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The headline or heading is the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it, typically by providing a form of brief summary of its contents. The large type ''front page headline'' did not come into use until the late 19th century when increased competition between newspapers led to the use of attention-getting headlines. It is sometimes termed a news ''hed'', a deliberate misspelling that dates from production flow during
hot type ''Hot Type'' was a Canadian television series, which aired weekly on CBC Newsworld. Hosted by Evan Solomon, the program was a cultural talk and interview show focused primarily on books and literature."TV takes new look at the printed word". ''Th ...
days, to notify the composing room that a written note from an editor concerned a headline and should not be set in type. Headlines in English often use a set of grammatical rules known as '' headlinese'', designed to meet stringent space requirements by, for example, leaving out forms of the verb "to be" and choosing short verbs like "eye" over longer synonyms like "consider".


Production

A headline's purpose is to quickly and briefly draw attention to the story. It is generally written by a copy editor, but may also be written by the writer, the page layout designer, or other editors. The most important story on the front page above the fold may have a larger headline if the story is unusually important. '' The New York Times'' 21 July 1969 front page stated, for example, that " MEN WALK ON MOON", with the four words in gigantic size spread from the left to right edges of the page. In the United States, headline contests are sponsored by the American Copy Editors Society, the National Federation of Press Women, and many state press associations; some contests consider created content already published, others are for works written with winning in mind.


Typology

Research in 1980 classified newspaper headlines into four broad categories: questions, commands, statements, and explanations. Advertisers and marketers classify advertising headlines slightly differently into questions, commands, benefits, news/information, and provocation.


Research

A study indicates there has been a substantial increase of sentiment negativity and decrease of emotional neutrality in headlines across written popular U.S.-based news media since 2000. Skilled newspaper readers "spend most of their reading time scanning the headlines—rather than reading
ll or most of Ll/ll is a digraph that occurs in several languages English In English, often represents the same sound as single : . The doubling is used to indicate that the preceding vowel is (historically) short, or that the "l" sound is to be extended ...
the stories". Headlines can bias readers toward a specific interpretation and readers struggle to update their memory in order to correct initial misconceptions in the cases of misleading or inappropriate headlines. One approach investigated as a potential countermeasure to online misinformation is "attaching warnings to headlines of news stories that have been disputed by third-party fact-checkers", albeit its potential problems include e.g. that false headlines that fail to get tagged are considered validated by readers.


Criticism


Sensationalism, inaccuracy and misleading headlines


"Slam"

The use of "slam" in headlines has attracted criticism on the grounds that the word is overused and contributes to media sensationalism. The violent imagery of words like "slam", "blast", "rip", and "bash" has drawn comparison to professional wrestling, where the primary aim is to titillate audiences with a conflict-laden and largely predetermined narrative, rather than provide authentic coverage of spontaneous events.


Crash blossoms

"Crash blossoms" is a term used to describe headlines that have unintended ambiguous meanings, such as '' The Times'' headline "Hospitals named after sandwiches kill five". The word 'named' is typically used in headlines to mean "blamed/held accountable/named
n a lawsuit N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
, but in this example it seems to say that the hospitals' names were related to sandwiches. The headline was subsequently changed in the electronic version of the article to remove the ambiguity. The term was coined in August 2009 on the Testy Copy Editors web forum after the ''
Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
'' published an article entitled "Violinist Linked to JAL Crash Blossoms" (since retitled to "Violinist shirks off her tragic image").


