Ronalfy.com — The Personal Website of Ronald Huereca

Did my poor headline scare you? It’s really talking about the recent stock-market drop. Did my headline deceive you? I apologize. I was merely trying to bring attention to what a poorly worded headline can accomplish.

Within this post, I will show three examples of poorly worded headlines and what they actually meant.

The headline reads, “Hi-res camera spots visitor on Mars.” It’s true that the hi-res camera does spot a visitor, but I personally thought that something unique had been found. It was just the Mars rover Opportunity.

The headline reads, “Cobs Nab Baby Stab Dad.” I could read this a few ways:

• Cops nab baby-stab dad.
• Cops nab baby, stab dad.

So did the cops nab the dad that stabbed his baby? Let’s hope so.

The headline reads, “President Sends Federal Forces Into Violence-Riddled Oaxaca.” When I read this, I shook my head and thought, “Oh no. No more peace missions please.”

Further reading revealed that the article was talking about then Mexican President Vicente Fox. Why couldn’t the headline have read, “Mexican President Sends Forces Into Violence-Riddled Oaxaca”?

I’ll keep my eye out for headlines that are poorly worded. When I get a good enough collection, I’ll post some more.

Related posts:

1. Misleading Headlines: Pullout Methods Explained
2. Misleading Headlines: Star Trek Episode IV
3. Weekend Survey – Trip to Mars?
4. In Defense of John Kerry
5. When Doing Three Tasks at Once Isn’t a Good Idea