1. Headlines!
By Hailee Smith

2. Intro to Headlines A headline must:
Relate to the story
Fit the allotted space
Be grammatically correct
The secondary heading under the main heading is called a deck
Succeeding decks are smaller in font size
Newspaper headlines are called sentence headlines
Magazine headlines are called feature headlines
Most yearbook headlines are feature headlines

3. More About Headlines Subheads are used to break up long stories
Generally, stories longer than seven paragraphs should use subheads
A hammer head is a main headline that precedes a smaller headline
Kickers are used to catch the eye and for variety
Kickers are short and precede the main headline
When writing headlines, avoid libelous statements, poor grammar, misspelling, and sensationalism

4. Feature Headlines Usually three or more words
Do not have a subject or verb
Often use a play on words
Example:
Down in the Volley
About a losing volleyball team
A Weighty Dilemma
About weightlifting
Dollars for Scholars
About how much money it takes to be a senior

5. More on Feature Headlines
They usually create more interest than sentence headlines
It may be necessary to use a sentence headline in addition to the feature headline for clarification
Example:
Those Empty Stands
Cheerleaders have little support from students

6. Sentence Headlines
Unlike in feature headlines, using a, an, and the is not acceptable
Newspapers use sentence headlines for news, sports, editorials, and some features
Rules of sentence headlines:
Make them attention grabbers
Each head needs to fill the space provided
Avoid repetition
Use single quotation marks
Use a comma to replace “and”

7. Sentence Headlines Separate related thoughts with a semi-colon
Do not editorialize unless it is for an editorial
It should contain a subject and a verb
Avoid starting with a verb
Avoid using forms of the verb to be unless it is in future tense
Only use well-known abbreviations and don’t use periods in them
Do not begin a headline with an Arabic numeral
Use future tense for future stories and present tense for past and present stories

8. Sentence Headlines Avoid clichés
Use information from your lead to write the headline
Use the full names of people unless they’re very well known
Use strong verbs to show action
Use an active voice instead of passive
Avoid label headlines; make the headline fit the year and story

9. Headline Styles Flush Left Hanging indentation Centered headline
Each line is set even with the left-hand margin
Hanging indentation
Should be at least three lines
The first line fills the column
Succeeding lines are indented one em
Em: a type measure that is the width of the letter m in the size and font being used
Centered headline
Centered above the column
Doesn’t need to fill the space

10. More Headline Styles Inverted Pyramid Cross-line Drop-line
Three or more lines
The first fills the column
Succeeding lines decrease by the same number of units on each side
centered
Cross-line
A single line filling the space it has
Drop-line
Two or more lines
Each succeeding line is indented on the left by one em

11. Guess which style the headlines are
Allen Stanford lawyers want out just before trial
Hanging Indentation
Greek bond swap falling
short, governments
may fill gap
Flush Left
Cross-line
Fannie May CEO to leave after successor chosen
Drop Line
Fed survey shows
economy ended 2011
with strength
Inverted Pyramid
Republicans move to control keystone approval
Republicans head to South Carolina, guns blazing
Centered Headline

12. What’s Wrong? Point out any broken rules in these headlines
Representatives well received by Parkway’s student body
Faculty topples students by overwhelming margin
False Fire Alarm Witnesses by North’s Skaters