- What is the purpose of a headline?
- What are the different types and styles of headlines in modern newspapers?
- How have computers changed the methodology employed in headline writing?
- What makes an effective headline?
- What makes a headline "good" or "bad?"
- What is the difference between news headlines and feature headlines?
- How do you know if a headline will fit in the allotted space?
- What kinds of questions can I ask myself in determining whether my headline is effective?
Activity 1:
Read the following headlines collected in the 2007 edition of The Lower Case (Columbia Review of Journalism). Note, as a comment, what is incorrect or humorous in these headlines:
Guest-worker plan proposed
Texas police want bullet lodged in teenager's head
The (London) Independent 12.23.06
Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 12.17.06
U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home
The Press of Atlantic City 12.10.06
Will hanging help Bush?…
Activity 2:
What are the elements of headline writing? What are some purposes of headlines? Add your answers in the form of a WORDLE (word cloud). Then, post your Wordle as a blog post. You'll need to create your Wordle, then save it to the public gallery and finally, copy the HTML code that appears at the bottom of the page. You'll then paste the HTML code into your blog (when in "Edit HTML" mode, NOT in the "compose" mode).
Your blog title should be: Headline Wordle, Student Name. The labels for your post should be: lecture 7, review, headlines.
Here is an example of a Wordle that I did using information from Chapter 9:
What are the elements of headline writing? What are some purposes of headlines? Add your answers in the form of a WORDLE (word cloud). Then, post your Wordle as a blog post. You'll need to create your Wordle, then save it to the public gallery and finally, copy the HTML code that appears at the bottom of the page. You'll then paste the HTML code into your blog (when in "Edit HTML" mode, NOT in the "compose" mode).
Your blog title should be: Headline Wordle, Student Name. The labels for your post should be: lecture 7, review, headlines.
Here is an example of a Wordle that I did using information from Chapter 9:
Activity 3:
Go to the Huffington Post and read a few articles and then identify elements of strength and/or weaknesses you find in the headlines. Then read a short feature article, and similarly think about its headline. Examine differences in style, sensitivity, when humor is appropriate, inappropriate. Note the use of verbs, need for extensive "shorter word" vocabulary, etc. Then evaluate the headlines according to the "Characteristics of Good Headlines" in Chapter 9. Add your thoughts as a comment to this lecture post.
Activity 4:
Compare headlines from the Huffington Post with column width, typographical specs and spacing (how the headline must also fit within predetermined space) as explained in Chapter 9. Did you find any headlines that were too long or too short? How might you change them to fit with rules noted in Chapter 9? Add a comment here.
Activity 5:
Review the vocabulary list on page 181. Note the importance of shorter synonyms to ensure clear and precise headlines. Choose ten words from the vocabulary list and add at least two other synonyms not noted in Chapter 9. Also, include two or three words that don't appear in this list along with your own shorter synonyms. Add your vocabulary information to a blog post. Title: Vocabulary Builder. Labels: lecture 7, headlines, stylistics. Remember to include an image in your post.
Activity 6:
If time permits, we can finish the class by adding to your E-Portfolios. You may choose to edit posts you have already written, or begin a new one.
Homework:
Practise spelling and review vocabulary
Come to class with a topic to add to your E-Portfolio
Note: Question mark sign image from Illinois Wesleyan University and newspapers image from 24/7 Wall St.
Guest-worker plan proposed
ReplyDeleteTexas police want bullet lodged in teenager's head
The (London) Independent 12.23.06
Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 12.17.06
U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home
The Press of Atlantic City 12.10.06
Will hanging help Bush?…
Lets start with the Texas police one: SAY WHAT??? They want to put a bullet in a kids head? That must be a misprint or the editor is a moron and doeant realize how misleading it actually is. At the same time it is Texas...
Same thing goes for the protestors in Fifth Avenue. Police are shooting everyone nowadays.
U.S pilots do what?? Who wrote this crap! Did they crash in Brazil? Where's home? stupid people.
Will hanging help Bush? Nothing can help that man. other than Texas police putting a bullet in his head!
doesn't**
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGuest-worker plan proposed
ReplyDelete-This headline does not state what the worker does nor does it state what his plan is regarding.
Texas police want bullet lodged in teenager's head
-This is quite humorous because it is the police's job to protect citizen's, not wanting to put a bullet in their heads.
