Bad headline alert

by David Safier

Here's another headline for the history books from the Star, on a Eugene Robinson op ed:

Health-care bill still has loose ends

Sounds like Robinson is being critical, doesn't it? Emphasizing problems with the health care bill? Well, apparently, the Star is one of the few papers whose headline gives the op ed a negative spin. As a matter of fact, I couldn't find another.

Here are a selection of headlines around the country for that same column.

Seizing the moment on health-care reform (Washington Post, Robinson's home base)

Finding the virtue in an imperfect bill (Orlando Sentinel)

For all its faults, health care reform takes a good first step (Eugene, OR, Register Guard)

It's only the first step, but it's a big step (Columbus Dispatch)

In the column, I find phrases like "a landmark accomplishment," "we will enshrine the principle that all Americans deserve access to medical care regardless of their ability to pay" and "once the idea of universal health care is signed into law, it will be all but impossible to erase." Robinson laces those statements with caveats about the bill's weaknesses. But if you read the column, you'll see that Robinson is both a realist and one happy camper that the bill is on its way to becoming a law. That sentiment is reflected in the other papers' headlines. The Star doesn't give the reader a clue to Robinson's intent.

I don't want to get all Journalism 101 on the Star, but headline writing isn't supposed to be creative writing. It's supposed to capture the essence of the story or the column in a few words, not recreate the world as the headline writer imagines it. A good headline complements the story and never contradicts it. A misleading headline is a serious disservice to the reporter or columnist and to the reader, since it's the first impression the reader gets. It sets the tone, and all too often, it's where the reader begins and ends.

Come on, folks, this happens far too often. And on the health care legislation, it's almost a daily occurrence. Is there an agenda at the Star behind this kind of distortion?