The document provides guidance on writing effective headlines for news articles. It discusses best practices for headline structure, such as using short, simple words and active verbs. It also covers technical aspects of headlines like type sizes and column widths. Key tips include grabbing the reader's attention, conveying the main idea in few words, and writing headlines in the present tense or infinitive depending on the timing of the news. Examples are included to demonstrate proper headline formatting and punctuation. The document aims to help writers craft headlines that will entice readers into learning more about the associated news stories.

1. HEADLINE WRITING

2. Just a little warm-up
 Think about a news event in your school.
 Then write the headline for such event, on a
piece of paper.
 Note: Write the headline exactly how it will
look in the school paper

3. Writing Headlines
Once you have your story written, it is time
to create a headline.
 Well-written headlines
 grab the reader's attention
 convey clear, concise thoughts
 Poorly written headlines
 mislead
 and confuse a reader

4. 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.

5. 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

6. Umbrella
headline
Banner
head,
Streamer

7. 4-line,
1-column
head
2-line,
4-column
head
3-column
crossline

8. Heads
are
flushed
left
like
this

9. Kicker

10. Headline Type Size
Headlines are measured by points. A point is
1/72 of an inch high. Thus, a 36-point head is ½
inch high. The body type is usually 8-point or 9-
point.
Heads vary in width and number of lines as well
as in type size. A headline may vary from one to six
columns wide.
 The editor uses shorthand and asks for 3-36-2.
The first digit specifies the width ( 3 columns), the
second, size ( 36 points) and the third the number of
lines ( 2 lines) . So what is a 6-84-1 headline?

11. Oil price drops(72 pts)
Dengue cases rise
by 43% --health chief (54 pts)
Pagpapaliban
sa ARMM polls
ok kay GMA (36 pts)

12. Apply the following rules when
writing headlines
 The best way to write a good headline is
to keep it simple and direct.
 Be clever only when being clever is
called for. Puns are good, but only on
“punny” stories.
 No train
 in DSPC
 No gain
 in RSPC

13. Here are some tips you can use
 Read the story. Read through the whole
thing before you try to write a headline.
 Think about why the story is important
and why you want to have it published.
That's the idea you want to get across in
your headline.
 Take two key words from the story -
nouns and verb that represent the main
idea in the story, especially the main
action or result.

14. Take two key words from the story – nouns
and verb that represent the main idea in the
story, especially the main action or result.
 Try on words. Think about the main words
that pertain to the story. Think about the way
they sound. Then think about words that
sound good with those words.
Try giving this lead a headline:
 MANILA, Philippines - If Philippine athletes
are bound for China for this year for the
Beijing Olympics, Filipino cyber athletes are
also now preparing for the biggest game of
their lives as they compete in the World
Cyber Games (WCG) competition to be held
in Cologne, Germany this November.

15. Here are some tips you can use
 Use strong verbs that deliver a punch and
always write the headline in the active
voice.
 Do not use unnecessary words such as
verbs be (is, are) or articles such as a, an
or the.
 For a news story, your headline should
summarize what is most newsy about
your story. With an editorial,
entertainment or sports story, there's
more room for humor or clever words
but you will still want to convey the main
point of your story.

16. Write a two-column, 2-line head
 MANILA, Philippines - If Philippine
athletes are bound for China for this
year for the Beijing Olympics, Filipino
cyber athletes are also now preparing
for the biggest game of their lives as
they compete in the World Cyber
Games (WCG) competition to be held in
Cologne, Germany this November.

17. RP cyber athletes bound
for world games in Germany
 MANILA, Philippines - If Philippine
athletes are bound for China for
this year for the Beijing Olympics,
Filipino cyber athletes are also
now preparing for the biggest
game of their lives as they
compete in the World Cyber
Games (WCG) competition to be
held in Cologne, Germany this
November.