The (London) Independent 12.23.06
-This is incorrect because it has brackets when there is no reason for it. As well, there is no meaning within the headline. To finish, there is a date at the end of the headline that doesn't explain why it should be there.
Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors
-Once again, police are here to protect the citizens, not give them extra breathing holes.
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 12.17.06
-No context within headline and there are more brackets and dates for no reason.
U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home
-The headline is confusing as to who is crashing where.
The Press of Atlantic City 12.10.06
-The Press of Atlantic City needs to learn how to write a headline because this one isn't telling me anything.
Will hanging help Bush?…
-Perhaps hanging Bush would have helped, but I assume the editor did not mean the literal context of the headline because that would be refering to murder. A more concise headline is needed.
Guest-worker plan proposed
ReplyDeleteTexas police want bullet lodged in teenager's head
The (London) Independent 12.23.06
Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 12.17.06
U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home
The Press of Atlantic City 12.10.06
Will hanging help Bush?…
1)We aren't able to determine if the plan is for the guest-worker or if the guest-worker came up with the plan.
2)The second headline is ambiguos and indicates that perhaps the Texas Police want to lodge a bullet into a teenager's head where as i'm sure that they actually want the bullet that is already in the teenager's head as a peice of evidence.
3)As a reader we have absolutely no clue what this headline is about and it's odd that they include a simple date and state "The (London) Independent with no further information.
4)We are left unsure as to if the avenue is clogged with protestors that are shooting police, or police that are shooting protestors.
5)As in the 3rd headline we are again left completely unaware of what this headline is about.
6)This headline is quite confusing for it seems like the U.S pilots are in Brazil, but at the same time they are crashing back at home, which would be the U.S. So where exactly are they crashing? It's unclear as to what could've happened here.
7)Once again, this is completely unclear. We have no idea what this headline is about and the inclusion of a date does not help in any way.
8)The use of a question here is not a good idea considering that the actual question is quite ambiguos. Is it asking if hanging George Bush will help? Or if a hanging occuring not involving George Bush physically will help him somehow?
Guest-worker plan proposed
ReplyDeleteTyler thinks: Is the plan the guest-worker's, or is there a plan for guest-workers?
Texas police want bullet lodged in teenager's head
Tyler thinks: Do the police want to have the bullet in his head, or do they want to put on there?
The (London) Independent 12.23.06
Tyler thinks: There's no context for this to make a shred of sense
Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors
Tyler thinks: Them gun-totin' Yanks like their shootings- especially if they get to shoot Liberal protestors and commies. Sadly, I doubt there was any blood spilled.
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 12.17.06
Tyler thinks: The folks from Syracuse are as dumb as Londoners.
U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home
Tyler thinks: If they are in Brazil, how did they crash at home? Oh, I get it. They crashed in Brazil, but are at home now.
The Press of Atlantic City 12.10.06
Tyler thinks: The folks of Atlantic City should stick to gambling as opposed to headline writing. The folks on the Jersey shore are no bettter than their counterparts from Syracuse and London.
Will hanging help Bush?…
Tyler thinks: It will.
Activity 1
ReplyDeleteGuest-worker plan proposed - This headline doesn't really tell me what the story is going to be about.
The (London) Independent 12.23.06 - This is even worse than the previous one. I don't even know what this headline is talking about. Is this even a headline?
Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors - This is a misplaced modifier, and is quite funny. I don't think that Fifth Avenue was actually clogged with police shooting protestors.
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 12.17.06 - This is ludicrous. What is this headline even supposed to mean. Just like the "The (London) Independent 12.23.06" headline, this provides no context or information as to what I'm about to read.
U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home - So did they crash in Brazil or in the U.S.?
The Press of Atlantic City 12.10.06 - I still can't believe that there are headlines like this.
Will hanging help Bush?… - Love it! Doesn't really give much insight as to what the story is about, but it draws me in and I would have loved to have read this article.
"Guest-worker plan proposed"
ReplyDelete-This is confusing.
"Texas police want bullet lodged in teenager's head"
-Texan police are out to kill? Or are they on a mission to perform surgery?
"The (London) Independent 12.23.06"
-This tells me practically nothing. Except that it was close to Christmas in 2006. Riveting.
"Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors"
- Where the police shooting the protestors?
