# Is this the worst headline for a story ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 23, 2008, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426 "2008-12-23T10:10:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/1 "2008-12-23T10:10:05Z")
[X2/SUPERMAN RETURNS Writer Pens Fox’s WOLF Meets SEX AND THE CITY Pilot BITCHES!!](http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39540) It seems like a nearly random collection of nouns. Has anyone encountered a worse headline than this (not limited to entertainment news, of course)? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/2 "2008-12-23T10:40:33Z")
Wow, that almost seems like something straight out of _Variety_, except none of the words are made up. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/3 "2008-12-23T11:15:55Z")
It’s on that moronic “Ain’t it Cool News” site, so I’m not surprised. Not only is the phrasing awkward (especially given the lack of punctuation), but the headline uses one of the entertainment-related phrases I really despise: “It’s _x_ meets _y_.” ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/4 "2008-12-23T11:16:42Z")
Not as bad as: **’CARING’ RAPIST WORE CONDOM** ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/5 "2008-12-23T14:31:43Z")
Classic NYPost headlines: **MAN SAVED BY ‘HERO’ SANDWICH** (During an armed robbery, a gunman shot a bullet at a customer, who flinched and held his only protection - the hero sandwich he was ordering for lunch - to his face, which deflected the bullet!) **HEADLESS BODY FOUND IN TOPLESS BAR** (self-explanatory.) **IKE ‘BEATS’ TINA TO DEATH** (Ran after Ike Turner died.) ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/6 "2008-12-27T01:24:41Z")
Right after 9/11, the local paper had a story on the Islamic religion: **Muslims Prey on Friday** ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/7 "2008-12-27T01:33:11Z")
I mentioned this front page headline from the San Mateo Daily News recently in a thread about racial slurs: **MENACING COON SPOOKS MAN** ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/8 "2008-12-27T03:02:07Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > [X2/SUPERMAN RETURNS Writer Pens Fox’s WOLF Meets SEX AND THE CITY Pilot BITCHES!!](http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39540) > > It seems like a nearly random collection of nouns. Has anyone encountered a worse headline than this (not limited to entertainment news, of course)? Wow. In terms of readability, that is the worst one I have ever read. I had to reread the headline at least ten times, and then read through the story before I could parse that monstrosity. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/9 "2008-12-27T04:08:28Z")
The “Fox’s WOLF meets SEX AND THE CITY PILOT” is hopelessly unclear. I had to read it about six times before I figured out what the writer wanted it to mean. The rest of the headline is almost in “so bad it’s good” territory, with the ending “BITCHES!” making it sound like the author is incredibly excited this screenwriter has written a pilot combining Wolf and Sex and the City. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/10 "2008-12-27T04:14:46Z")
Wow. That’s … really badly written. And on the 'net, it’s not like you have to compress headlines that badly to fit into a given space, either. _reads story_ You know what? I think the premise of this show is worse than the headline announcing it. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/11 "2008-12-27T04:16:33Z")
I’m not sure that [this](http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/9258/1228992124642ci9.jpg) doesn’t take the cake. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/12 "2008-12-27T06:52:51Z")
Some years ago I read a novel about tabloid journalism entitled ALIEN RAPES NUN; FLEES IN UFO. If anyone knows the name of author I would like to re-read it. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/13 "2008-12-27T07:34:34Z")
There was a story in the Washington Post a few years ago about a gay guy in Northern Virginia who was denied a zoning board permit to open a massage parlor in his home. It caused some controversy, because he claimed, and the zoning board denied, that their decision was made due to homophobia. The original Washington Post headline? “Gay Masseur Divides Manassas” ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-worst-headline-for-a-story-ever/478426/14 "2008-12-27T13:27:22Z")
My favorite groaner of a headline is “Double Hand Transplant Recipient Applauds Surgery.”. Somewhere there is a former newspaper intern who will never again reach such a level of greatness.