Emptying the Notebook

Adventures in Farm Bill Headline Writing

 The Senate just passed the 2012 farm bill, a thousand-page behemoth that has captured the attention of a lot of different audiences. Close behind are the journalists, vying for a share of the discussion. The first and best way they do this is through headline writing.

A good headline manages expectations, and recent farm bill stories are no different. A good headline will let you know if the following article is straightforward analysis, or a scathing op-ed, or if it is meant to appeal to a particular special interest group.

I did a search for "farm bill" in Google News. Here is a sampling of the resulting headlines, from the good to the bad to the head-scratchers.

• What's in the farm bill? Some issues unrelated to farms. (Washington Post)
• Why The Farm Bill’s Provisions Will Matter To You (NPR)
• Farm bill puts its focus on food stamp spending (U.S. News & World Report)
• Farm Bill's catfish inspection prgram is a fishy proposition (The Hill)
• Pour Some Sugar On Me: Maple Syrup and the Farm Bill (National Journal)
• Jews for a just Farm Bill (New Jersey Jewish News)
• Study Heimlich Maneuver Before Reading Farm Bill (The Bradenton Times)
• Bucks for beetles: Bipartisan farm bill amendment to double funds for beetle mitigation passes U.S. Senate (Summit Voice)
• Doggy Glitter Gets a Share of Farm Bill Billions (Washington Examiner)
• Cutting crop insurance would hurt farmers (Watertown Daily Times)
• Opinion: crop insurance subsidies are harming U.S. farming (Fresh Fruit Portal)
• Farm bill politics mutes partisanship in Senate (Washington Post)
• WHAT OTHERS SAY: Farm bill debate is laughable (Columbia Missourian)