Is This One Of The Worst Headlines Ever?

[agchristie]

Should The Times make an apology?

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/20/times-apologise-rochdale-sex-grooming-town-murder-imam

[Mamyalynne]

Yes they should, crass doesn't begin to cover it.

[jomifl]

If they were trying to highlight the tensions caused by the grooming scandal they made a poor job of it.

[jno]

good grief, that's a bit stupid isn't it?

[Mamyalynne]

If your question is serious, it implies Rochdale is the only place a sex grooming case happened.

If they desperately had to link the two then the headline should have been...

Imam (sic) murdered in Rochdale one of many towns where a sex grooming gang once operated.

[-Talbot-]

Sadly ... it is what people now associate Rochdale with.

[Mamyalynne]

Allers be t'Co-Op for me - but seriously hope they get the person/people who did this, truly awful.

[douglas9401]

Sundry police forces may, before hitching up their petticoats and sniffing their collective scented hankies, have a word or two with the victims of mistaken identity, fraud and deadly force over the years.

[baza]

Now that the mills are all closed what else is Rochdale known for ?

[pixie374]

It doesn't imply a monopoly, maybe- more that it's their speciality. Not nice if you live there.

[Zacs-Master]

Has a Daily Mail journo infiltrated the Times?

[Sqad]

\\\Imam (sic) murdered in Rochdale one of many towns where a sex grooming gang once operated.\\

OR

\\\\“Imam beaten to death in sex grooming town” \\

The function of a newspaper headline is to bring your attention to the story, buy the paper for further information and increase the circulation.

Back in the 50's two newspapers had as headlines the link between smoking and lung cancer.

Paper 1......."Royal College Report into the link between cigarette smoking and Lung Cancer"

Paper 2....." Do Fags Kill?"

Which paper do you think sold most copies and which do you think is still in business?

[mikey4444]

I am with Mamy here !

Morning Sqad !

From your example, its obvious which paper sold the most copies, and its the 2nd one. Only a mass-market tabloid would use the term "fags" That kind of paper appeals to the indifferently-educated and does nothing to improve their condition....why would it ? Because if their readers became more educated, they would stop buying the paper !

[Sqad]

Morning mikey........my main point it that it is advantageous to make the headlines short and snappy........maybe some ABers could do the same with their answers ;-)

[Zacs-Master]

Tabloid readers don't want to be educated. They want a newspaper to tell them what they should think.

[mikey4444]

Sqad....I would have more sympathy with the tabloid headline if it just said
"fags kill" rather than introducing the uncertainty of the "do" bit !

Zacs......bang on the button there !

[Sqad]

\\\\Tabloid readers don't want to be educated. They want a newspaper to tell them what they should think.\\\\

Some do.....some don't

Problem is, that some broadsheet readers think that they are already educated and reading the broadsheets just confirms their thoughts.

Broadsheet circulation has been declining over the last decade or so.......make that what you will, but in business, that is not a good sign.

[jno]

tabloid circulation has been doing the same; it's nothing to do with the size of the pages, it's to do with the internet. You may have heard the Independent is closing down, Sqad.