Headlinese

Headlinese is an abbreviated form of news writing style used in newspaper headlines. Because space is limited, headlines are written in a compressed
telegraphic style Telegram style, telegraph style, telegraphic style, or telegraphese is a clipped way of writing which abbreviates words and packs information into the smallest possible number of words or characters. It originated in the telegraph age when teleco ...
, using special syntactic conventions, including: * Forms of the verb "to be" and
articles Article often refers to: * Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness * Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication Article may also refer to: G ...
(''a'', ''an'', ''the'') are usually omitted. * Most verbs are in the simple present tense, e.g. "Governor signs bill", while the future is expressed by an infinitive, with ''to'' followed by a verb, as in "Governor to sign bill" * The conjunction "and" is often replaced by a comma, as in "Bush, Blair laugh off microphone mishap". * Individuals are usually specified by surname only, with no honorifics. * Organizations and institutions are often indicated by
metonymy Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...
: "Wall Street" for the US financial sector, "Whitehall" for the UK government administration, "Madrid" for the government of Spain, "Davos" for World Economic Forum, and so on. * Many
abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
s, including
contraction Contraction may refer to: Linguistics * Contraction (grammar), a shortened word * Poetic contraction, omission of letters for poetic reasons * Elision, omission of sounds ** Syncope (phonology), omission of sounds in a word * Synalepha, merged ...
s and
acronyms An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
, are used: in the US, some examples are ''Dems'' (for " Democrats") and ''GOP'' (for the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...
, from the nickname "Grand Old Party"); in the UK, ''Lib Dems'' (for the Liberal Democrats), '' Tories'' (for the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
). The period (full point) is usually omitted from these abbreviations, though ''U.S.'' may retain them, especially in all-caps headlines to avoid confusion with the word ''us''. * Lack of a terminating
full stop The full stop (Commonwealth English), period (North American English), or full point , is a punctuation mark. It is used for several purposes, most often to mark the end of a declarative sentence (as distinguished from a question or exclamation ...
(period) even if the headline forms a complete sentence. * Use of single quotation marks to indicate a claim or allegation that cannot be presented as a fact. For example, an article titled "Ultra-processed foods 'linked to cancer'" covered a study which suggested a link but acknowledged that its findings were not definitive. Linguist
Geoffrey K. Pullum Geoffrey Keith Pullum (; born 8 March 1945) is a British and American linguist specialising in the study of English. He is Professor Emeritus of General Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. Pullum is a co-author of ''The Cambridge Gram ...
characterizes this practice as deceptive, noting that the single-quoted expressions in newspaper headlines are often not actual quotations, and sometimes convey a claim that is not supported by the text of the article. Another technique is to present the claim as a question, hence
Betteridge's law of headlines Betteridge's law of headlines is an adage that states: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word ''no''." It is named after Ian Betteridge, a British technology journalist who wrote about it in 2009, although the princ ...
. Some periodicals have their own distinctive headline styles, such as '' Variety'' and its entertainment-jargon headlines, most famously " Sticks Nix Hick Pix".


Commonly used short words

To save space and attract attention, headlines often use extremely short words, many of which are not otherwise in common use, in unusual or idiosyncratic ways: * ''ace'' (a professional, especially a member of an elite sports team, e.g. " England ace") * ''axe'' (to eliminate) * ''bid'' (to attempt) * ''blast'' (to heavily criticize) * ''cagers'' (basketball team – "cage" is an old term for indoor court) * ''chop'' (to eliminate) * ''coffer(s)'' (a person or entity’s financial holdings) * ''confab'' (a meeting) * ''eye'' (to consider) * ''finger'' (to accuse, blame) * ''fold'' (to shut down) * ''gambit'' (an attempt) * ''hike'' (to increase, raise) * ''ink'' (to sign a contract) * ''laud'' (to praise) * ''lull'' (a pause) * ''mar'' (to damage, harm) * ''mull'' (to contemplate) * ''nab'' (to grab) * ''nix'' (to reject) * ''parley'' (to discuss) * ''pen'' (to write) * ''probe'' (to investigate) * ''rap'' (to criticize) * ''romp'' (an easy victory or a sexual encounter) * ''row'' (an argument or disagreement) * ''rue'' (to lament) * ''see'' (to forecast) * ''slay'' (to murder) * ''slam'' (to heavily criticize) * ''snub'' (to reject) * ''solon'' (to judge) * ''spat'' (an argument or disagreement) * ''tap'' (to select, choose) * ''tot'' (a child) * ''tout'' (to put forward) * ''woe'' (disappointment or misfortune)


