The Complete Editor, 2nd Edition

chapter

6

Headlines and Summaries

• The Job of the Headline

• Types of Headlines

• Principles of Headline Writing

• Guidelines

• Summaries

• Conclusion

• Exercises

 

 

 

 

When the Chicago Bulls were closing in on their sixth National Basketball Championship in 1998, Bill Parker, assistant managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, talked to all of the best headline writers on the newspaper’s staff. What he wanted was ideas. Parker knew that the Tribune’s front page on the morning after the Bulls won (if, in fact, they did) would be special. Many people would keep it for years to come. People around the nation—even around the world—would see it. The page would wind up on mugs and T-shirts and other souvenirs. The headline, which could be only four ...