The notsosecret language of the media Lesson Objectives At the end of this lesson we will understand the uses and effectiveness of wordplay in headline writing and be more familiar with journalese shorthand and the way it is used in headlines ID: 304244
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Slide1
Headlines and ‘Journalese’
The not-so-secret language of the mediaSlide2
Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lesson we will understand the uses and effectiveness of wordplay in headline writing, and be more familiar with journalese shorthand and the way it is used in headlines.Slide3
Starter
What do you make of the following…Slide4
Some facts…
Newspapers and magazines use a number of different methods to make their headlines
eye-catching, dramatic and memorable
.
A common method employed in headlines is to use a
play on words
based on the subject of the story.To save space and attract the readers attention, headline writers have developed their own vocabulary of short, dramatic words.Slide5
Examples
The following are examples of different techniques used to catch the readers attention:
Christian prays for salvation
Tottenham put a stop to Gross incompetence
Angel’s wining his way to WBA
The story is that the Spurs are losing matches under
their manager, Christian Gross, who finally leaves the club
The story is that Oxford United winger
Mark Angel is to join West Bromwich Albion
Thieves show shear-
er
cheek
The story is that a cardboard cut-out of Alan Shearer is
stolen from outside a shop
These are all examples of
puns on namesSlide6
Examples
The following are examples of different techniques used to catch the readers attention:
These are all examples of
puns and wordplay
Cat flap in drowning street
Humphrey, a cat, goes missing
.
Biggest of the Mall
Manchester's Trafford Park shopping complex opens
We’ve a weever invasion on coast!
An increase of poisonous weever fish is happening on our beaches
.Slide7
Examples
The following are examples of different techniques used to catch the readers attention:
These are all examples of
plays on words
Till Deaf do us part
A man deliberately shouts in his wife’s ear
and damages her hearing.
Love at first flight
Describing an RAF romanceSlide8
Journalese Shorthand
Headlines can take up a great deal of space, so journalists have developed their
own shorthand vocabulary
to produce dramatic, punchy headlines. Some of this vocabulary is rarely used anywhere else and can involve unusual use of nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
NOUNS
Police face racism
probe
Rover to
axe
development plan
Murdoch in new
bid
By-pass
fury
Tot
stops in traffic
Police in drugs
swoop
New beef
scare
VERBS
Tories
split
on Europe
Brand
quits
BBC
UK
hit
by recession
Brown
slams
motorists
Temperatures
set
to riseSlide9
Finding your own examples…
Using spare magazines/newspapers, and in groups, find some examples of word-play in headlines. Copy the headlines down into your notes, so you can share with the class. Slide10
Plenary: Spotting wordplay
Its one thing to spot wordplay in action, and another to be able to describe how it’s being used, and why.
Each of the following headlines are different takes on the same story. Write a brief explanation of the wordplay being used. Next, select two or three favourites and explain how and why they are effective
Snow joke for London
London survives in winter blunerdland
Public transit frozen in place
Schools close, students think it’s
w
hite stuff
Mother nature gives a royal walloping; record snowfall set