Plan: Introduction

The Headline

The headline is the title given to a news item or a newspaper / magazine article. The main function of the headline is to inform the reader briefly of what the news that follows is about. Sometimes headlines contain elements of appraisal, i.e.,; they show the reporter’s or the paper’s attitude to the facts reported. English headlines are short and catching, they compact the gist of news stories into a few eye-snaring words. A skillfully turned out headline tells a story, or enough of it, to arouse or satisfy the reader’s curiosity; (George C. Bastian, 1956. Editing the Day’s News. N.Y.) In most of the English and American newspapers and magazines sensational headlines are quite common. The practice of headline writing is different with different editions. In many newspapers, there is, as a rule, one headline to a news item, whereas some others more often than not carry a news item or an article with two or three headlines.
RETURN TO THE CHARM OFFENSIVE (Time)
Has Chalabi’s given; sensitive; information on U.S. interests to Iran? He denies it, but the White House is wary.
A DOUBLE GAME (Newsweek)
DOES KERRY HAVE A BETTER IDEA?
MISTAKES WERE MADE GOING INTO IRAQ, HE SAYS.
Such group headlines are almost a summary of the information contained in a news item or an article.
The function and the peculiar nature of English headlines predetermine the choice of language means used. Unlike news, headlines also contain emotionally coloured words and phrases as the italicized words in the following:
UNWILLING FLUNKEYS (Daily Herald)
Crazy Waste of Youth (Reynolds News)
No Wonder Housewives are Pleading:
Riding a Tiger in North Korea (Newsweek)
CHINKS IN THE ARMOUR (Newsweek)
Furthermore, to attract the reader’s attention, headline writers often resort to a deliberate breaking-up of set expressions, in particular fused ones, and deformation of special terms; a stylistic device capable of producing a strong emotional effect, e.g.,