18. Write a two-column, two-line head
 The Catholic Church has denied the
sacrament of marriage to a Quezon City
councilor because of his stance
advocating birth control.
 Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin told reporters
yesterday the Church denied Councilor
Joseph Juico’s request to be married in
church “just because he was the author
of the reproductive health measure in
the city.”
 By Delon Porcalla
Thursday, July 17, 2008

19. Pro-birth control councilor denied
marriage rites
Is this head all right?
 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 marriage rites

20. Headline Checklist
Does the headline express the main idea of the
story?
Does the headline effectively label the story's
content?
Will it create reader interest?
Will it move readers into the story?
Does the headline focus match the lead focus?
Are the words short, common, powerful,
specific?
Would you read a story with this headline?

21. Do’s in Writing Traditional
Heads
 Make the head
answer as many W’s
as possible
 Scribes win in
Presscon (?)
 Gulayan sa Paaralan,
sinuportahan (?)
 Scribes place 2nd
overall in EDDIS
Press Conference
 Gulayan sa Paaralan,
sinuportahan ng PTCA

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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)
 Dela Cruz, Reyes
Vie for Top Honors (x)
 Dela Cruz, Reyes
vie for Top Honors
 Enrolment dips
by 2.5 %

26. 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 .
 Student officials
inducted en masse
 Gov Jonjon inducts
student officials

27. Do’s in Writing Traditional Heads
 Use the present tense
for past stories; the
infinitive for future
stories.
 Be consistent in font
type & style: up style
/down style
 Scribes, mentors
join press confab
 PTCA to donate
computer units

28. 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 training
 Kind Principal bats for
moral values (X)
 SPA training, a success (X)

29. 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.
 Principal bats for
moral values
 Studes vote for
female prexy (X)
 Studes elect
female prexy

30. 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

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

32. Punctuating Headlines
 Use a comma in
place of the
conjunction and.
 In a two-line head,
separate two
independent clauses
with a semi-colon
(;)
DepED, Intel launch
e-learning site in HS
Math, Science
Graft raps filed vs GSIS;
Palace defends Garcia
noun verb
Graft raps filed vs GSIS;
Palace defends Garcia
noun verb

33. Punctuating Headlines
 Use the single
quotation
marks.Use comma
or dash in direct
quotes.
 Don’t use periods in
acronyms.
 ‘I am sorry,’ says
GMA
 GMA says, ‘I am
sorry’
 I am sorry – GMA
 GMA: I am sorry

34. 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

35. 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

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

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

38. 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

39. 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
 Ang New Secondary Curriclum, hindi matutuloy
 New Secondary Curriclum, ipinagpaliban

40. Pagsulat ng Ulo ng Balita
Ano ang mali sa ss. na ulo ng balita? Iwasto.
 CA, ang Panauhing pandangal sa
paglulunsad ng“Clean-and-Green”
 Dating Pangulong Aquino, panauhing pandangal
sa paglulunsad ng ‘Clean-and-Green’
 Aklasan sa DAR, nalutas nagsipag-aklas, bumalik
 Aklasan sa DAR, nalutas; manggagawa, bumalik

41. Exercise:
 3-column, 2-line quote head
 MANILA, Philippines -- Campus journalists
challenged Vice President Noli de Castro to
take a stand against the extrajudicial killings of
journalists and to protect press freedom, saying
his “missionary words fall short of his stance
on concrete issues affecting the state of
Philippine media.”
 July 15, 2008 18:27:00
 Abigail Kwok
 INQUIRER.net

42. Exercise:
Campus press to De Castro:
Take stand on state of RP media
 MANILA, Philippines -- Campus
journalists challenged Vice President
Noli de Castro to take a stand against the
extrajudicial killings of journalists and to
protect press freedom, saying his
“missionary words fall short of his stance
on concrete issues affecting the state of
Philippine media.”

43. Always read broadsheet dailies
to keep up with the trends in
headline writing and newspapering.
 Thank you.