Journalism

1. COPYREADING AND
HEADLINE WRITING:
More than Just Marks and Words
“You cannot correct unless you know that there is something
wrong.”
RUEL C. FERNANDEZ
Resource Speaker

2. Eagle’s Eyes Ready
40 Filipino pieacekeepers are battling heavily
armed Syrian rebels who are trying to overran UN
encampment on the Golan Heights, Defense Secretary
VOLTAIRE GAzmin says yesterday.
They have high morale Gazmin told reporters, referring
to the group of Filipino peacekeepers defending Area
Position 68 of the United Nations Disengagement
Observer Force (Undof) on the Golan Heights

3. gazmin said the rebels attacked Area Position 68, about
4 kilometers from Area 69, after noon but was repulsed
by the Filipinos
Palace spokeswoman Abigail Valte said on the
government-run Radyo ng Bayan that even without
having to take the challenge thrown by Netizens for the
President and Cabinet members to try using the MRT
themselves, government officials were cognizant of the
problems hounding the MRT.

4. The fire fight was going on bet ween the Filipino
peacekeepers and the rebels as of 5 p.m. in Manila
gazmine said the filipinos had reported no casualties.
He praised the elite troops’ courage and “high morale”.
A military officiasl who asked not to be identify said the
filipino troops manning Area Positions 68 and 69 belonged to
the Philippine
Army’s elite Scout Rangers and Special Forces
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Aug. 31 2014

5. Shades of Green Looms Dark in the Paper
 Jose M. Almario was elected Pubic Information
Officer…
 Your penis wonderful. I enjoyed using it last night.
 He eats, shoots, and leaves.
 Political orgasm

6. What is COPYREADING AND HEADLINE WRITING?
 It is the way of improving a story and making an
appropriate headline for the article.
 The ROLE of Copy Fixers
Good copy fixers keep the spirit and
substance of the story. He/She basically brightens
and polishes the article. He makes the story better
by organizing it better than when it was submitted.

7. Tasks of a Copy Editor
1. Read thoroughly the news or reports.
2. Think of ways to best improve the
news.
3. Check and correct errors in news
context, grammar, punctuations,
spelling, usage, and others.
4. Present the best lead for the news.

8. 5. Remove editorials from news and check
for any libelous statements in the
reports.
6. Simplify words and check for any
redundancy.
7. Organize sequence or order of
paragraphs of the news.
8. Write effective headlines.
Tasks of a Copy Editor

9. Tasks of a Copy Editor
9. Suggest font and font sizes to the
typesetter.
10. Determine columns and decks of
headlines.
11. Correct the copies by using
copyreading symbols.

10.  Introduce the group
 Introduce the members
 Read the tasks
 Present the output

11. ONLY Lei’s Group
got a correct
headline!
Let us analyze
why?

12. Explain the errors made by other
groups

14. HEADLINE
Every news story has a title of its
own called a HEADLINE.
This headline in printed type is
much bigger and bolder than its
body which is the story itself.

15. FUNCTIONS
 Among the important functions of the
headlines are the following:
 to tell in capsule form what the story is all
about
 to grade the news as to importance
 to make the page look attractive

16. While the lead summarizes
the story, the headline, on the
other hand, summarizes the
lead.

17. SVO pattern
S – Subject
V – Verb
O – Object
What is a subject?
What is a verb?
What is an object?

18. The subject is the doer
of the action.
The verb is the word
that indicates the
action.
The object is the
receiver of the action.

19. MSC library reaps awards
What is the subject? Refer
to rule number 4.
What is the verb?
What is the tense of the
verb? Refer to rule number
5.

20. Why is the headline wrong?
The Seminar on
English proficiency

21. Let us make the headline right!
Mentors join seminar on
English proficiency
What is the subject?
What is the verb?
What is the object?

22. Writing Headlines
Headlines are display windows of
newspapers. It is a quick source of
information about the story.
 Well-written headlines
grab the reader's attention
convey clear, concise thoughts
 Poorly written headlines
mislead
and confuse a reader

23. Headline / head
The headline or head is
the title of a news story.
While the lead
summarizes the story, the
headline summarizes the
lead. The headline of the
biggest or Number One
story on page 1 of the
newspaper is called a
banner head.

