Headline Writing

Dos and donts in writing traditional headlines

1. Make your headline answer as many Ws as possible. 2. The headline should summarize the news story, but must avoid using all the words used in the lead. It should contain nothing that is not found in the story. 3. Positive heads are preferable to negative ones. School physician allays flu fear is better than Flu epidemic not rampant in city

4. Put a verb expressed or implied in every deck. 5. Omit articles like a, an, and the, and all forms of the verb to be (is, are, be, etc.), unless needed to make the meaning clear.

Disabled athlete reaps medals Sanchez chosen editor

6. Use the strongest word in the first line as much as possible. 7. The active verb is better than the passive verb in headlines Food production drive intensified; RPs lost image abroad regained

8. Use the present tense for past stories and the infinitive form for future stories Archbishop Sin bats for national reconciliation; Lantern parade to cap Christmas affairs 9. Write numbers in figures or spell them out depending upon your needs for your unit counts. 10. Use only common abbreviations.

Huwag gumamit ng pangalan maliban kung kilala ito MaliJaime Diaz, nahalal na pangulo TamaMag-aaral ng Mapa, nahalal na pangulo ng samahan Maging tiyak (specific) MaliMag-aaral, nagwagi sa paligsahan TamaMag-aaral ng Mapa, nagwagi sa pagsulat ng balita Iwasan ang opinyon sa balita MaliPaaralang Datu Puti, lumaro ng kahanga-hanga TamaPaaralang Datu Puti, nanalo ng 3 sa 4 na laban Lagyan ng pandiwa ang bawat ulo MaliLimang guro sa seminar TamaLimang guro, dadalo sa seminar

Iwasan ang paggamit ng negatibong pandiwa MaliPaligsahan sa talumpatian, hindi matutuloy TamaPaligsahan sat al;umpatian, pinagpaliban Gumamit ng makakatawag-pansing pandiwa MahinaTinato ng Ateneo ang St. Joseph, 50-36 MalakasPinataob ng Ateneo ang St. Joseph, 50-36

Gamitin ang maikli at kilalang salita MasalitaBayang Pilipinas, sasali sa pandaigdig na palaro MaikliRP, sasali sa olimpiyada Iwasan ang paggamit ng pantukoy at ng pandiwang pantulong nahango saverb to be MaliSi Japhet Burgos ay ang napiling punong patnugot ng Ripples TamaJaphet Burgos, napiling punong patnugot ng Ripples

Punctuating a headline
1. Use a comma in place of the conjuction and

Self-reliance, discipline up at Baguio confab 100 patay, 10 sugatan sa banggaan ng tren at bus
2. Two related thoughts should be separated with a semicolon. School joins Operasyon Linis; P.E.CAT boys drain estero 3. The dash may be used in smaller decks but not for headlines in large types. Even SC can errPNoy

 4. The single quotation marks are used in headlines. Cultural development: Linggo ng Wika theme 5. Follow the other rules of punctuations. Estrada: My decision will not change

Unit counting in headline

unit - jiltf and all punctuations except the em dash (--), and the question mark (?) 1 unit - the question mark, space, all figures, capital JILTF, all lower case letters except jiltf 1 units - the em dash, lower case m and w, and all capital letters except capital M and W and JILTF 2 units - capital M, W

Headline Vocabs
1. Faculty club strengthened (beefed up) 2. Enrolment decreases (dips) 3. Science examinations announced (quiz bared) 4. Contests highlight Animal Week (cap) 5. Santos urges cooperation (bats for, calls for)

 6. DepEd disapproves tuition fee increase (bucks, nixes, axes) 7. Ateneo wins 12 medals in press contest (bags, romp away with; tilt, parley) 8. Principal praises editors humility (lauds, extols) 9. Local staff dominates press tilt (rules, lords over) 10. Local basketball players retain championship (sluggers; crown)

11. US attacks Russ nuclear test (hits) 12. Laurel ends diplomatic tour (winds up) 13. Cops ended syndicate (busted) 14. Slay suspect questioned (grilled, probed) 15. RP sees import hike (eyes)

16. 456 pass bar exams (hurdle) 17. Lim dismisses 5 cops (fires) 18. RP-Malaysia dispute solved (row) 19. Fiscal dismiss rape charge (dismiss; rap) 20. Import talk delayed (snagged)

Gauge 4

The headlines based on the following sample leads are erroneous. Correct or improve applying the rules on headline construction.

A man drew a life sentence for stabbing his neighbor over a land dispute and throwing the body off a cliff as his wife and children watched.

A MAN DREW A LIFE SENTENCE FOR STABBING HIS NEIGHBOR

Three soldiers were killed by armed men who were irked by the floodings caused by a dam of the National Power Corporation in Baloi, Lanao. 3 soldiers were killed in a clash at dam site

Eight persons died and 11 others were injured when a bus collided with a jeepney along North Luzon Expressway in Brgy. Sta. Rita, Guiguinto, Bulacan.
Bus collided with jeep in Barangay Sta. Rita, Guiguinto; 8 died, and 11 were hurt.