20.
“Animal-rights group to hold meeting at steakhouse”
Out of all the places these animal rights activists in Montana could have held their meeting, this is where they chose to have it? The article went on to mention that the group hoped to teach others to live a “cruelty-free” life which included not eating meat.
19.
“Prisoner serving 2,000-year sentence could face more time”
A jury will decide if the man, serving time for kidnapping and murder, will face the death penalty or more time in prison. Instead, maybe let him have the possibility of parole after, say, the first 1,000 years? At least this kidnapper and murderer is behind bars and – hopefully – will be for the rest of his life.
18.
“Nudists fight erection of towers near Wreck Beach”
This is just wrong. They could’ve used another word, like maybe ‘construction’ or ‘building’? You can’t blame reporters and editors for trying to write more noticeable headlines but, again, this is just… wrong.
17.
“Report of unresponsive man at Malden Casket Company”
When writing this news brief, the writer should have elaborated on where the unresponsive man was found. It’s more likely that this man wasn’t found in a casket, but then again that is only speculation as it doesn’t go into any more details.
16.
“Barbershop singers bring joy to school for deaf”
Unless there were a group of sign language interpreters on the stage with the singers, signing everything that was sung by the singers, it’s ridiculous – and maybe even a bit insensitive – to put on a musical show for a bunch of deaf students.
It’s unclear if the singers did anything else for the students, besides sing various songs that they couldn’t hear.
15.
“Students cook and serve grandparents”
Some students served and cooked a pancake breakfast for visiting grandparents who were at their school for Grandparents Day. What was the special ingredient in the pancakes? Was this a special school for cannibals?
14.
“Masturbator ‘yanked’ from library”
Unlike the other headlines on this list, this particular reporter was well-aware of the words she wanted to use. It’s everything a good headline should be… it summarizes the article and catches the reader’s attention. But, while funny, it’s still a little inappropriate.
13.
“Wal-Mart: Police receive a report of a newborn infant found in a trash can. Upon investigation, officers discover it was only a burrito.”
Mistaking a piece of Mexican food for a baby is perhaps the epitome of ridiculous. It’s not clear if it was just a prank call, or if the caller was under the influence of something and honestly mistook a burrito for a baby. This is something you would probably find on satirical websites, such as “The Onion”.
12.
“Parents keep kids home to protest school closure”
The reporter who wrote this headline forgot to include the word “possible” between “protest” and “school”, because the article tells about the parents of 200 San Franciscan schoolchildren who kept them at home to protest the planned closure of the school.
If “possible” would have been included, then it probably would’ve implied the parents were contributing to their child’s truancy.
11.
“Bridges help people cross rivers”
While the headline does summarize what the article is about – education about different bridges, such as how they are constructed and where to find certain ones – still reads like another piece of information found in a children’s book. The article doesn’t appear to be much of a news-oriented article, as it reads more like something from Wikipedia.