25. Functions of
Headlines
•To tell in capsule
form what the story
is all about
•To grade the news
as to importance
•To make the page
look attractive

26. Tips in headline writing
1. First, read the story for general
meaning.
2. Clues to the headline are usually in
the lead.
What happened?
Who did what?
How did if happen?

27. Dog saves master
A FOUR-YEAR-OLD dog saved the life of
his blind master, Thursday night, but the
canine’s loyalty cost the trusty animal his
life.

28. 3. Use the shortest words possible.
Examples include:
cop – policeman
nab – arrest
mishap – accident
up – increase
down – decrease
thief - robber
Tips in headline writing

29. 4. Have a subject and a verb. Avoid
starting with a verb; the headline
might sound as if it were giving
orders.
Wrong: Revise money mart guidelines
Correct: Central Bank revises money
mart guidelines
Tips in headline writing

30. 5. Use the historical present tense if
the verb is in the active voice.
Wrong: Delgado topped editorial tilt
Correct: Delgado tops editorial tilt
Tips in headline writing

31. Active voice describes a
sentence where the subject
performs the action stated by the
verb.
RTMSCNHS celebrates
nutrition month.
What is the active voice of the
verb?

32. In passive voice sentences, the
subject is acted upon by the verb.
Nutrition month was celebrated by
RTMSCNHS.
If this is a headline it will
become:
Nutrition month celebrated
What is the passive voice of the
verb?

33. 6. Omit the helping verb if the verb
is in the passive voice. Only the
past participle is retained.
Wrong: Drug pushers are nabbed
Correct: Drug pushers nabbed
Tips in headline writing

34. Let US Try this:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
Join DSPC
Rule number 3:
Have a subject and a verb.
Avoid starting with a verb.
Correct: Centralians join
DSPC

35. Let US Try this:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
Teachers took oath
Rule number 5:
Use historical present tense.
Correct: Teachers take oath

36. In one half sheet of paper answer the following:
Give the rule number and the rule violated in the
following headlines and give the correct headlines.
1. Policemen receive awards
Rule number:__________
Rule: ________
Correct: ____________

37. In one half sheet of paper answer the following:
Give the rule number and the rule violated in the
following headlines and give the correct headlines.
2. Buwan ng Wika was
celebrated
Rule number:__________
Rule: ________
Correct: ____________

38. In one half sheet of paper answer the following:
Give the rule number and the rule violated in the
following headlines and give the correct headlines.
3. Students emerged champ
Rule number:__________
Rule: ________
Correct: ____________

39. Answers:
1. Policemen receive awards
Rule number:3
Rule: Use the shortest words
possible.
Correct: Cops receive awards

40. ANSWERS:
2. Buwan ng Wika was
celebrated
Rule number: 6
Rule: Omit helping verb.
Correct: Buwan ng Wika
celebrated

41. ANSWERS:
3. Students emerged champ
Rule number:5
Rule: Use the historical
present tense.
Correct: Students emerge
champ

42. LET’S REVIEW:
What is the pattern in
formulating the headline?
What is subject?
What is verb?
What is object?

43. Which headline is correct?
a. DepEd strikes a deal with PNB
b. DepEd struck deal with PNB
c. DepEd strikes deal with PNB.
d. DepED strikes deal with PNB

44. LETS PRACTICE:
Drug suspects were nabbed
Rule number:
Rule:
Correct:

45. 7. Use the infinitive for future
events.
Wrong: City Hall will punish anti-
squatting drive
Correct: City Hall to punish anti-
squatting drive
Tips in headline writing

46. 8. Do not use a period at the end of
the headline.
9. Omit articles (a, an, the).
Wrong: A fire hits Tondo slum area
Correct: Fire hits Tondo slum area
Tips in headline writing

47. 10. Use a comma instead of “and” in
writing headlines.
Wrong: Delays and confusion bug
Asiad
Correct: Delays, confusion bug
Asiad
Lacson, Trillanes no show at SONA
Tips in headline writing

