Kuiken, Jeffrey, et al. “Effective Headlines of Newspaper Articles in a Digital Environment.” Digital Journalism, 2017, vol. 5, no. 10, 1300-1314.
Summary and Review
Headlines in the digital environment are very different from print headlines because they serve a different purpose (1300-1301). Traditional print headlines gave the story away or hinted at its impact because most readers had already purchased the publication through subscription or newsstand. Each headline was considered within the context of the whole publication and its reputation (1302). Digital headlines for the same stories often have to grab attention and pique curiosity as stand-alone items on social media or aggregator sites, enticing readers to click through ads and sometimes multiple screens to get the story. This led to the clickbait phenomenon (1303). Research comparing print and digital headlines for the same features stories revealed that digital headlines were more provocative, using more “personal and possessive pronouns, negative words, and questions” (1302), along with “simplification,” “spectacularization” (1303), “quotes” and “sentimental words” (1312).
Lesson Plan: Evaluating Headlines
Part I. Gather headlines from a variety of print and digital news providers and type them on a single sheet of paper with plenty of white space between them. If providers have separate print and digital publications, include both headlines when they differ for the same story. Make an answer key that indicates which provider each headline and format (print vs. digital) comes from. Bring to class one copy of the headline sheet for each student and one copy of the answer key for your reference.
Before students have read Kuiken's article, have them categorize the headlines according to the following: news (summary or impact), clickbait (simplification, spectacularization, negativity, provoking content, future/forward-referencing).
After students have read Kuiken's article (or its content has been covered during lecture), ask them to summarize it. Then, have students review their headline sheets and change categories they think are inaccurate.
Part II. Reveal each headline's provider. Discuss students' perceptions of the provider's identity traits and credibility before and after the headline exercise. Identity traits might include
local news
national news
international news
print
digital
podcast
politically left-leaning (democrat/liberal)
politically right-leaning (republican/conservative)
aggregator (e.g., Feedly)
entertainment (e.g., Buzzfeed)
celebrity (e.g., US Weekly, People, TMZ)
lifestyle (e.g., RealSimple, Self)
fashion (e.g., Vogue, Marie Claire)
blog
social media
other
Point out during the discussion that providers fit into multiple categories. Often, their identity is shaped by their unique blend of categories (e.g., Buzzfeed is an online entertainment site that also provides celebrity, lifestyle, and some news content and is politically left-leaning).
Evaluation of Discussion Participation
If written summaries are assigned as part of discussion preparation, use the Asynchronous Online Discussion Rubric or Synchronous Discussion Rubric (online or face-to-face) to evaluate students' contributions.
Use a Summary Rubric to evaluate summaries assigned separately from discussions.
Assignment: Profile a Provider and Its Content
After the in-class discussion outlined above, ask students to choose a provider listed below and answer the questions that follow.
Assignment Directions
After you have chosen one of the following providers, complete items 1-6 below.
New York Times print
New York Times online
CNN online
Fox News online
MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) News online
NPR (National Public Radio) News online
MSNBC online
CBS News online
ABC News online
NBC News online
NewsMax online
Huffington Post
Identify which of the categories described in class your provider fits. Being as specific as possible, explain how or why your provider fits each category.
Research who owns your provider. Briefly explain how that ownership could influence the provider's content.
Select three headlines from the provider's front/main page. Explain how the headlines reveal the provider's left- or right-leaning political slant. (Hint: If you're not sure of the provider's political slant, look at the most prominent headlines at the top of the page. Do they portray democrats in a positive or negative light? Do they portray an issue in ways that support democrats' or republicans' stances? Compare the headlines to other providers' headlines and see whether those providers portray the same topic/story in an opposing way.)
Choose one of the three headlines from item #3 above and read the article associated with it. Describe how the article's organization, point of view, tone, or word choice reveal the provider's political slant. Be specific and include examples from the article to support your answer.
List three advertisers on the front/main page. Note any connections you see between the advertiser, provider's ownership, and/or provider's political slant.
Briefly explain how completing items 1-5 above changed the way you think about news, providers, and objectivity.
Evaluation of Assignment
Use the Assignment Rubric to evaluate students' work.