"The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 12.17.06"
-So this one tells me something happened a little bit farhter away, yet still close to Christmas 2006. Much more like The Sub-Standard
"U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home"
-Not the best pilots in the world perhaps, and confused on what the meaning of home is.
"The Press of Atlantic City 12.10.06"
-What is the deal with just telling me the dates??
Will hanging help Bush?…
-This is too easy....
Activity 3
ReplyDeleteGOP Sets New Filibuster Record- This headline contains far too much jargon for my liking. GOP?? Filibuster? Sounds familiar but without linking to another site, in which by that time I have already moved on; Damn ADD kicking in again, I wouldn't know what this article is about. GOP stands for Grand Ol' Party, which is a nickname
for the Republican Party. Who cares.
How Greece's Crisis Could Impact America- Here is a simple, clear and concise headline. Not very captivating but certainly summarizes the story and helps set the overall tone, albeit a boring tone, as per one of the requirements in Chapter 9.
However inside this story contains nothing but slanted language and constant opinionated comments.
"As if to rub our collective noses in it, bankers have paraded their contempt for both politicians and taxpayers by using bail-out resources to post massive capital gains and bonuses. It's hard to believe they could be guilty of worse."
Nice, these articles are all like this. It's as if they're all featured articles, no hard news stories here. All opinions.
Go to the Huffington Post and read a few articles and then identify elements of strength and/or weaknesses you find in the headlines. Then read a short feature article, and similarly think about its headline. Examine differences in style, sensitivity, when humor is appropriate, inappropriate. Note the use of verbs, need for extensive "shorter word" vocabulary, etc. Then evaluate the headlines according to the "Characteristics of Good Headlines" in Chapter 9. Add your thoughts as a comment to this lecture post.
ReplyDelete"Troops, Police Attack Looters in Chile"
- This headline shows immediacy as this is probably something currently happening in Chile in the following of the quake that hit over the weekend. Strong active verbs are used and it is quite clear after reading the headline what exactly the article is going to be about. The tone of the headline is quite down to the point and appropriate for what the story contains.
"Ejup Ganic, Ex-Bosnian Leader Arrested at London Airport"
- This headline is actually quite long. I feel like they could've cut the name out of it to shorten it and then mentioned the name in the subhead or lead of the story. They could've even possibly left out London and just said airport although it isn't as specific then. There is good use of active verbs once again (arrested). It is quite clear what the story will be about from this headline. It is a clear headline.
"Would you drink your own urine if it would save your life?"
- This feature story headline presents a question which is more commonly used with feature stories. The headline however, has almost no relation to the actual story. The writer presents this question at the very end of the article after several paragraphs discussing her cancer and even then it is just slightly tied in to the very last paragraph only. The tone of the article does however, present the same tone as the article. Common characteristics of a feature headline are literary devices such as rhyme, alliteration, and puns. This headline does not contain those devices. The headline speaks more to the audience though by asking a question and using the word 'you'. A news headline would not usually do this.
Activity 3
ReplyDeleteThe first headline I chose to critique is "NASA 'Blue Marble' Series: The Best Images Of The Earth To Date." I found this headline to be extremely well written. Just from reading the headline I know what the article is about, and the most interesting aspect of it. This headline is in fact so informative, that besides seeing the pictures mentioned, I don't feel reading the actual article is all that imperative.
The second headline I chose to critique is "HE'S BAAAAAAAACK!" This headline is pretty much on the opposite side of the spectrum compared to the first headline. This headline offers no insight or info on what this article is actually about. Without the picture of Jay Leno right below it, I would have never known what it was referring to.
The third and last headline I chose to critique is "Kim Zolciak & Tracy Young Dating: Real Housewives' Star Now A Lesbian?" This headline, despite how ridiculous and inappropriate it may be for a news publication, it's actually not that bad. It gives me the names of the people involved, and basically what the story's about. Based on this article, I know what it's about, and if I cared about the subject matter, I would have the info needed to divulge further into the article.
'TOUGH S**T' SENATOR STILL RAGING
ReplyDeleteThis headline is great because it's all in capital letters, the original was in a giant font and the colour was bright red. Other than that, it gets the point across rather celarly. They also avoided printing the full version of the word "shit" as it may offend some.
Goldman Sachs's Board Rejects Shareholder Demands To Cut Excessive Pay, Bonuses
This headline is straight to the point. Of course the board of directors won't vut their own pay, and now you can find out why.