48. 11. Use semicolon to separate
sentences.
Gina Lopez heads Pasig body;
Noy swears in 35 other execs
12. Use the punctuation marks
(especially the exclamation point)
sparingly.
Tips in headline writing

49. 13. Use single quotes (‘) in headlines
instead of double quotes (“).
14. Always give the source of a quote.
Quotation marks are not needed, a
dash or a colon will serve the
purpose.
Crackdown on errant bus firms – Enrile
Enrile: Crackdown on errant bus firms
Tips in headline writing

50. 15. Use the down-style – only the first
word and proper nouns are
capitalized, unless otherwise
indicated. This is more readable
because people are used to
reading sentences this way.
Ex. Faculty honors Nuñez
Tips in headline writing

52. Let US Try this:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 DepEd Bago will conduct art
workshhop
Rule number:
Rule:
Correct:

53. Let US Try this:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 DepEd Bago will conduct art
workshhop
Rule number: 7
Rule:Use infinitive for future
events.
Correct: DepEd Bago to
conduct art workshop

54. Let US Try this:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 Lopez Grabs 2 Golds
Rule number:
Rule:
Correct:

55. Let US Try this:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 Lopez Grabs 2 Golds
Rule number: 15
Rule: Use the downstyle.
Correct: Lopez grabs 2 golds

56. Activity # 4 HEADLINE WRITING
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 attends JS Prom
Rule number:
Rule:
Correct:

57. Quiz:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 Reyes and Mirasol receive
top prize
Rule number:
Rule:
Correct:

58. Quiz:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 Bago City hosts confab.
Rule number:
Rule:
Correct:

59. Quiz:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 Drilon Issues Permit to
Workers
Rule number:
Rule:
Correct:

60. Quiz:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 A grade 9 student wins essay
writing
Rule number: 9
Rule:Omit articles a, an and
the
Correct: Grade 9 student wins
essay writing

61. Quiz:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 Reyes and Mirasol receive
top prize
Rule number:10
Rule:Use comma instead of
and.
Correct: Reyes, Mirasol
receive top prize

62. Quiz:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 Bago City hosts confab.
Rule number: 8
Rule: Do not use period at the
end of the headline.
Correct: Bago City hosts
confab

63. Quiz:
Give me the rule violated in the headline
below:
 Drilon Issues Permit to
Workers
Rule number: 15
Rule: Use the downstyle
Correct: Drilon issues permit
to workers

64. 16. Use only widely known
abbreviations.
Wrong: JEE to play Santa this
Christmas
Tips in headline writing

65. 17. Don’t use names unless the
person is well known, use
common nouns instead.
Wrong: Santos electrocuted
Correct: Carpenter electrocuted
Tips in headline writing

66. 18. Use specific terms instead of
generalities
Example: Trader killed
Better: Trader stabbed to death
Tips in headline writing

67. 19. Just report the facts; do not editorialize.
Wrong: Noy gives inspiring talks
(The word “inspiring” is just your opinion.)
20. Be positive. Don't use negatives in
headlines. They weaken not only the
headlines but also the stories.
Tips in headline writing

68. Try giving this lead a headline:
Education Secretary Armin Luistro yesterday said his
agency had not abandoned its development of “God-loving
learners” as he denied having been pressured by any group into
removing the phrase “God-loving” from the DepEd’s vision
statement.
Luistro: ‘DepEd developing God-loving learners’
DepEd hones God-loving learners, says Luistro
Luistro says, Deped is honing God-loving learners

69. The Catholic Church has denied
the sacrament of marriage to a
Quezon City councilor because
of his stance advocating birth
control.
Pro-birth control councilor
denied of marriage rites

70. Do’s in Writing Traditional
Heads
Make the head
answer as many
W’s as possible
Scribes win in
Presscon
(?)
Gulayan sa
Paaralan,
sinuportahan (?)
Cat’nes places 2nd
overall in reg’l confab
 Gulayan sa Paaralan,
sinuportahan ng PTA

71. Do’s in Writing Traditional
Heads
 Write numbers in figures or
spell them out
 Eighty percent
of del Pilarians
approve CyberEd
(x)
80% of del Pilarians
approve CyberEd
9 golds up for
grabs in Division
Athletic Meet (x)
Nine golds up
for grabs in
Division Athletic
Meet

