The fine art of writing a 'head' to remember

It's funny what sticks with you over the years. Many of us who got into journalism did so to try to make a difference in our communities or to be close to "where the action is" when it comes to government, business, crime, entertainment or even disaster. And, we get plenty of opportunities for that over time. Yet, when I'm lying on my deathbed and little electric images from my life start snapping and popping across my field of vision, among the items from my career that will likely slip into the mix are some headlines. Yes, headlines.

In the grand scheme of hundreds of covered reports and thousands of edited stories, out pop these three little images that no one but me will ever - or should ever - give a second thought. One was a headline for a story in the 1980s about the popularity of Bo Derek's cornrow hairstyle. The designer wanted three lines of 60-point type to fit in one column. Such requirements aren't measured in words but in letters. I came up with "Tying Bo's rows" and felt like John Paxson sinking that famous three-pointer in Phoenix. A few years later, working with a page designer for a Page 1 teaser to a travel story about the joys of watching the tapping of maple syrup in New England, I had only two words. I wrote "Oozin' aahhs." Speaking of the Bulls, when they were closing in on their sixth NBA championship, the newsroom held a small contest for the headline on our then-planned souvenir edition. I got a free T-shirt for "Sweet six team."

I suppose it says something about the quality of my professional life that these are the kinds of successes I have to brag about, but I raise them here to emphasize how journalists can feel about the details of their work and, in particular, the kind of attention and pride copy editors take in one of the most fleeting yet most important parts of their job - writing, under intense deadline pressure, a handful of words that at once describe a complex story in all its nuances, attract the interest of readers and, above all, fit.

When you write 15 or 20 or headlines a day, you're likely to produce more than a few "Man sentenced to five years" or "Business eyes expansion" or "Leaders mull tax hike" heads. But Daily Herald copy editors also produce more than a few minor works of art every day, too.

Consider this Page 1 head for which News Editor Neil Holdway had to tell the story of Monday's stock market surge in four words: "Euro help, happy Dow." Or, acting night sports editor Aaron Gabriel's line capturing Dustin Byfuglien's standout performance in the Hawks' Game 3 defeat of Vancouver in the NHL Western Conference semifinals: "Team of Dustiny? Byfuglien comes up big ..." Or, copy editor Dave Brencic's assessment of a three-star review of the new Iron Man movie: "'Iron Man 2' proves its mettle - for the most part."

Not every headline can be an alliterative double-entendre masterpiece, of course, and inevitably some miss the mark. The real test of the copy editor's art is in the consistent production of accurate, complete, succinct lines that call attention not to themselves but to the stories they describe. Because even the most routine news-digest headline has a big job to do, Holdway and Senior News Editor Teresa Schmedding set up a Facebook page, Daily Herald Headlines, where editors review headlines and welcome your participation and reactions to headlines we've written.

Next time you see a headline you love, or one you hate, take a swing by the Facebook page and share your reactions with a Daily Herald editor. Remember, you'll be talking with the kind of people who enjoy headline writing so much, they take memories of it to the grave.

• Jim Slusher is an assistant managing editor at the Daily Herald.