Has digital changed the art of headline writing?

Here is my latest article for InPublishing magazine - looking at the differences between writing headlines for print and online. There is some good insight by those who know, including Mail Online deputy publisher Pete Picton, Guardian backbencher Simon Ricketts, The Sun's Victoria Watson, the Indie's Martin King and media consultant Andy Drinkwater. If you have great eyesight you can read the print version by clicking on the images above or, if you prefer, you can read it online here. The headlines are the same in both versions. If you missed my last InPublishing article, on humour in newspapers, it's here. 

Tabloid headlines of the month

Those subs who believe their headlines should sing were out in force in April. Here are a couple of crackers that caught the eye.

The Sun has a long track record of song title headlines, of course, but I can't imagine the Ulster Gazette uses many. When it does, it certainly does so in style.

Meanwhile the New York Post refuses to shy away from being overtly tabloid - and shocking. Here is a headline to add to the growing collection to make you smile or, perhaps, wince.

This though was perhaps the most astonishing front page headline of the month. Who could have predicted The Sun (or anybody else for that matter) would come up with such a bizarre collection of words following the death of Margaret Thatcher.

And if you are looking for headlines that 'build a picture in the reader's mind', this one from Mail Online takes some beating.

High flyers about to land in New York

Delighted for six of our recent trainees who are flying out to New York on January 31 to work on the Mail's online operation. This time last year two of them, Mark Duell and Fiona Roberts, were still in college and were applying for the Mail's reporting/subbing schemes. They are currently doing their placements at the Yorkshire Post and Carlisle News and Star and will go straight from there to New York. Fiona said: "I still can't believe it, it feels like I've made it up. It's such a wonderful opportunity. I'm really excited  but also quite daunted to be going straight from sheep to the NYPD... it's quite a jump." They will be joined by four young journalists from the previous reporting course Simon Neville, Amy Oliver, Rachel Quigley and Oliver Tree. Good luck to all of them. I expect regular updates as to how they are getting on. 
The Mail is recruiting for this year's schemes. Details can be found here, here and here.