72. Do’s in Writing Traditional
Heads
Positive heads are
preferable to
negative ones.
Hog cholera not
in Bulacan (x)
ARMM polls,
hindi tuloy
 Bulacan gov’t allays
hog cholera fear
 ARMM polls,
ipinagpaliban

73. Do’s in Writing Traditional
Heads
 Be specific.
 Put a verb
expressed or
implied.
 The Seminar on
English proficiency
(x)
Mentors join
seminar on
English
proficiency
(improve)
 Mentors join seminar
on English proficiency
English Olympics
up in October

74. Do’s in Writing Traditional
Heads
 Omit articles ( a, an, the).
 Do not use all caps. The
trend is down style (
lower case except for first
word and proper nouns)
and flush left
 THE ENROLMENT
DIPS (x)
 The Kids to Receive
Measles, Polio, Rubella
shots (x)
 Kids to receive measles,
polio, rubella shots
Enrolment dips
by 2.5 %

75. Do’s in Writing Traditional
Heads
The active verb is
preferable than the
passive, but when
the doer is not
prominent, use the
passive head .
 Enrile wants new book
published only after death
 Overseas job seekers
warned vs Web offers

76. Do’s in Writing Traditional
Heads
Use the
present tense
for past
stories; the
infinitive for
future stories.
Ukraine seeks to join
Nato to counter Russia
Ukraine to join Nato
to counter Russia

77. Don’t’s in Headline Writing
 Avoid label, wooden
and mandatory
heads.
 Avoid editorializing .
 Journalism training (X)
 Join Journalism training(X)
 SPAs perk up skills
in division journalism training
 Kind Principal bats for moral
values (X)
 SPA training, a success (X)

78. Don’t’s in Headline Writing
 Don’t end a line with a preposition, but don’t
confuse a hanging prep. with a two-word verb.
 RP sweeps Asian titles in
Petron Asian Karting Open
RP sweeps Asian titles
in Petron Asian Karting Open
• Guest Speaker bats for
moral values

79. Don’t’s in Headline Writing
Don’t break off
words, verb
phrase,
preposition and
object
School Choir to per-
form in NAMCYA in
Nov. (x)
Choir to perform
in NAMCYA
in November

80. Don’t’s in Headline Writing
Don’t abbreviate
months/ days
unless figures
follow.
 SG election slated
in October
 SG election slated
on Oct. 31

81. Punctuating Headlines
 Use a comma in place of the conjunction and.
 In a two-line head, separate two independent clauses with a semi-
colon (;)
Palace apologizes for sorry state of MRT,
shuns ‘rush hour ride’ challenge
Ebola outbreak spreads to Senegal;
riots break out in Guinea

82. Punctuating Headlines
 In using direct quotation
as head, use dash, colon,
and comma instead of
the traditional quotation
marks.
 SC didn’t ask for e-court
funding–Palace
 Luistro: DepEd developing
God-loving learners
 No worries, says MILF
on Bangsamoro Law delay
 MILF says, no worries
on Bangsamoro Law delay

83. Vocabulary Headline
What do the words in bold mean?
Farmers group
scores gov’t on
unemployment
Director Ramirez
keynotes Reg’l
Journalism confab
Transport groups buck
high oil price hike
Literary contests cap
Buwan ng Wika
Scribes in libel row

84. Vocabulary Headline
Replace the italicized words
with apt head lingo
 Campaign against pornographic
literature going on
Drive vs smut on
 Math winners announced
Math winners bared

85. Vocabulary Headline
Replace the italicized words
with apt head lingo
 Campus writers will join
regional journalism conference
 Scribes to join
reg’l presscon

86. Vocabulary Headline
Replace the italicized words
with apt head lingo
 Principal approves
Student Gov’t election
 Principal okays
Student Gov’t polls

87. Vocabulary Headline
Replace the italicized words
with apt head lingo
 First year student wins first
place in poster making
contest
 Freshman cops gold
in poster making tilt