Famous examples

Some famous headlines in periodicals include: * WALL ST. LAYS AN EGG – '' Variety'' on
Black Monday Black Monday refers to specific Mondays when undesirable or turbulent events have occurred. It has been used to designate massacres, military battles, and stock market crashes. Historic events *1209, Dublin – when a group of 500 recently arriv ...
(1929) * STICKS NIX HICK PIX – ''Variety'' writing that rural moviegoers preferred urban films (1935) * DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN – '' Chicago Tribune'' reporting the wrong election winner (1948) * FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD – ''
New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' reporting the denial of a federal bailout for bankrupt New York City (1975) *
MUSH FROM THE WIMP "Mush from the Wimp" was a joke headline at the top of an editorial in ''The Boston Globe'' that accidentally passed through to publication in 1980. Headline On March 15, 1980, ''The Boston Globe'' ran an editorial that began: There was noth ...
– '' The Boston Globe'' in-house joke headline for an editorial, which was not changed before 161,000 copies had been printed. Theo Lippman Jr. of the ''
Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' declared "Mush from the Wimp" the second most famous newspaper headline of the 20th century, behind "Wall St. Lays an Egg" and ahead of "Ford to City: Drop Dead". * HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR – '' New York Post'' on a local murder (1983) * SICK TRANSIT'S GLORIOUS MONDAY – ''New York Daily News'' front-page caption on a photo (1979) reporting an agreement to avoid fare increases and provide federal funding *
GOTCHA Gotcha, a colloquial contraction for "got you" (got ya), may refer to: Film and TV * ''Gotcha!'' (film), a 1985 film starring Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino * "Gotcha!" (''Adventure Time''), an episode of ''Adventure Time'' * "Gotcha" ...
– The UK '' Sun'' on the torpedoing of the Argentine ship ''
Belgrano Belgrano may refer to: People * Joaquín Belgrano (1773–1848), an Argentine patriot * José Denis Belgrano (1844–1917), Spanish painter * Joseph Belgrano (1762–1823), Argentine military officer and politician, brother of Manuel * Manuel Belg ...
'' and sinking of a gunboat during the
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
(1982) * FREDDIE STARR ATE MY HAMSTER – The UK ''Sun'' (1986), claiming that the comedian had eaten a fan's pet hamster in a sandwich. The story was later proven false, but is seen as one of the classic tabloid newspaper headlines. * GREAT SATAN SITS DOWN WITH THE AXIS OF EVIL – '' The Times'' (UK) on US-Iran talks (2007) * UNDERWEAR BANDIT CAUGHT, ADMITS BRIEF CRIME SPREE – ''
Kodiak Daily Mirror The ''Kodiak Daily Mirror'' is the daily newspaper of Kodiak, Alaska, established June 15, 1940. It was purchased by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner The '' Fairbanks Daily News-Miner'' is a morning daily newspaper serving the city of Fairbanks, ...
'' (Alaska, US) on the arrest of a panty-pilfering suspect who had admitted his short involvement in the crime. (2014) * SUPER CALEY GO BALLISTIC CELTIC ARE ATROCIOUS – ''Sun'' on
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional F ...
beating Celtic in the Scottish Cup; a pun on " Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" * WE ARE POPE (in German: Wir sind Papst); ''
Bild ''Bild'' (or ''Bild-Zeitung'', ; ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper ''Bild am Sonntag'' ("''Bild on Sunday''") is published instead, which ...
'' after a German was voted to become Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. '' The New Republic'' editor Michael Kinsley began a contest to find the most boring newspaper headline. According to him, no entry surpassed the one that had inspired him to create the contest: "WORTHWHILE CANADIAN INITIATIVE", over a column by ''The New York Times''
Flora Lewis Flora Lewis (25 July 1922—June 2, 2002) was an American journalist. Background Lewis was born into a Jewish family in Los Angeles. Her father Benjamin Lewis was a lawyer and mother Pauline Kallin a pianist. She graduated high school at the age ...
. In 2003, '' New York Magazine'' published a list of eleven "greatest tabloid headlines".


See also

* '' A-1 Headline'', a 2004 Hong Kong film * *
Bus plunge Bus plunge stories are a nickname for a journalistic practice of reporting bus accidents in short articles that describe the vehicle as "plunging" from a bridge or hillside road. The phenomenon has been noted in ''The New York Times'', which publi ...
, a type of news story, and accompanying headline *
Copy editing Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material ( copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual o ...
*
Corporate jargon Corporate jargon, variously known as corporate speak, corporate lingo, business speak, business jargon, management speak, workplace jargon, corporatese or commercialese, is the jargon often used in large corporations, bureaucracies, and similar wor ...
* Crosswordese, words common in crosswords that are otherwise rarely used * * Ellipsis (linguistics), omission of words * Headlines (from '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'') * Lead paragraph * * Syntactic ambiguity, leads to multiple humorous possible alternative interpretations of written headline


References


Further reading

* Harold Evans (1974). ''News Headlines'' (Editing and Design : Book Three) Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd. * Fritz Spiegl (1966). ''What The Papers Didn't Mean to Say''. Scouse Press, Liverpool * Mårdh, Ingrid (1980); ''Headlinese: On the Grammar of English Front Page headlines''; "Lund studies in English" series; Lund, Sweden: Liberläromedel/Gleerup; * Biber, D. (2007); "Compressed noun phrase structures in newspaper discourse: The competing demands of popularization vs. economy"; in W. Teubert and R. Krishnamurthy (eds.); ''Corpus linguistics: Critical concepts in linguistics''; vol. V, pp. 130–141; London: Routledge


External links

{{wiktionary, headline
Front Page – The British Library
Exhibition of famous newspaper headlines Journalism terminology