck?!)

see you all next wednesday!

~lauren spates

ps...and as for you, matt ray, i love the charlie and the chocolate factory references...but i, personally, am a big fan of the golden goose egg scene. veruca certainly had it coming, that little brat.