Headlines
Writing display copy that captivates, informs and entertains is one of the great loves of my life. Here are some of my favorite headlines and captions, a few of which earned me an Associated Press award.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, The Dallas Morning News sent its ultra-talented photojournalists to capture it. One of the most arresting stories was that of a group of holdouts who refused to leave their homes on flood-ravaged Desire Street. My job was to write headlines and captions that did the photos justice and advanced the narrative.
Lance Armstrong has a complicated legacy. Before scandal dominated the conversations about him, he was a hero for cancer patients and their families, raising millions of dollars for research and care and sparking a fundraising movement anchored on colorful wristbands. This headline was in my AP award-winning portfolio.
Sometimes the headlines write themselves. The Dallas Morning News' best-in-class photojournalists struck gold again with an item about a historic cabin that needed to be moved — painstakingly — to a new spot.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that music works its way into almost everything I touch. Such was the case with this headline for a beautiful story about an indefatigable suitor in Mexico.
One of my favorite aspects of writing is how the right words can make the entire puzzle fit together. For this story about a science exhibit, we wanted to be sure the arresting imagery had enough space on the page. That left little room for text, which meant every word had to earn its place.
A photo like this deserves a fun headline, don't you think?
Straight news pieces don't have to have dry headlines. In fact, I'd say in most cases they shouldn't.
My colleagues often accuse me of planting songs in their heads. Sorry, not sorry.
Look at that little face.
As Forbes' homepage editor and production lead, I relished chances to push the limits with how we presented stories and challenged readers.
Sometimes a headline that would be great for print also works online. This led the homepage at Forbes the day the story was published.