10.
“Homeless man under house arrest”
Somebody who doesn’t understand the concept of “being homeless”. Even though the court acknowledged that this man doesn’t have a home, the judge ordered he remain on a particular section of sidewalk for a certain period of time. Local police even made sure he was “tucked in” every night.
9.
“Man arrested after cops spot suspiciously small package in his undies”
This is why reporters and editors should come up with their own headlines. It was later revealed by the then-editor that the headline was taken from a press release issued by the police.
The man referred to in the headline, as it turned out, had a bad of amphetamines stuffed in his pants.
8.
“Bugs flying around with wings are flying bugs”
The headline came from what appeared to be an educational column written by an educator. It’s not clear what the article itself was about, but the headline does kind of come across as condescending, considering how it was written by an educator.
7.
“Planes forced to land at airports”
Another headline that might make a reader exclaim “no kidding!”, this article began talking about two smaller planes that were chased out of a restricted airspace by two fighter jets.
While nothing more is known about the article says, it sounds like the smaller planes were forced to land at airports other than their own. It’s hard to tell, thanks to the vague headline.
6.
“Lawn mower: Tends to catch fire but put out easily with garden hose, $30…”
This classified ad doesn’t specify whether this lawn mower comes with a garden hose.
5.
“Drunk drivers fail blow job test”
Another reporter who was probably trying to meet the deadline. In addition, it’s called a “breathalyzer” test. Sounds like this reporter had either just graduated from college, was an intern, or knew the test was called a “breathalyzer” but just has a dirty sense of humor.
4.
Have you seen this man?
He’s been described as wearing a black facemask, hood, and large sunglasses. Another newspaper blurb that is so ridiculous that it almost seems like a joke, but to the right of the police sketch it appears to be a humorless article about a criminal.
3.
“Illiteracy an obstable, study finds”
Mistakes happen in writing, which is why many newspapers and magazines employ copyeditors… except for this one, apparently. The researchers involved in the study were just lent a hand by this newspaper in proving their point.
2.
“Patriots Beat Cocks…”
One of the writers for “The Patriot”, a student newspaper, came up with a funny headline when writing an article about a baseball game where a team at Francis Marion University beat the South Carolina Gamecocks. With a team name like “Gamecocks”, it’s hard not to be ridiculed.
1.
“Researchers: Overeating can set stage for obesity”
The headline here is an accurate description of what the article is essentially about… how people gain weight by overeating. The article itself is interesting, but the headline states a fact that most of us already know about how weight can be gained.