Heads You Win

Upon my reading of Paul LaRocque's "Heads You Win,"--and by this I mean solely the first two chapters, I've already come to realize several things. Not only are his points creditable, concise, and condusive, but they are also extremely blunt, honest, and at times humorous. LaRocque points out common yet trivial and unwarranted errors oftentimes made by journalists and editors today. Furthermore, he offers an array of suggestions, criticisms, and examples that are of extreme value to us as journalism students.

My question, however, is not why we as prospective journalists are reading this guide-- because I must admit that is quite clear. Rather, I can't help but wonder why many current newspaper journalists and editors have seemingly failed to adhere to any of his advice. Quite honestly, the headlines and captions found in garbage gossip magazines are far more catchy and creative than nearly any newspaper headline I've seen in quite some time. Though these tabloids are obviously fabricated and frivolous in comparision to the articles found in newspapers and such, you'd think that since the majority of people want to read actual news, that these headlines would be just a little more interesting. The fact of the matter is that people are going to read the newspaper--regardless of the headline -- because let's face it, the current presidential election is just slightly more significant than whether or not Britney Spears plans on putting on yet another musically-challenged performance at this year's MTV VMA's. Quite honestly, if writers can come up with catchy headlines for these senseless stories, newspaper writers can surely do the same.