Obama Must Assert Democratic Control Over Economic Forces
As soon as you read the word "must," you can tell that it's someboady's opinion. It's clear what the article is about as it's a nice summary of the article. It also uses "must" as a strong verb to get the point across. It also sets the tone of the article.
Google, China, and 1984
Big brother is watching. If you don't believe it, goolge it. While you're at it, Google is watching, too. The Chinese are jusat letting Goolge do all the work, and then stealing the interweb habits of millions. The Headline is succinct. Anyone with even a sliver of knowledge about Google, China, or George Orwell will know exactly what theuy're going to get in this artcile.
Activity 3:
ReplyDeleteComparing "Krugman: No Bill Is Better Than a Weak Bill" and "Top Treasury Official Leaves For Lobbying Firm".
-Strengths: Both headlines are direct and to the point. A reader can understand what is within the article by reading the headline alone. This very effective because it allows readers to figure out what they want to read without wasting time.
-Weaknesses: Their weaknesses are that they are pretty dry. There are no strong action verbs that make the reader jump in excitement.
Feature headline: "Zero-Tolerance Drug Policy: Seventh Grader Suspended For Touching Aderall Pill"
This headline shows readers what the article is about and intrigues readers because of the absurdity of the situation. Why did a kid have an Aderall Pill? What is this drug policy? Who is this seventh grader? All of these questions spur into my mind as I'm dragged into the story head first.
Assignment 4
ReplyDeleteReform Déjà Vu: Democrats Follow Failed Health Care Strategy and Preemptively Surrender on Consumer Financial Protection Agency- by Arianna Huffington
Wow that's quite the lengthy headline there Ms. Huffington. That's one of the first "dont's" in headline writing. Chapter 9 says it. Have you read Chapter 9 Ms. Huffington? You should! I'm not sure how I could shorten this monstrosity to somehow uphold the Chapter 9 guidelines. I honestly would scrap it and go back to the drawing table. Again, read the chapter Ms. Huffington. Do yourself a favor.
Activity 3
ReplyDeleteThe headlines that I read in "The Huffington Post" seem to be accurate and fair. They seem to describe the main theme of the story and headlines such as "Troops, Police Attack Looters in Chile" and "How Greece's Crisis Could Impact America". The headlines seem to be grammatical correct. The site is tasteful by not using bad language such as "Tough S**t Senator Still Ranging". The non-news article "Michael Douglas: I Put Career over Fathering Cameron" seems a little gossipy.
'TOUGH S**T' SENATOR STILL RAGING
ReplyDeleteRepublican Sen. Jim Bunning Blocks Jobless Benefits AGAIN... WATCH: Bunning Yells At Reporters... Flips Middle Finger
This is all one headline. The first part is in about an 18-size font, and red. It's on the front page of the Huffington Post, so it's right in your face as your 'puter loads the page. This would've been enough for me to read the article, but they added the sub-headline. They added two elipses. The writer of the headline also yelled at me when he wrote "AGAIN" and WATCH." The extra attempt at enticing me to read the article has actually casued me to not want to read it. You should never judge a book by its cover, but I judge articles by their headlines.
Activity 4
ReplyDeleteThis first headline I found to be to short was "A Church For People Like Us." I feel that this headline is not only to short for the subject matter, but very uninformative. I would change it to classify what "church" is for "people like us." Maybe if the headline was "A church for the agnostic," or something along those lines, it would have worked a lot better.
The second article I found has the headline "WATCH: Should We Be Shaming Obese Children?" Although this headline is relatively short, it does its job well. I know what the article is about and who the target audience is. I think it fits nicely with the way it's written and couldn't be written any better.
Activity 4:
ReplyDelete"Kim Zolciak & Tracy Young Dating: Real Housewives' Star Now A Lesbian?"
- This headline is too long and it was even shortened with the use of an amper. The article 'a' could've been eliminated. The names could've been removed from the headline as well and it could've read "Real Housewives' Star Now Lesbian?"
"Cutbacks, Layoffs And LA's Uncertain Future"
-This headline is a good length. It is short and simple. It demonstrates what the article will be about quite clearly. It could've maybe been shortened by changing it to "Cutbacks, Layoffs: LA's Uncertain Future."
