HEADLINE WRITING

HEADLINE WRITING

A reader often decides whether to read a story based on what the headline says. A headline tempts the reader to dig into the story. To do this, you, as a headline writer, must have a sense of what will attract the reader. You must have abroad vocabulary and enough versatility to say  the  same  thing  several  ways  to  make  sure  the headline will fit the space allotted for it on the page.

HEADLINE  EVOLUTION

The  first  newspaper  headlines  were nothing more than labels. A large capital letter, called an “initial letter,” may have been used to set off the first paragraph  of  each  story.  Sometimes  the  front-page headlines were one-line labels showing the origin of the news (England, France, Spain).

HEADLINE  FUNCTIONS

 The modem trend in headlines is toward simplicity. Most newspapers now use heads that say what has to be said in a minimum of words. A good headline conveys the news in  a  story  and  the  significance  and  meaning behind the story. It never implies more — and should not say too much less — than what actually appears in the story. It does not contain misleading suggestions and it does not leave false impressions. An  easy  way  to  remember  the  functions  of  the headline is through the acronym HEADS:

H  -   Heralds   the   days   news;   tells   what   is   of importance.

E - Entices the reader with essential or interesting facts.

A - Advertises the most important story by size or placement on the page (the most important stories are displayed at the top of the page).

D - Dresses up a page with typography; helps male design attractive.

S - Summarizes the story with a super lead,tells what the story is all about.

HEADLINE  STYLES

For style variation, your headlines can beset in  all-caps,  caps  and  lowercase  or  downstyle.  These methods are covered in the following text.

ALL-CAPS  HEADS -The all-capital letter headline style is almost extinct. All-caps  heads,  while  they  are  easier  to  write  than others, are the most difficult to read. To test this premise, read the following paragraph: AS THIS PARAGRAPH DEMONSTRATES, THE ALL-CAPITAL   SETTING   IS   NEITHER EFFICIENT   FOR   THE   READER,   NOR PLEASING   TO   THE   EYE.   WILLIAM RANDOLPH  HEARST  USED  TO  HAVE  KEY GRAPHS IN HIS EDITORIALS SET ALL-CAPS. I N S T E A D    O F    M A K I N G    T H E    P O I NT EMPHATICALLY,   AS   HE   INTENDED,   SUCH SETTING   ACTUALLY   CUT   DOWN   THE READERSHIP AND ITS IMPACT. Even the most patient, attentive and skilled reader will  be  blinded  by  the  onslaught  of  all  those  capital letters.

CAPS AND LOWERCASE HEADS-A widely used headline style is the uppercase and lowercase head In this headline style, all words, other than  articles,  conjunctions,  and  prepositions  of  fewer than four (and sometimes five) letters, are set with the first letter in caps and the others in lowercase.

DOWN-STYLE  HEADS The   down-style   head   usage   has   increased   in popularity  in  recent  years.  In  down-style  heads,  the  first letter of the first word— and the first letter of any proper noun — is set as a cap, and all other letters are lowercase. Down-style is presented in the way persons are taught to  read  and  write.  The  style  is  visually  attractive  and enhances the readability of the line. By design, it lacks the numerous capital letters in a headline which serve as 'eye-stoppers'.

Read on HEADLINE forms: banner,sideheads,standing heads,flush left headline etc

Writing Headlines

Headline writing requires skill and concentration. Your headline must give the essence of the story. While explaining  the  story  accurately,  your  headline  also  must fit into a limited space.

Some  copy  editors  approach  headline  writing  by looking for a key word or two that expresses the high point of the story. Then they add other words until they have a headline.

Other copy editors begin by forming a sentence that contains the essential elements of the story. Then they edit out excess words (adverbs, adjectives, articles, and so forth) and minor details until all that is left   is   a   well-tailored   headline   that   tells   the   story essentials.

Headlines are written in telegraphic  English,  a term coined because they closely resemble the wording found inmost telegrams. While the consideration in telegrams is mostly monetary, the  economical  consideration  of headlines  is  space.  Therefore, headlines usually contain — as the “bare bones” of language — a subject and verb.

