Rules for Headline Writing
• Obey the split rules
– Put modifiers and words modified on the same
line
– Don’t split the verb parts
– Don’t split prepositions from their objects
– (tip: you can violate the rules between the
second and third lines of a head)
– Don’t end in prepositions
Watch for awkward breaks and keep a dirty
mind
• Don’t repeat words
– Even in deck
– Related rule is don’t repeat words, especially
colorful verbs, on same page headlines
– Headline shouldn’t repeat lead sentences
verbatim or even echo its wording
• Use attribution and qualification
appropriately
– Attribution can be implied: “President called
liar”
– In a tight headline, “may” comes in handy
– Can use colon to subsitute for said, etc.
“President: We won’t give up!
– Quotation marks not implied attribution
• Verb tense – most headlines written in
present tense, lends air of urgency. Also
future tense, infinitive form.
• Capitalization:
– Downstyle is most common, only first word is
up
– Modified Upstyle: Main words capitalized, still
popular at some papers
– Upstyle: All words up
– Watch abbreviations, no periods in acronyms
– Use AP style for state abbreviations,
– Use figures in headlines sted of words
• Punctuation problems:
– No periods at end
– Comma can be used to replace the word “and”
– Semicolons rather than commas separate
clauses
– Single quotes replace double, take up less space
– Dashes and colons can replace said: Dash at
end, colon at start
– Dashes also can be used for emphasis
– Colons can sometimes replace verbs
“Nascar racing: most dangerous sport”
Remember the x factor (not the same at Simon
Cowell’s TV show)