Tag Archives: headlines

Headline fun

You know, the job of a copy editor can seem unfulfilling at times. You work during prime-time, you don’t get your name in the paper, and the only creative thing you can do is write headlines.

But every now and then you get to write a headline you particularly enjoy. Like this one, over a story about a study showing computers in schools can actually be counter-productive to learning.

This is about all the fun we get. Well, that and the occasional impromptu pun-off.

Oh The HumanBrady!

It was the headline I wanted to use in case of a Giants upset, but the pun was stretched just a bit too far.

I was rooting for the Giants as the sports copy desk listened to the game, glancing at plays through the corners of our eyes while editing pages about the Habs game, winter sports and golf. It wasn’t because I like the Giants, but merely because they were the underdogs, and in my opinion a stunning upset of a perfect season was more dramatic than an undefeated team getting a final, predicted win.

Most of the front-page headlines (including the one on today’s sports section) came in a large, two-word format of [GIANT/PERFECT/SUPER] [UPSET/SURPRISE/SHOCK/WIN/FINISH/ENDING/LETDOWN], with GIANT UPSET being the runaway favourite.

Here are a few of the more creative front-page headlines I found in today’s papers:

and, of course:

  • Rising Cost of Iraq War May Reignite Public Debate (Wall Street Journal)

Nobody used my headline. Perhaps that’s for the best.