4.

4 Editing Headlines
Headline writing
A headline is a line or collection of lines of display type that precedes a news story and summarizes it.
Writing good headlines is a skill with very high premium.
Headlines (heads or heds – often called in the news room) – is one of the real pleasure of editing
Managing editors – talented dependable headline writers
Headlines provide a chance to be:
 creative
 Dramatic
 funny
What headlines do
• Give the news at a glance
• Draw attention and capture drama
• Organize the story
• Set a tone – Reflect the attitude and personality not only of the stories they introduce, but of the
entire publication
Headlines fall into two catagories: standard and label
A. Standard – are the kind of heads we’re used to form a lifetime of exposure to print media it’s
really odd that we’re so accepting of this approach, as it’s not at all conversational.
A. standard headline:
- Use subject-verb- direct object or occasionally passive voice
- Eliminate articles
- Includes verbs in present tense(or sometimes future tense)
 Even if it happened in the past, we emphasize present tense, perhaps because in the media
business we want to emphasize NOW, not old stuff that already happened.
Example – mayor supports zoning proposal
B. Label head or title:
- Has no verb

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 - May have articles
Example – The twins’ opener OR
- The year’s Pulitzer awards
Headline styles
There are different headline styles :
1. Down and up style – capitalization in heads
 down style – treated like a sentence, with only the first word and proper nouns capitalized
 Up style – capitalize all major words in the way book titles do. Most magazines, few newspapers
and websites favor this headline styles
2. Main heads – some headlines are the combination of two or more headlines. In this case, the main
head is the anchoring head and usually the largest
Deck or Drop head – a smaller secondary head that runs beneath the main head. A deck is usually
about half the point size of the main head- paring of the main and deck heads on a breaking story.
 Notice that the main head gives the essence of the story and the deck provides context and detail
Kickers and hammers - Lead in heads, usually short and without verb, that appear above beneath a
main head. Like a deck, a kicker is usually about half the point size of the main head it accompanies;
hammers are larger. Kickers and hammers are common in magazine design but have became rare in
newspapers. They often appear in italics:
Example= Still making its mark
Here are the steps in writing simple heads
1. Read and summarize the story
2. Cast the summary in a sentence
3. Shorten the sentence by putting it in headline form
4. Tighten further by eliminating less essential elements
5. Find synonyms for key word in the lead
Quick look at the nature of headlines:
 headlines caption hard news stories
 headlines are summaries (of leads, of stories)

