A good headline needs to capture the attention of readers in such a way that they will want to read the entire article; it needs to tantalize or tease them a bit in some way. The headline ought to supply information that allows the reader to know what the article is about in a concise, efficient manner. That means certain words will be omitted and some grammatical constructions may be revised, making them sound different from everyday speech.
The bottom line, though, is that the headline needs to communicate effectively, ideally with one and only one reading, and that is where my nomination for the World's Worst Headline fell absolutely flat. When I saw this, I read it through half a dozen times without understanding for certain who did what, or thought what, or was where why or when. I took it upon myself to try to understand it without reading the article, but I failed and finally broke down and had a look.
If you have already seen this, or heard a report about the incident, the headline may not strike you the way it did me at first. If you haven't, see how long it takes you to figure out the meaning.
Woman Thought Bound Child in Walmart Lot Abducted
Keep in mind, at the time you first see this you have no idea what the headline is about. Among the guesses that I came up with during my initial moments of confusion were these:- A woman was thought to be bound (tied up); a child in the Walmart parking lot was abducted.
- A woman who was thought to be bound for (heading in the direction of) a child in the Walmart parking lot was abducted (that is, the woman was abducted).
- A woman who was thought to have bound (tied up) a child in the Walmart parking lot was abducted.
- A woman thought that a bound (tied-up) child in the Walmart parking lot abducted something or someone - but whom?
- A woman was thought to have have bound a child in Walmart, and the lot (meaning either the whole group or a place to park) was abducted.
Command Form or Imperative
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Verb Missing but Understood or Able to Be Inferred
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Active Verb in Present Tense, Possibly Referring to Past Tense
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Past Participle Used to Substitute for a Passive Voice, Present or Past Tense Construction
Swift [was] confronted about songNew AIDS-like disease [was or has been] found
Mom [has been or was] released in son's death
MyFord Touch System [was or has been] panned
Wildfire [...] slowed in California, still threatens homes
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