OF HEADLINES AND EDITING HEADING NOWHERE

Processing of raw information is a painstaking yet indispensable activity, if the desired end product is high quality journalism. But sometimes, there appears to be more editorial disengagement than a meaningful collaboration, during the editing process.  This could lead to headlines heading nowhere.

In the headline for the newspaper article above, something is clearly amiss.

The sub-editor/headline writer most probably realised the space was inadequate to add another word that would have made the topline more sensible.

In line with the practise of chopping the content from the end, in the belief that the most important details are given priority from the beginning, a la inverted pyramid, a critical word was sacrificed.

Space constraint...well taken care of...But what is the resultant headline sensible?

Unless the intention is to indicate there is nothing to hide and the said scholarships are publicly being awarded, then the sense is warped, if not lost altogether.

This headline definitely needs a hospital admission!