Tuesday, September 04, 2007

PROCLAMATION!


Over the summer I popped into the Chicago History Museum and it reminded me how much I loved 19th Century newspaper headline writing. HANGED! or RIOT! or ANARCHY! or DEATH AMONG WHIZZING BULLETS! Just really delivered the punch the stories deserved. Contemporary copyeditors pussy foot around, in my view.


Take this headline from today at Chicago Tribune online edition:




LAME! It should read:


HOMICIDAL MANIAC COMING TO YOUR HOUSE FOR DINNER!


Also from today's Tribune:




Now this mob trial has been going on all summer, so maybe the copyeditors are just plum exhausted. However, this might be the last great Chicago mob trial so they could inject a little energy into the headline. How about:


WILL THEY SLEEP WITH DA FISHES? MOB JURY DELIBERATES!


The Sun-Times is no better. Here's one their evening headlines:




But I think this is much better:


MARCO?


Anyway, let me know if you think I should submit my resume to either of our great city's Big Dailies.




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Polo?

Anonymous said...

As I read the last headline I had to fight back the urge to spit my water out....HILARIOUS!

Mike Drman said...

Still just as good as ever.

Oh yea...

POLO?