My paper is having yet another outbreak of the dreaded "if it's a pun or appears to be a pun, it's a great headline!" syndrome. I work in slot and stop as many of these embarrassments as possible, but one can only do so much. Consider these headlines, both of which appeared on my days off:<p> 1. A columnist columnized on the relative hard times former GE emperor Jack Welch is seeing, and how his reputation has suffered. The copy editor's inspired headline:<p>Jack fell down, broke his renown<p>What the hell does that mean? I threw my morning paper across the room when I saw it. How could anyone have let it in the paper?<p>A couple days later, a copy desk message from a manager inquired as to the author of this headline. In the real world, it would have been an invitation to a chat with someone about how bad a headline it was. But in Our Little World, the inquiry was to find the author because the headline was submitted to the chain's headline writing contest.<p>And I was proved an asshole when it won second place.<p>2. Story about a court ruling on regulations regarding shipment of out-of-state wines. Here is the headline (and please note the breaks):<p>Ruling on wine law raises grape expectations<p>Bad breaks at all, this is a sure winner...based on the Jack Falling Down Standard. Once an award is given for a headline like "Jack," it's Katie bar the door.
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