Exercise room < > Writing headlines for the web

Headline writing exercise 2

Name

Course Section

Date

Instructor

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Story 1 - Frat house

Headline

You are limited to 60 characters for this headline.

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Story 2 - Building fire

Headline

You are limited to 60 characters for this headline.

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Story 3 - Storm

Headline

You are limited to 60 characters for this headline.

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Story 4 - Libel

Headline

You are limited to 60 characters for this headline.

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Instructions

Instructors: The purpose of this exercise is to provide students with some practice in writing headlines for the web. Headlines, in the words of Jakob Nielsen, should be "pearls of clarity."

Students: In the spaces on the right, write headlines for the stories below. You should read Headline writing for the web before starting this exercise.

Refer to the headline tips lower on the page as you do your work. If you click on Read more of the story, a new window will open that contains the entire story.

No headline can be more than 60 characters long.

Once you start, do not refresh your page while you are working or you may lose your work.

Story 1 - Frat house

A University freshman remains in critical condition at a local hospital suffering from alcohol poisoning after a weekend party at the Alpha Beta Zeta fraternity house.

Al Amalek, a freshman in liberal arts from Nashville, Tenn., was hospitalized this weekend along with two other members of the ABZ fraternity and diagnosed with alcohol poisoning.

Read more of the story

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Story 2 - Building fire

An early morning blaze gutted the second oldest building in downtown Tuscaloosa, causing nearly $900,000 in damages.

Two firefighters were slightly injured early Monday morning as they battled the fire that destroyed most of the Kress Building at 201 Water Street.

Read more of the story

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Story 3 - Storm

A violent thunderstorm Sunday night caused flooding, power outages, and at least one traffic accident that injured a local accountant.

Sarah Leigh, an accountant with the Winken, Blinken and Nod accounting firm, was hospitalized with several broken bones after an accident at Main Street and 10th Avenue. She is listed in fair condition at City Memorial Hospital.

Read more of the story

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Story 4 - Libel

A local jury awarded a $2 million libel judgment against the Daily Tribune Monday in a suit filed by a local businessman.

The jury award $500,000 in damages and $1.5 million in punitive damages to Harvey Segovia, owner of Segovia Lumber Co. Segovia had charged that the newspaper had damaged his reputation in a story about a construction accident two years ago.

Read more of the story

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Headline tips

• Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy.
  
  
• Headlines should be based on the main idea of the story.
  

• If facts are not in the story, do not use them in a headline.
  

• Avoid repetition.
  

• Avoid ambiguity, insinuations and double meanings.
  

• If a story qualifies a statement, the headline should also.
  

• Use present tense verbs.
  

• For the future tense, use the infinitive form of the verb.
  

• “To be” verbs, such as “is,” “are,” “was” and “were,” should be omitted.
  

• Alliteration, if used, should be deliberate and should not go against the general tone of the story.
  

• Do not use articles.
  

• Do not use the conjunction “and.” Use a comma instead.
  

• Avoid using unclear or little-known names, phrases and abbreviations in headlines.
  

• Use punctuation sparingly.
  

• No headline may start with a verb.
  

• Headlines should be complete sentences or should imply complete sentences. When a linking verb is used, it can be implied rather than spelled out.
  

• Avoid headlinese — that is, words such as hit, flay, rap, hike, nix, nab, slate, etc. Use words for their precise meaning.
  

• Do not use pronouns alone and unidentified.
  

• Be accurate and specific.

Keep in mind the question: If a reader were reading only your five to 10 words, would he or she know what the article is about?

Read more about Headline writing for the web.