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  but they can sell a unique part of a story
 they tap the benefit of sentences to convey complete thought
 headline sentences are often skeleton zed (they are stripped of non essentials: a, an, the, and) to
save space and make them forceful
 be verbs and auxiliaries are not usually forceful
 they show editors' sense of news judgement
 they help readers to easily identify stories that are of interest to them
 the are elements of page design: they give weight, create a personality and bring beauty to news
pages.
Basic requirements: The following are some prerequisites for writing good headlines:
1. Deep understanding of the story: The headline writer should recognize what part of the story are
newsworthy, dramatic, significant and new.
2. A vocabulary that is far-reaching and deep 3. A sharp sense of sentence structure – writers need
flexibility both in the choice of words and sentence structure so that they can switch word order
without damaging meaning.
4. An aptitude for detecting ambiguity and inconsistencies. Most editors prefer to read the story first,
before writing the headline. This is to get a full grasp of the story. It is easy to write ambiguous and
inconsistent headlines.
Skills in headline writing
1. Tell the story’s essentials- Headlines are usually based on the lead. That, though, is not a rule.
Inverted pyramid stories contain the major points in the lead. News features may ignore this approach.
If a story is organized the way it happened, the editor may look inwards to find the newsy aspect to
spotlight in the headline.
If you follow the lead format, ask yourself: what verb carries the meat: what is the aspect of the news
the verb advances? This helps to strip the head of non-essentials. When you have found the aspect of
the lead that carries the meat, try constructing a terse sentence to reflect what that aspect says. Seek
out the verb. Construct the headline around the verb.
2. Isolate the past from what is new. Newspapers have to signpost. That is, they ought to tell the
reader where a story is leading. This can help newspapers to stay ahead of the electronic media, who
often rush off with breaking news.
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 3. Headlines should not only tell the bare facts. The angle can do the magic. It might even be the who
element. Certain routine events can become news because of the angle
4. Put the key facts at the top. Put the emphasis –hottest words – first. That is where they belong.
When attributions are not the news, they need not go first. The attribution goes first when it has
everything to do with the story.
5. Put the headline in sentence form: write: 500 die in pipeline explosion: instead of: 500 deaths as
pipeline explodes If death were rewritten dead, the headline would stand, though not the best in past
form. The verb are would be implied, but not mentioned.
6. Build heads around verbs – vigorous, active, colourful verbs. Generally, to be and to have verbs are
anything but forceful. Some desks do not allow to be verbs at all even when they appear as auxiliaries
rather than as main verbs.
7. Don’t repeat words in heads. Don’t use two forms of the same word (e.g. two and twice). The rule
has exceptions. In feature heads particularly, words are sometime deliberately repeated to produce
special effects. The rule is also less rigidly applied to prepositions and other connector words
(alliteration may be used deliberately in feature heads to produce arresting effect).
8. Avoid structural repetition- putting two decks of the head in precisely the same sentence structure.
9 . Tell the story in specific Terms
10. Make line and thought break at the same time. This can be done in two ways: (a) Don’t break a
line inside a verb. Verbs, even in headlines, often consist of more than one word; when they appear as
such, keep them on one line. Don’t say: Israeli, Syrian prime ministers to hold talks in Beijing
Although the main verb (is) is implied, to hold, as a verbal should remain on the same line
(b) Don’t detach a modifier whether it is an adjective-noun, adverb-adjective or adverb-verb
combination- the modifier should not be separated from the word it modifies.
Don’t say Court begins Mubarak’s Probe Monday
Say Mubarak’s Trial begins Monday
Mubarak’s modifies probe and should be on the same lien as probe.
Headline writing Mechanisms
• Use present tense: past form of verbs is unusual in headlines. It is the same with putting headlines
in present continuous and present perfect forms.

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 Example – School sorority for charity work
• Omit present tense forms of the verb to be: Sometime the verb, especially the ‘be verbs’ are
eliminated in headlines: this makes headlines shorter and terse.
Example – Tuition increase (is) likely next fall
• Replace will with to
Example – 3 local students to appear on game show
• Use figures of spelling out numbers
Example – One year later, 6 survivors of terror attack make each day count
• Omit articles
Example – (The) President calls (an) emergency cabinet meeting
• Replace and with a comma or semi colon
Example – Man wins lottery, dies of heart attack
• Drop end punctuation ( don’t end in periods)
Example - Man wins lottery, dies of heart attack (.)
• Use colon when the attribution comes first and dash at last
Example – witness: defendant boasted of killing cab driver
OR End to Recession in Sight – economists

 Use active voice than passive: It is advised to write headlines in the active voice because they
convey a sense of immediacy and make the head concrete. However, when the doer of the action is
not what makes the news, it becomes necessary –even better – to use the passive form of the verb.
Example – Police arrest two for shoplifting

4.6 Photographs
Photographs are a visual media. They are key elements of newspaper layout. They explain a point for
easier than pages of type. Photos are heavy weights, beauty spots, and they attract god display. They
are often the dominant display element in makeup. Photographs not only draw the reader quickly, they
are powerful visual media. Photographs can tell their own stories. However, more often they are used
as part of textual matter to shed light on it and to help tell the story.

