@Pyper 20 February 2021 more from that month

An Introduction to Headlines

Names and titles give identities – it reflects people, objects, animals, and organizations. They provide an understanding to others regarding their entirety and purpose, and the same is applied in journalism, specifically in the newspaper, these names and titles are found within the front pages and inner contents. In newspaper articles, these names and titles are referred to as “headlines” or heading - they frame the information that is to follow. A headline is what introduces the news story. It is located at the top of the article, thus, it is the first aspect that garners the interest and attention of the readers, making it is the most fundamental factor in writing. It consists of a group of words that vary according to the writer of the article’s purpose. Sometimes it is a one-liner, other times it may be more, and it also may be set in larger and bolder letters. Copy editors, writers, page layout designers, and other editors are among those who are responsible for deciding and constructing headlines. It has many functions as it does not only heed to a few objectives and goals but more. The main functions are to (1) Summarize the Story – to convey information in a concise and eloquent manner. (2) Generate Interest – to captivate the interest of the audience, therefore, gaining readers. (3) Lend Character and Stability to the Newspaper – the headline must be aligned with the construction, purpose, and message of the article as one headline alone can reflect the overall credibility of the newspaper. Headline functions may also be identified through the “HEADS” acronym: H - Heralds the day’s news. It must focus on important matters that the public needs to be aware of. E - Entices the reader with essential or interesting facts. A - Advertises the fundamental story by size or placement on the page. D - Dresses up a page with typography. S - Summarizes the story with an interesting or eyecatching lead. Choosing a headline is as complex as deciding what topic is the most newsworthy and is as difficult as writing the article itself. In writing a headline, there are guidelines in order to exterminate commitments of mistakes and in order to help the writer in choosing an interesting and captivating heading. The following are some of the guidelines: It must be accurate, clear, and specific. Should consist of 5-10 words at the most. The writer must use the active voice. The present tense and active verbs should be used but starting with verbs should be avoided. The writer should use an infinitive form of the verb for future actions. Avoid using “*a, an, the”* Avoid using conjunctions such as “*and*” - substitute with a comma (,) instead. The headline should be in complete sentences or must imply complete sentences. The writer must avoid repetition - the headline should not repeat the lead as it only serves to summarize and introduce the topic. Avoid using unidentified pronouns. The first word in the head should be capitalized as should all proper nouns. The writer must avoid editorialization, exaggerations, and generalizations or usage of long words. The headline must be simple and direct.  In the headline punctuation, the writer must use periods for abbreviations only and single quotes for double quotes in a story.  Do not write the letters of the number’s word rather, use numbers. Use punctuations properly. In order to write a headline, the writer must heed the guidelines, however, a good headline is one that follows headline vocabulary. The headline vocabulary consists of keywords that may or may not be commonly used and are used since they are less spacious and more concise. Headlines are typically written in a style that consists of simplified grammar. The following are some of the headline vocabulary writers usually follow/use: (Note that these are all available on the internet and that these are what journalists use in their articles.) Air – to make know/ broadcast Accord – agreement Assail – to criticize strongly Axe – to remove from a job Back – to support Ban – to not allow to do something Bar – to officially say that something must not be done Bid – an attempt Blast – an explosion Blaze – a big fire Cite – to mention; to give as a reason Claim – to declare to be true Claim – to kill Curb – to limit; to control Dim – to become weaker Dub – to give a name or description to Due – expected Ease – to reduce or lessen Eye – to watch with interest; to have as a goal Fault – to criticize; say someone/ something’s wrong Flay – to accuse; to criticize strongly Foe – enemy; rival; competitor Foil – to prevent from succeeding Grip – control; to take control of Gut – to destroy by fire Haul – a large amount of something illegal that has been taken Haul – an amount of something that has been won or achieved Heist – theft Helm – the head of an organization, project, etc. Hike – an increase Ink – to sign Irk – to the case to be angry or annoyed Key – very important Lash – to hit with a strong force Lash out – to criticize strongly Laud – to praise; to say good things about Launch – to start or begin Link – to connect; connection Loom – expected in the near feature Mull –to think carefully about; to consider Nab – to capture; to arrest Net – to capture; to take possession of Nod –approval Opt – to choose; to decide on Oust – to force out of a position, competition, etc. Pact – an agreement Plea – a request; an answer to a criminal charge Pledge – a serious promise Poised – ready; about to achieve Poll – an election Post – a job or position Probe – to investigate; an investigation Prompt – to cause Rage – to burn out of control Rage – to continue with a lot of force, violence, or anger Reel – to feel very shocked or upset about something Rock – to shock; to surprise Rout – to defeat completely or by a large amount Row – quarrel; a serious disagreement Rule – to make a decision (especially in a court or a regulating agency) Rule out – to not consider as a possibility Sack – to dismiss from a job Scam – a clever and dishonest plan for making money Set – ready; decided on Shun – to avoid someone or something Slam –to criticize someone very strongly Slay – to kill someone or something in a war or fight Snag – a problem or difficulty Snub –to pay no attention to; to refuse to accept something Soar –to rise rapidly Split – to divide or become divided Spook – to frighten or become frightened Stalemate – a disagreement that can’t be solved Stall – to delay or make things wait; to stop making progress Stance – the opinions that someone has about something; position Stem – to stop something from spreading or increasing Sway – to influence or persuade Swindle – a situation in which someone cheats someone in order to get money or property Thwart – to prevent from being successful Tie – relationship; strong connection Tip – to say in advance that someone or something will be successful Trigger – to make something happen; to cause someone to say or do something Trim – to cut or reduce the amount or number of something Urge – to advise someone very strongly about what action or attitude they should take Vie – to compete with other people for something that is difficult to get Void – to make something no longer legal or effective Vow – a serious promise; to make a serious promise Weigh – to consider all the aspects of the situation Woo – to try to persuade people to support you Yield – to produce something useful; to make a profit