A  straight  news  headline  is  written  for  a  straight news story and a feature headline for a feature story. If the story is a colorful account of some event or trip, the headline should be colorful. If the story is a romantic or dramatic account of an event, the headline should follow form. If it is a human interest story with an element of pathos, the headline should not be humorous. If the story is humorous, the headline should not be pathetic. In  the  following  text,  we  will  cover  some  of  the general  principles  of  headline  construction  practiced  by most  copy  editors.

USE OF VERBS

The   key   to   good   headline   writing   is   the   use, whenever  possible,  of  strong  action  verbs.  Headline writers  use  verbs  in  what  is  sometimes  called  the “historical  present”  tense  —  meaning  they  use  the present  tense  verb  to  describe  action  that  has  already happened. Primarily, this tense is used to convey a sense of immediacy, in the same way many people normally speak   in   the   present   tense   to   describe   exciting experiences   to   friends.   Present   tense   verbs   contain fewer letters than do their past tense forms. Verbs may be omitted when implied.

Action verbs are still best for capturing a reader’s attention. The verbs  is  and  are  are  frequently  understood.  It  is  not necessary to use them except for clarity. The infinitive “to be” is also awkward in headlines and you should avoid using it.

DECKS

 Make  each  deck  (not  necessarily  each  line)  a complete  construction.  Write  the  headline  so  it  will stand alone and make sense, especially when you use it as the main deck. Consider the following example:

Poor: Decade of off-duty study

          earns law degree to mayor

Better: Mayor earns law degree

          after decade of off-duty study

BE POSITIVE

Another  custom  most  headline  writers  observe  is phrasing headlines in a positive, rather than in a negative manner. This is based on the principle that a newspaper is supposed to tell readers what  did happen,  not  what did not happen. When  writing  about  a  family  that  escapes  injury when their car overturns and bums on a highway, a novice headline writer would probably write the following: No one hurt in car fire Given   the   same   story,   a   good   headline   writer composes the following headline: family escapes flaming death

BE  SPECIFIC

As  with  all  forms  of  newswriting,  the  use  of specifics is better than generalities. Note the following headline: Auto crash proves fatal This  headline  does  not  contain  nearly  as  much information as the headline that follows: two die as car hits tree

OPINIONS

 Headlines  on  stories  dealing  with  opinion  should show the source of that opinion. If a story is attributed to a secondhand source, this should be reflected in the headline. Consider the following examples: ’Courts  too  lenient’ claims Lucy Kibaki.

THE   FIVE   Ws

A good headline generally has the who and the what of  the  story  in  the  first  line,  with  the  following  lines explaining the how and why, if necessary. People expect newspaper stories to concern events that   have   occurred   since   the   previous   edition   was published. Therefore, the when can usually be omitted. If an event is yet to happen, however, warn the reader by the inclusion of the when through the use of the future tense or a specific day or date. The where in a headline on a local story is generally omitted. Readers expect their newspapers to print local stories  and  will  assume  a  story  is  local  unless  the dateline or headline specifies otherwise.

REPEATS

You  should  avoid  repeating  words  in  the  same headline deck. eg.Former Raila aide journalist returns to Railas office as public communications officer.

SHORT SYNONYMS

Use short, vigorous words. Headline writers usually have a vocabulary all their own. They learn to think in terms of short synonyms for longer expressions when writing  headlines.  Many  copy-editing  texts  contain  lists of short synonyms for headline use. Note the following examples: l

Named for  appointed  or  elected l Set for  arrange  or  schedule

Win for victory

Ex for former

Job for appointment or position

OK for accept, approve or adopt

Try for  attempt

Hike for raise or increase

Tell for reveal or inform

don for professor

VP/Veep for vice president

envoy for ambassador..(add more on this list from your analysis of the two dailies-nation&Standard)

ABBREVIATIONS

You  should  use  commonly  known  and  accepted abbreviations  when  they  are  appropriate.

LINE BALANCE

Try  to  balance  headlines  typographically.  Consider the  following  examples:

Unbalanced:   I have only one wife,my dear

                   lucy:Kibaki

Balanced:      I have only one wife,

                   my dear lucy:Kibaki

PUNCTUATION

Newspaper   editors   generally   adhere   to   the following  style  for  headlines: l Use single quotation marks instead of double.