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 The successful use of photos and words in tandem is a realization of the powerful potential of the
newspaper as a visual medium.
Large newspaper employs photo editors, usually trained photographers, whose job is to select and
display all photos. A layout editor may perform the same job at a small newspaper. The layout editor
normally had grown through the ranks as a former copy editor.
Photo scaling or sizing
This is the enlargement or reduction of photographs to fit allotted space. Sizing is also done to
determine the appropriate way to reduce or enlarge a photo. That is, editors determine what the new
width or depth should be in relation to an old width or depth. The sizing of illustrations can be done
with simple equations.
The scaling or sizing of illustrations is the equivalent to copy fitting.
Issues in the photo use
1. Issues of manipulation – A former catchphrase in journalism says that pictures do not lie. This
saying is being put to serious question by contemporary practices in photo display. Computer software
today allow photo editors to deal with a photograph in hundreds of ways. Background can be changed,
faces can be given a smile, and position can alter dramatically. People who never saw face to face can
be made to appear in the same photo frame.
2. Taste – readers often react negatively when newspapers show picture of people grieving, dead
bodies, people in compromised positions. Sometimes editors have reasons for printing whatever
picture they print, although some people still protest.
a. Nearness to the local people – a picture has more impact if it shows people from a newspaper’s
locality than people from afar off. That is why the international audience relishes pictures of starvation
in Sudan, but not in their own countries.
b. Showing the face of the dead – if the face is showing, the picture of a dead person makes people
shudder in disgust.
c. Showing the face of accident victims –better if the reader is told that the victims will recover. But
at press time, it is usually difficult to know. There is also negative reaction if the face is showing.
d. Spotlighting people in affliction – people consider it invasion of privacy to show the suffering of
people.

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 e. Photo display – good photos usually get large display; readers may allege sensationalism if a
picture of tragedy receives large display.
f. Placement- it is natural to give pictures of tragedy front page. But the same picture will receive
fewer outbursts inside.
g. Rationale – overall, the editor should ask himself: is there a genuine or imagined social benefit to
be gained from running the pictures?
Integrity: Some techniques of running photos point out questions of photo integrity. They are:
1. Mortising: this is the overlapping of two or more photos or the overlapping of type and a photo.
Sometimes the editor cuts away a part form a photograph and places another photo in the space. This
may be done to create space for a headline.
2. Inset: when a smaller picture comes entirely within another photograph. The smaller picture is
usually placed upper right or lower left within the large photo.
3. Over printing: when type is superimposed on a photograph. Again do not let type interfere with
photo content. Do not let photo background blur type. Choose type colour that would offer good
contrast with photo background to assure legibility.
When selecting and displaying photos, observe the following:
1. Select as few pictures as possible so that the ones that are used can be sized adequately.
2. Omit redundancies - do not repeat yours photographically. Tell the story with as few pictures as
possible to avoid needless repetitions.
3. Run one photo significantly larger than the others. That photo should be the dramatic moment or
emotion, the essence of the story.
4. Maintain consistent interior margins. Whitespace is trapped when margins are not consistent and
the reader notices it for itself rather than as feeling or airiness. Let the extra space bleed to the outside
of the package.
5. Write a cutline for each picture and place it under the picture. Ganged or grouped cutlines make
readers work extra hard.
6. After you have selected the pictures and determined the length of the text, set the photo before you.
The storyline and the flow of action should determine the arrangement of the pictures on the page.
7. Place the copy in a modular block. The title doesn’t necessarily have to go directly over the copy

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 but if it doesn’t a subhead over the copy is useful. Write a title that plays off a photo and place the title
directly over or, preferable, under that photo.

Cutlines
Cutlines, according to research are read more than stories, and should not be ignored by journalists.
One study found that cutlines were read 10 to 15% more than stories. Writing better cutlines requires a
system in which the person who edits the story and writes the headlines also writes the cutline.
Cutlines, headlines and photos should complement each other in telling and selling the story. The
cutline should not only tell readers what they need to know about the photo, but also include
something from the text to tease them into reading the story. Cutline should not contain what is
already in the headline or pullouts.
Cutline may be only a line, but every newspaper needs a text cutline format. A text cutline is used
when a picture needs larger explanation. Cutlines, like stories, should answer the five Ws and an H.
They ought to be concise, direct and simple. Cutlines should specify the dates, and avoid saying today,
yesterday. Hardly would a picture appear the day it was taken.
Here are points to consider when writing cutlines:
 Cutlines can convey non-visual senses better than photos: hearing, touch, small, taste.
 Cutlines can tell time, temperature and size better than photos.
 Cutlines can identify people and their relationships, photos can’t.
 Cutlines can explain the causes or consequences of what the photos show.
 Cutline can prevent possible misunderstanding of photos.
 Cutlines can call attention to something which might be overlooked in photos.
 Cutlines should explain any techniques used to create special effect. Even if it’s a natural
phenomenon such as light source, explain it.
 Cutlines should entice people to read the accompanying story but should not repeat information
in the headlines or pullouts.
 Cutlines should match the mood of the photo. They should be accurate, check the names, address
and numbers in the cutlines against the story. Count the number of names in the cutline against the
number of faces in the photo.

