Good & Bad Headlines

"American held in Italy sex-murder case"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21659676/

This was the headline for an MSNBC story about an American woman who is being held as a suspect in Italy after her roommate was found dead. Police believe that the girl was killed fighting off a sexual assault.

I'm not sure about you, but I've never heard of "sex-murder" before. This headline would have been better using just murder or suspected rape/sexual assault.

"It's aliiiiive! Campaign beast awakens in Iowa"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21652415/

This headline is great for the story. So far, most of the presidential race has been calm, but after the Iowa caucus, the real campaign seems to have finally begun. The headline is punchy without being obnoxious, and gets the point across with two simple words: it's alive! Brilliant.