More Headlines

I have had a lot of fun writing headlines the past two weeks. I love puzzles and writing headlines is like doing a puzzle. It’s fun to look for ways to word things so they fit in a specific amount of space.  There are many things I have learned from the reading and class slides.

I really like the editor’s checklist about headlines on the last page of the reading. It gives a full checklist of things editors need to remember about headlines.  Below is the checklist. We should remember all of these items when we write headlines.

•         Have you read the story all the way through?
•         Does the headline reflect what’s most important about the story?
•         Is the headline clear?
•         Does the headline show how the story affect readers?
•         Does the headline fit the tone of the newspaper?
•         Does the headline capture the tone of the story?
•         Have you checked the way the lines break?
•         Does the headline follow grammar and punctuation rules?
•         Does the headline use strong verbs?
•         Is the headline worded differently from the lead?
•         Will readers recognize the names in the headline?
•         Have you tried wordplay if the tone of the story allows it?
•         Have you reread the headline to make sure it could not be misinterpreted?

The editing mistake I found this week was from The Wall Street Journal. It should say “Americans Over 30 Are More Miserable Than Ever.”