Hair raising headlines

Hair raising headlines

In journalism, it is essential to capture readers with catchy headlines. But some headlines are catchy for all the wrong reasons. Here’s a sprinkle from the UAE’s newspapers.

December 10, 2008 8:07 by kippreport

You can tell an entire story through the headline, or you can tease your reader by promising something spicy in the article. You can also be funny, sarcastic, or absolutely boring with your headline.

Here are some of the headlines from UAE’s English dailies last week that caught our attention and left us asking: “how could they?”

1. Title: “UAE GDP 112 times bigger than in 1971 due to wise economic policy”

Newspaper: Gulf News.

Story: A journalist interviews Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE’s Minister of Economy on National Day.

2. Title: “Ministry and CID staff accused of colluding with brothels”

Newspaper: The National.

Story: Some UAE’s Interior Ministry’s staff and the CID have been charged with corruption in connection with several raids on brothels and liquor outlets.

3. Title: “Dubai home prices rise 5% in third quarter”

Newspaper: Emirates Business 24-7.

Story: Colliers International has just released a report stating that Dubai’s house price growth slowed to five percent in the third quarter, down from 16 percent in the second quarter.

4. Title: “UAE has fulfilled aspirations of residents”

Newspaper: Khaleej Times.

Story: A piece based on a press release issued by Juma Al Majed, chairman of the Dubai Economic Council on the occasion of the UAE National Day.

5. Title: “RTA unleashes minor traffic accidents management drive”

Newspaper: The Gulf Today.

Story: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has launched a campaign to manage minor accidents and clear the traffic flow in the city.

6. Title: “Presidential library”

Newspaper: 7 Days.

Story: Bill Clinton has agreed to disclose all donors to his foundation and library in an agreement with the incoming Obama presidency. The article claims that the Dubai government has donated more than $1 million to his library.-AN