Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Get off my lawn. Here's why.

I'm not suggesting that a single screenshot actually means that Great Cthulhu is loose again and ravening for delight, but -- supposing he was, do you think we could return to the days when headlines told you what happened, rather than what the story was likely to contain?

That, after all, used to be the real challenge of hed writing: "Amazon to city: Too many morons, too few trains" would have been fun, as would "Amazon: Worst corporate suck-up since the NFL." So I'd like assent to add "Here's why" heds to the list of constructions that are banned under all circumstances, forever.

I'm not especially persuaded by the clause-now-clause or clause-then-clause that you kids are using these days, either. Oh, for the days of "Hotel agrees to settle with poisoning victim's family." And with the whole third line to spare there, is there any particular reason not to tell people which town near Charlotte?

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Ed Latham said...

In the old days, we used to get big double-page spreads with full width double-deck heds jumping the fold on both decks: 10/60/2s in old money. Not only that, but the first deck was in blue, and the second deck was in black. Almost the only way to write them was But now or So why . The colour change almost forced you into it. I beg the court to spare these constructions!

7:15 PM, January 26, 2018  
Anonymous Ed Latham said...

Sorry, that odd third sentence should have read:

"Almost the only way to write them was [clause] But now [clause] or [clause] So why [clause]."

7:18 PM, January 26, 2018  

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