If Labor, led by Anthony Albanese (an acquaintance of mine, nicknamed "Albo"), wins next weekend's federal election in a landslide as is currently predicted, the headline on Sunday will be:
Las Cruces Police Shoot Woman, 75, Inside Of Her Home
If I were a news editor, the headline would have to tell what the story’s about and be as brief and neutral as possible. The body of the story would have to tell what happened without emotion, tell all of the facts and be as neutral as possible. That’s what news is supposed to do, IMO.
This post was edited by Livvie at May 15, 2022 10:24 AM MDT
As a former newspaper editor who actually wrote headlines, I assure you that you wouldn't have space for all that. Also, watch your grammar: dementia is not a weapon. Furthermore, it's not the job of the headline writer to editorialize, which rules out opinion words like "in cold blood" and "just for kicks."
Try COP SHOOTS ELDERLY WOMAN with a subhed: Officer Suspended Pending Inquiry