Should headline have cut the cans?
The headline across the top story on the front page of The Beaumont Enterprise today (Thursday, Sept. 6) said: "Christus cans 100 workers/Hospital cites dramatic increase in number of uninsured patients since Hurricane Rita as a contributing factor to its financial losses."
The headline did what good headlines are supposed to do. It got the readers' attention and made them want to read the story. It also had some of us pondering, was it fair, or more importantly, was it accurate?
My first glimpse of it made me, quite frankly, wince. A good headline writer might argue that "cans" is a good strong verb, not to mention many journalists (including myself) seem to have affection for alliteration, as in "Christus cans."
But my first thought frankly was -- people lost their jobs, that seems a bit callous.
So, when another editor sent me an e-mail saying a reader had called to complain about the headline, calling it unfair and saying it was a "cheap shot," I had to agree. So we talked, and he agreed, though not a terrible mistake, that the word "cans" might not have been the best choice.
Cans carries a connotation of firing, as in termination from a job for cause. Webster’s, in fact, defines it as "to dismiss: fire." The hospital eliminated jobs for economic reasons. Though it was not a typical layoff in that it did not involve advance notice, those who lost jobs did so for business reasons, not because of their job performance.
My suggestion to the editor was the less colorful verb cuts, as in trims – a much more precise and accurate way of describing what the local hospital system did with 100 jobs on Wednesday.
That, and it’s also alliterative.
So, for readers who think we never admit mistakes – we certainly do. For readers who think we don’t listen, oh boy do we. And for readers who think we don’t consider the impact before we do something – well, sometimes they are right. Sometimes we don’t consider that impact until AFTER we have done something, but we do talk, and we DO always try to do the right thing.
Thanks for always keeping us on our toes, making us think and fostering some great discussions in the newsroom.
The headline did what good headlines are supposed to do. It got the readers' attention and made them want to read the story. It also had some of us pondering, was it fair, or more importantly, was it accurate?
My first glimpse of it made me, quite frankly, wince. A good headline writer might argue that "cans" is a good strong verb, not to mention many journalists (including myself) seem to have affection for alliteration, as in "Christus cans."
But my first thought frankly was -- people lost their jobs, that seems a bit callous.
So, when another editor sent me an e-mail saying a reader had called to complain about the headline, calling it unfair and saying it was a "cheap shot," I had to agree. So we talked, and he agreed, though not a terrible mistake, that the word "cans" might not have been the best choice.
Cans carries a connotation of firing, as in termination from a job for cause. Webster’s, in fact, defines it as "to dismiss: fire." The hospital eliminated jobs for economic reasons. Though it was not a typical layoff in that it did not involve advance notice, those who lost jobs did so for business reasons, not because of their job performance.
My suggestion to the editor was the less colorful verb cuts, as in trims – a much more precise and accurate way of describing what the local hospital system did with 100 jobs on Wednesday.
That, and it’s also alliterative.
So, for readers who think we never admit mistakes – we certainly do. For readers who think we don’t listen, oh boy do we. And for readers who think we don’t consider the impact before we do something – well, sometimes they are right. Sometimes we don’t consider that impact until AFTER we have done something, but we do talk, and we DO always try to do the right thing.
Thanks for always keeping us on our toes, making us think and fostering some great discussions in the newsroom.
posted by Sheila Friedeck at 2:50 PM
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