Hi-Lights IHi-Lights IHeadlines and cutlines

HeadlinesHeadlines• Job is to lure reader into story honestly –

don’t promise something that isn’t in story.

Headlines• Should be lively and interesting with

sparkling verbs

• Should cram as much info as possible

• Should have a subject, a verb (expressed or implied), and an object,

• Wrong: Junker of the month• Wrong: Robotics club (this is a title, not a

headline)• Right: Abbott’s car enters finalseason• Right: Robotics club wins competition

Headlines• Verb may be expressed or implied

• EXPRESSED – Debaters work in state tournament

• IMPLIED – Debaters in state tournament

• Expressing verbs is preferred– Debaters perform in state tournament

Writing Headlines• Avoid “be” verbs – these are “blah” and

don’t tend to attract much attention• 12 seniors chosen, not 12 seniors are

chosen

Headlines• FOLLOW HI-LIGHTS STYLE – Helvetica font!• Hi-Lights uses “down style” – we capitalize only

the first word of the headline as well as proper nouns

• Hi-Lights dominates journalism competition• Students attend robotics workshop in Janesville

Writing Headlines• All extra words trimmed out – a, an, the

omitted

• Use present tense verbs – explores, not explored . . .

• Do not use Plymouth High School, Plymouth High, PHS (padding!)

• Wrong: PHS football team won state title

• Right: Football team wins state title

Writing Headlines• Headlines about future events should

imply future by using infinitive (to+verb form)

• 250 seniors to graduate Saturday

Writing Headlines• Punctuation – usually three marks . . .

Comma, quote sign, semicolon

• Use single quotes only (saves space).• Coach calls tech ‘best team we’ve faced!’

• Use semicolon when a period seems appropriate (2-part headline / cause-effect).

• Cleary announces price freeze; congress to discuss

Writing Headlines• Use comma in place of the word “and.”• Bauer, McChumperson win scholarships, not

Bauer and McChumperson win wcholarships• Cleary throws ball straight into air, awes

crowd

Writing Headlines• If writing a two line headline, make each

line a coherent unit by itself – splits do not help. Two column-wide stories need to have a two line headline.

Morris, Pitz-

en win elections

Morris, Pitzen

win elections

NO

YES

Writing Headlines• Avoid repeating a word in a headline• Student Council to discuss student rights

CUTLINES

• Cutlines must be able to stand alone; readers shouldn’t have to read the story in order to understand the picture’s content.

• Know the 5Ws and H

• ALWAYS identify who is in the picture

Cutlines

• Write as a complete sentence.

• Dan Mella attempts a layup.– NOT

• Dan Mella attempting a layup.

Cutlines

• Should be written in present tense

• Be careful! Cutlines should not repeat word-for-word information in the story.

• Never point out the obvious: Freshman John Smith enjoys the spaghetti dinner, not Freshman John Smith poses for the camera, and especially not Freshman John smith posing for the camera.

Cutlines

• Follow Hi-Lights style! Use size 10 for caption and photo credit.

• Caption = times new roman size 10 bold

• Photo credit = times new roman size 10 italicized

• Blah blah blah blah. Photo by Dustin Myroom.

• Left align everything!

Cutlines

• Punctuate both with periods.

Senior Jack Flack uses a metal yardstick to defeat junior Jack McChumperson. Photo by Captain Obvious.