Headlines?

Headlines?

Making sure you convey the proper meaning

Something Went Wrong in Plane Crash, Expert Says

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be

Belted

Stud Tires Out

Lung Cancer in Women Mushrooms

Eye Drops off Shelf

Teacher Strikes Idle Kids

War Dims Hope for Peace

Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim

Shot Off Woman's Leg Helps Nicklaus to 66

Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax

Miners Refuse to Work after Death

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant

Stolen Painting Found by Tree

Never Withhold Herpes Infection from Loved One

Drunken Drivers Paid $1000

If Strike isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge

Deer Kill 17,000

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks

Chef Throws His Heart into Helping Feed Needy

Arson Suspect is Held in Massachusetts Fire

British Union Finds Dwarfs in Short Supply

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half

New Vaccine May Contain Rabies

Prosecutor Releases Probe into Undersheriff

Old School Pillars are Replaced by Alumni

Bank Drive-in Window Blocked by Board

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors

Sex Education Delayed, Teachers Request Training

Include your Children when Baking Cookies

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over

HEADLINE RULES

1. Your headline should be specific to your story – avoid general ones

»Non-example: Parents angry»Example: Parents angry over school district’s revised dress code

HEADLINE RULES

2. Use present tense for past and present events; use future tense (‘to’ and ‘will’) for future events

»Example: Verlander powers Tigers to win over Yanks»Example: Colbert to host Oscars

HEADLINE RULES

3. In the interest of saving space, omit ‘a,’ ‘an,’ ‘the’; use the comma in place of ‘and’; use single quotation marks when this punctuation is needed; do not place period at end of headline

»Non-example: A Colonie man was killed by a delivery truck.» Example: Colonie man is

killed by delivery truck

HEADLINE RULES

4. Use only widely known abbreviations

»Non-example: UAB outlasts ECU in Conference USA b-ball marathon»Example: Alabama-Birmingham

outlasts East Carolina in Conference USA basketball marathon

HEADLINE RULES

5. When you are writing for YOUR paper, omit school name or abbreviation (it’s a given)

»Non-example: Shen students upset over new Halloween policy»Example: Students express frustration over new Halloween policy

HEADLINE RULES

6. Avoid repeating the same word of another form of the word

»Non-example: Man suffers serious injuries in serious car crash»Example: Saratoga man suffers critical injuries in car crash

HEADLINE RULES

7. Attribute opinion; keep headlines objective (unless it’s an opinion piece)

»Non-example: Republicans are to blame for economic crisis»Example: Republicans are to blame for economic crisis, says Biden

HEADLINE RULES

8. Use facts from the lead of a well-written story as the basis for your headline

»Non-example: Hockey is on the horizon»Example: Hockey team looking to rebound from last year’s loss in sectional final

Problems with these?

• The school’s new policy is a bad one.

• Albany man is gunned down by a Troy man

• UVM topped UMBC in men’s baseball

• A-Rod has got to go

• Gillibrand and Long debated at Skidmore College.