Activity 4
ReplyDelete"Jay Leno Back At 'Tonight Show'"
This headline was at size 36 and counts over 20 units for one column. For print, this headline would not work at all, however, for online this is just fine because there is no limit to the space available.
To fit this headline onto print, the first step would be to decrease the size of the type. Secondly, since Jay Leno is well known, his first name can be omitted. "Leno Back At 'Tonight Show'" is shorter and more fitting for print.
Tips for Taking the Principles of Eating In On the Road
ReplyDeleteThis headline seemed a little wordy. After reading it twice it made sense, but making someone re-read a headline to understand it is not good headline writting. Headlines should grab a person's eye on the first take and link them in to be interested to read the story from that point. Second of all, who knew there were set Principles Of Eating In? Health nuts.
Homeless In Chicago Raise Funds For Haiti
This is a nice, clear, and eye-catching headline. It makes sense, was interesting enough so I read on, and the article was short so I read it all. Leaves you with that nice heart-warming feeling, and a sense that obviously shows I must be selfish and not doing enough to help others. Wonderful.
Torture Memos Author Calls DOJ
Report 'Shoddy' And 'Biased'
The only thing I really have to comment on this headline was the way it was cut into two lines. It makes it seem like these may be two seperate thoughts. The author calls DOJ (I initially dont even know who this is) and also the report was 'shoddy' and 'biased'. This was fairly confusing. The report was on the phone call? Oh. Wait. The phone call was about the report. Right? Oh well...
Winter Olympics Vancouver Earns A Gold Medal For Drinking
This is a great headline. Catches your eye, its humorous, and Canada and gold medals have an obvious, undeniable connection. The article itself is a little annoying though. I do like the use of short sentances, witty wording and it's fun: if your American. As a Canadian I could see this story, from the headline's first impression, being awesome. Canadian's right now (especially) are proud of their gold winnings and their drinking. But the article was fairly derogatory, condesending, and the writter obviously doesn't understand one key element: Canada. Plus, with the world present in Vancouver, why do they assume all those drinking are just Canadians? ...Okay perhaps they could be. But I still don't like your attitude.
Activity 1: CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD HEADLINES
ReplyDeleteGuest-worker plan proposed:
Sounds like the guest-worker had a plan or that a plan was proposed for a guest-worker.
Texas police want bullet lodged in teenager's head:
Sounds like the police want to shoot teenagers in the head with bullet instead of wanting the bullet that is already in the teenager's head.
The (London) Independent 12.23.06:
The brackets are not needed.
Sounds like a title. Does not explain what story is about.
The date should be written out. It should read Dec. 23, 2006.
Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors:
Again, sounds like police are shooting people.
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 12.17.06:
Remove the brackets.
Make the headline revelant to the story.
Again write out the date. It should be Dec. 17, 2006.
U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home:
Sounds like the pilot survived Brazil only to crash upon returning home.
The Press of Atlantic City 12.10.06:
Does nothing to tell what the story is about.
Again write out the date. It should be Dec. 10, 2006.
Will hanging help Bush?…:
If Bush wishes to die then certainly hanging will help.
Activity 4: COMPARE HEADLINES
ReplyDeleteThe headline "Not Again" on the cover of "The Huffington Post" is a huge 73.5 font size. The two words alone do not tell at all what the story is about. If the font size was reduced to a smaller size, the the headline could reflect what the story is about. For example, if the font was reduced to size 36 and if two columns were used then at least 18 words would fit the space. The headline could read "Democrates fail health care strategy once again", to show what the story is really about.
This headline link leads to a story that has a subheadline that is very long. "Reform Déjà Vu: Democrats Follow Failed Health Care Strategy and Preemptively Surrender on Consumer Financial Protection Agency". It is only 12 point font but because of the length of 17 words takes up five lines in its one column space. This headline would be better if it were shorter.
"Guest Worker Plan Purposed," - The headline leaves out context, what the story is about isn't very clear.
ReplyDelete"Texas police want bullet lodged in teenager's head,"-not sure what the intended meaning of this one was; however, I'm not sure they mean police want to shoot teenagers.
Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors- It sounds as if the avenue is full of police who are shooting protesters.
U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home- Looks as if the pilots in Brazil crashed back in the U.S.
Will hanging help Bush?…- I have no idea what this one is about,it may have something to do a hanging chad.