How to Write Fairer, More Accurate Headlines
Guardrails for News Headlining: Principles and Workflow lays out three principles for ethical headline writing and offers guidance for newsrooms that want to achieve them.
Headlines for major news stories are routinely scrutinized on social media, Vincent said, especially when news outlets revise headlines as stories develop.
Vincent acknowledged that headline writers are undoubtedly under pressure to entice readers. But readers, he said, seem to be concerned not just about obvious clickbait but also about headlines that set false expectations or fail to acknowledge a story’s nuances.
Subbu Vincent, director, media and journalism ethics, quoted by Ethics and Journalism.
Jul 2, 2025