News headlines not always reliable, but often are fun

Posted by John L. Rothra on March 6, 2008 under Eschatology, Science and Bible | Comments are off for this article

It doesn’t take much time to learn how headlines work, that the best ones are short, direct, and attract the attention of the reader. I recently ran across one such headline: ‘Death Star’ Gamma-Ray Gun Pointed Straight at Earth.

There are some aspects of this headline that make it great, some that make it not-so-great. From the first words, one notices the clear reference to Star Wars and the “Death Star” built by the Empire. After conjuring up the fear associated with the destructive power of the Empire’s planet-destroying battle station, the headline warns the reader that the Earth is a target. The result is that readers will want to learn what this means, whether the planet will face a fate similar to that of Alderaan or if Earth is safe. These are some of the aspects that make this a great headline.
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