Yes, clever headlines still matter
Before thumbs scrolled screens for news headlines, they turned paper pages; given that bookstores and supermarkets still have newsracks, they may still. A clever headline can stop those thumbs, and eyes. Wait, what?
For headline composers and the author of the articles beneath those heads, Ahas! mean mission accomplished — a reeled-in reader. Last week, ACES: The Society for Editing honored people excellent at stopping visual traffic: the winners of its annual headline contest.
David Bowman of the Los Angeles Times, Rhiannon L. Root of The Washington Times and Tom Widlowski of the Texas Electric Cooperatives won individual categories based on the size of their staffs and audiences. (Natalie Canalis of the University of California, Los Angeles’ Daily Bruin won the individual student category.)
Related Knowledge Center: Inside the newsroom
As newsrooms struggle with rickety business models and precarious finances — as well as new technologies — they are deploying an array of editorial responses.
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