Testy Copy Editors

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Board index » Archives » General Discussion Past 10/1/03-6/30/04

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majorbabs
 Post subject: Paging Mr. Webster...
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2004 10:30 am 
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 744
Location: HuskerLand
My local press club is having its first "excellence in journalism" competition and one of the categories is "best headline." How do you define a "best headline?" Clever? Succinct? Closes out A3? Publisher liked it? Other?<p>Definitions appreciated so I can see if I've done anything worth submitting.
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SeaRaven
 Post subject: Re: Paging Mr. Webster...
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2004 1:36 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2003 12:01 am
Posts: 1112
Location: An undisclosed alpine meadow
Are we talking best headlines, or those that win contests? The only way to win a headline contest is with a tired old pun that says little about the story. For instance, if the story is about figure skating, the hed should proclaim that someone's future is "on ice." No sense putting any thought into choosing just the right verb or anything.
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Matthew Grieco
 Post subject: Re: Paging Mr. Webster...
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2004 4:28 pm 
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Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 1:01 am
Posts: 2266
Location: New Jersey
Just make sure there is a category for "Best Use of a Word 77% of Your Readers Won't Understand."<p>E.g., a memorable one from my first year in the biz: "Clinton probe onus may be shifted."
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jbm
 Post subject: Re: Paging Mr. Webster...
PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2004 7:40 pm 
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Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 83
Location: New York
We just had our first annual newsroom awards. The "headline of the year" was one about Rice University's national championship in baseball: "Rice guys finish first." I think this falls into the category of "University President Liked it and Told the Editor So."
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