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  Crop the photo before you write the cutlines. It will save you the embarrassment of identifying
someone not in the photo.
 Don’t state the obvious: “kisses the trophy” or “grimaces.”
 Don’t editorialize, don’t attribute human characteristic to animals and don’t put words into
people’s mouth or thoughts into their heads
 Be succinct. Use ‘from left’ instead of ‘starting from left to right.’
 Omit needless phrases, such as pictured here’ and above’.
 Although journalistic tradition calls for cutlines to be written in the present tense to convey a
sense of immediacy, writers are to use the past tense in the sentence in which the date is reported. That
is to avoid such nonsensical statements as ‘Jordan scores a basket Sunday’. This is a curious jumbling
of past with present and readers know that the action must have happened.
 Cutlines types should be larger than text type and should offer contrast of race, serifs or sans
serif, or at least form. Because text type is usually serif, sans serif can work well in cutlines.
 The newspaper should use standardized text cutline settings for the width of the picture. Text
cutline in the 10 to 12 range, generally, should not exceed 25 picas in width. Gutter should be the
same as that used elsewhere. One way to build whitespaces into the paper is to set cutline narrower
than the width of the picture. This permits extra whitespace at either side of the cutline. The cutline
can extend the width of picture when it is one-line format-in 13 or 14 type.
 Cutline should be placed underneath the pictures. Occasionally, they are placed to the right or
left. It such a case, they should line up with the bottom of the picture to make it easy for readers to
find it. Grouped cutlines irritate readers because they have to work harder to match the text
information with the appropriate photo
NB: Mug shots and head shots should not use cutlines that exceed one line of text. If the photo
occupies just half a column width, only the last name of the subject in the photo should be used.
Cropping
Cropping is the removal of unwanted aspects of a photo. Although computers are simplifying this
task, the editor still needs guidelines on what to click off or on.
Cropping instructions- there are ay cropping instructions that any editor follow. These are:

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 1. Crop tight for emphasis- A tight crop emphasizes both the subjects of the photo and the intensity
of action therein. However, crop for relevance. Too tight cropping (close up) may sacrifice relevant
background, and too loose cropping may let in irrelevant content.
2. Crop thoroughly- edit the photograph as if it were a written story: remove all irrelevant material.
3. Do not slice any part of the body contained in the photograph. Thus, show well any part you
wish to show. This is especially true when a part of the body is in a position that would help tell the
story. Cutting the hand that is gesticulating affects content, because the reader needs the hand to catch
the action.
4. Do not amputate or behead- every head has a mother. Cropping at some joint in the body leaves a
feeling of incompleteness and dissatisfaction: for instance, the fingers, the wrist, elbow, shoulder, leg.
If the editor wants a head shot, he should not dare crop at the Adam’s apple. The chin is a good stop,
but if the neck is to appear in a shot, there should be a little strip of shoulder to serve as the base of the
picture.
5. Whitespace should not be neglected, especially in action pictures. Pictures such as those showing
runners or footballers need some room. That creates the feelings of space in which action occurs or
into which action flows.
6. When cropping portraits, allow sufficient space at the top and sides. Letting the head hit the roof
creates a feeling of discomfort.
7. When the sky above a picture would provide distracting details, it should be cropped off. Leave a
background that contributes to the scale and sense of the picture.
8. When cropping, find the important parts of the photo. Ensure that they are outstanding. Readers
will be drawn to them.
Judgments to make during cropping
A photograph should be judged as both copy and content. In judging a picture as copy, the concern is
with the reproductive quality of the photo. An editor cannot possibly perform magic with a poorly
taken photograph, despite the help offered by software. Reproducing a bad photo with the best
equipment will yield a finely reproduced bad picture.
Generally, the editor knows why he needs clear pictures. Judging a picture for content is examining a
picture to determine how much light it throws on a story and how much it helps tell the story. A
picture is supposed to amply a story, to add to its dramatic appeal and personal touch.

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