headlines

Bad: Suspect in Bank Holdup Returns for Another Go, Police Say

I don't like the attribution in the headline. It i s a waste of space, and we can pretty much assume that this is coming from a police source.

Good: N. Korea Agrees to Return to Nuclear Talks

This is simple and to the point. There are no extra words and it is fairly easy to understand after one quick read-through.

Good and Bad Headlines

Good Headline:

1 BR, Fully Loaded
from the Washingtonpost.com:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103101406.html

I like this headline because it draws the reader in. At first you're like... "BR?" Then it says "Fully Loaded," and you think, "Hmm, what's that all about." Or at least I did. As I read on, I discovered that the article is about New York housing. Rather how with the housing market hype plateauing, bedrooms and apartments come with different luxory gimmicks to bring buyers in.

Bad Headline:

Rappers get real as gaming, music firms partner
from YahooNews: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061101/tc_nm/media_videogames_dc

This headline just does not make sense to me. Is it rapping gets just as real as gaming? No. That doesn't make sense. The story is about the partnering of the music industry, specifically rap and hip-hop, and the gaming industry. The headline is wordy and the first part doesn't make complete sense. Not to mention that there are no specific references to rappers.... they aren't an integral part of the story, so they shouldn't be in the headling. A better headline would be: Def Jam Records firms partiner with gaming industry.

Good/Bad Headlines

Bad: Man arrested for fires http://www.washingtonpost.com/

I was hoping for an article about a man arrested for the current Cali fire since the story was next to a video about the death of a fifth firefighters in the most recent blaze. Instead, this article was about a man arrested for arson in connection to fires that occurred in the summer.

Good: Heil-o'ween http://www.nypost.com/

A story about "A student at a Brooklyn high school named for a prominent Jewish educator faced a blitzkrieg of trouble yesterday when he arrived dressed as Adolph Hitler." Goes with a picture of a kid dressed as Hitler with his hand in the air.

headlines

"Dreamliner designed so fliers can breathe easy"
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2006-10-30-boeing-air-usat_x.htm
I think this is an example of a good headline. I like the way it incorporates that a new plane is being designed with the needs of passengers without giving away too much of the story.

"College Halloweens lean toward sexy"
http://www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2006/10/31/News/College.Halloweens.Lean.Toward.Sexy-2411136.shtml?norewrite200611011241&sourcedomain=www.diamondbackonline.com
I think this is an example of a bad headline. I guess they are talking about people wearing sexy costumes, but it is just not a strong headline.

Good and Not-so -Adept Headlines

Good Headline

The Door, a Lone Window on the Past
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103101529.html

I think this is a good headline because it leaves something to the imagination and it prompts the reader to look past the headline and into the body of the story. The headline is a great metaphor of how an everyday item can be a connection between the past, present, and the future. I believe the headline conveys many of the feelings that the subject is experiencing in realtion to her childhood home being demolished.

Not-So-Adept Headline

Student driver fails drivers test
http://www.jamestownsun.com/articles/index.cfm?id=42271§ion=news&freebie_check&CFID=4359171&CFTOKEN=85238449&jsessionid=883079ac9eb629733551

This headline could use some work because it is too general and it does not get to the heart of the story. Once you read the article you find out that the student driver failed the test because she ran into the side of the motor vehicle administration building. This headline does not highlight the uniqueness of the story. It should include something alluding to why the student driver failed her test. The headline for this story is just too general and does not draw the reader into the body of the story.

headlines - nick sohr

Good headline-
Kerry, Kerry, Quite Contrary
The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_4582464
The headline is catchy, clever and and fits the article well. The article blasts Kerry's remarks about Iraq, admonishing him for either making fun of students, or the president, or both. And while the headline contains information that I need to know before deciding whether to click the link or not, it does create a certain air of mystery that leaves me wanting to read more.

Bad headline-
Passion for soccer drives Cirovski
The (Baltimore) Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/bal-sp.cirovski01nov01,0,2551592.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines
This is a profile piece about UMD soccer coach Sasho Cirovski. This headline tells me nothing new about him and doesn't make me want to look at the piece. Clearly, a long-time and highly successful coach has a passion for his sport. This is just obvious and boring. Even if you don't know who Cirovski is, the headline doesn't spark any interest in the story.

Headlines: Good and Bad

The Clever Headline:

Probe Scares off Ex-Monster Boss

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10312006/business/probe_scares_off_ex_monster_boss_business_holly_m__sanders.htm

Founder of Monster Worldwide, the internet jobs Web site, quits instead of attending an inquiry on a possible stock scandal. Since the story appeared on Halloween, the play on words is clever. The caption under the picture is also witty: "Doing the Monster Dash."

Not-so-good Headline:

Millions aimed at easing loneliness

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/23/agencies.bequeathed.ap/index.html

The story is about a woman who donates millions to agencies serving the elderly. But the headline puts a double meaning on the word "Millions." It can be interpreted as millions of people, things, etc. The word is too vague and gives an incomplete meaning to the story.

good and not-so-good headlines

I thought that the headline "A Preemptive Strike Is Launched Against Meth" that I found on Washingtonpost.com (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701789.html) was really clever. The headline was describing a story about an anti-methamphetamine campaign in Northern Virginia. Unlike my not-so-good choice, this headline is creative yet can be clearly understood by readers. It grabs the attention of readers and makes want to read the story.

good and not-so-good headlines

I thought that the headline "A Preemptive Strike Is Launched Against Meth" that I found on Washingtonpost.com (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701789.html) was really clever. The headline was describing a story about an anti-methamphetamine campaign in Northern Virginia. Unlike my not-so-good choice, this headline is creative yet can be clearly understood by readers. It grabs the attention of readers and makes want to read the story.

good and not-so-good headlines

I thought that the headline "Resort scares up ghostly gatherings" that I found on the Delmarvanow.com website (http://www.delmarvanow.com/mdbeachcomber/stories/20061027/2342828.html) was confusing to readers. The headline refers to a story discussing the local Halloween bar celebrations throughout Ocean City. I do not think the headline describes that at all. If anything, the headline makes me think more of haunted houses or hayrides. In addition, it just does not make sense. The resort can not "scare up" something and Halloween themed nights at the bar are hardly ghostly gatherings. I think that in trying to be clever, the writer ended up just confusing readers with a headline that does not make any logical sense.

Headlines

Here is a bad headline: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103100957.html

The headline here is not so confusing, but the link to it reads: "Hezbollah Says in Talks on Israel Prisoner Swap." This is a confusing headline. "Hezbollah says in talks"? This phrase is difficult to handle on the first read.

Another one that I wasn't too sure about: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103100225.html

The problem here is that the most important fact - that the U.S. followed the order - only appears in the deck headline.

A good headline: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103100936.html

The headline clarifies exactly the point of the article in a concise manner and is not confusing.

Good and bad headlines

Not so good headline:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061024/a_contractors24.art.htm

“Crooked builders hit storm victims”

I think the wording in this headline is awkward and conveys little meaning. This story is about unlicensed contractors who are using Katrina victims by collecting down payments for home repairs and then fleeing. Do the builders make crooked homes? Do these crooked homes fall and hit the victims? Do the criminal builders physically hit the victims? After reading the headline the reader doesn’t know what the story is about. I think a word besides “crooked” would be better suited to describe an illegitimate worker. And the word “hit” often times has a physical connotation.

Good headline:

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061027/a_earlyvoting27.art.htm

“More voters aren’t waiting for Election Day”

This headline is concise and meaningful. The gist of the story is clearly stated—more people intend to vote before the actual election day of Nov.7. It also makes the reader curious of why there is a jump in early voting.