88. Pagsulat ng Ulo ng Balita
Ano ang mali sa ss. na ulo ng balita? Iwasto.
 Mag-aaral, kahanga-hangang nagwagi
 REG’L SCHOOLS PRESSCON
Editor ng Malaya, nanguna sa pagsulat ng balita
 Aklasan sa DAR, nalutas nagsipag-aklas, bumalik
 Aklasan sa DAR, nalutas; manggagawa, bumalik

89. Mechanics of Headline Writing
A Technical Instruction or The Printer’s Directions
3-30 Arial Black-Inverted Pyramid
body text: Arial Narrow
Meaning:
The first number means that the headline will run across three columns
of the page.
The second number stands for the font size to be used.
AB (Arial Black) indicates the font type.
Inverted Pyramid is the headline pattern to be used.
The two lines below means that make a two-line headline.
Putin ready to invade Ukraine;
Kiev warns a war

90. REVIEW
2-35 Calibri-Flush left
body text: Arial Narrow

91. Give the unit count of the
following headline
1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1
Pnoy urges Senate to hasten
1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1
PDAF scam probe = 44 ½ units

92. Give the unit count of the
following headline
Pnoy urges Senate to hasten PDAF
scam probe

93. Counting the Headline
1.All small letters except jilft and mw are counted as 1.
2. Small letters jilft are counted as ½.
3. Small letters m and w are counted as 1½.
4. All capital letters except MW are counted as 1½.
5. Capital letters M and W are counted as 2.
6. Capital letters J, I, L, F, T are counted as 1.

94. 8. All punctuation marks except the –?, $ and % are
counted as ½.
9. Dash, question mark, dollar and percent sign are
counted as 1.
10. All figures, except 1, and spaces are counted as 1.
11. Number 1 is counted as ½.

95. Putin ready to invade Ukraine;
Kiev warns a war (43 units)
Pnoy urges Senate to hasten
PDAF scam probe
(44 ½ units)

96. Headline Patterns
 Crossline or barline – a single line of headline running
over two or more columns
Indonesian turns forest into ‘school of life’
Ombudsman, kulang sa abogado
 Dropline – two or three lines of headline, usually of the
same length and are arranged diagonally
Dole Philippines donates
armchairs to Sarangani

97. Headline Patterns
 Flush Left – two or more headlines are aligned at the left edge
of the column
Malacañang muling nagpaalala
sa OFWs sa pagdadala ng droga
PH cagers take Croatia
to overtime before losing

98. Headline Patterns
 Hanging Indention – usually three or more lines of headline, the first set
flushed to both margins and the succeeding lines are indented several
spaces from the left margin, thus hanging as if from the first
Military ready to step in
if anti-gov’t protest
turn violent
 Inverted Pyramid – two or more lines of headline with the first line flushed to
both margin and the succeeding lines getting shorter and centered
Pinoys escape massacre
in another UN camp

99. Headline Patterns
 Flush Right – two or more lines of headline are aligned at the
right edge of the column
Ordinansa sa riding in tandem,
ipatutupad na sa Manila
 Flushline or full line – consists of two or more lines of the same
length
FDA: Don’t buy
these eye drops

100. Other Kinds of Headline
 1. Streamer – striking bold-faced head extending across
the top of the page
 2. Umbrella – a streamer that is placed at the very top of
the page above the nameplate of the newspaper
 3. Binder – a streamer at the top of an inside page
 4. Boxed head – the headline is boxed either for
prominence of to avoid tombstoning

101. Other Kinds of Headline
 5. Jump head (run-over head) – headline of a news story,
which is cut and continued on the inside page; it is
followed by the word from page – or the like
 6. Subhead – a short title of a portion of news story to break
the monotony of gray text; set in boldface and occupies
more than half the column width
 7. Tagline, kicker or teaser – a short single line placed
above the main head, may be of smaller type, underlined
and set flush left or centered
 8. Hammer – if the tagline or kicker is bigger than the headline

102. Umbrella
headline
Banner head,
Streamer

103. 4-line,
1-column
head 2-line,
4-column
head
3-column
crossline

104. Heads
are
flushed
left
like
this

105. The writer whose work cannot be improved
by a constructive editor does not exist.