"Bus beheading suspect ruled mentally ill"

Headlines are on my mind. They've been catching my eye all week, ever since we began discussing them in class. Upon reading a headline, I think to myself, "Does that have a double meaning? Could it be interpreted in a different way by another reader? Does it make sense, or did they have to make it that way to fit a certain amount of space?" 

These are the questions that were running through my mind as I scanned my homepage today, www.cnn.com. This headline caught my eye. What, was the bus itself beheaded? This isn't a story that I've been following this week, and I couldn't wrap my head around what the headline meant. 

In a society where most people have about two minutes to spend reading their morning newspaper (while drinking their coffee and listening in on a conference call as well, most likely) the significance of headlines is more important now than ever. In an industry that is fighting to stay alive, journalists are in a position to please the audience as much as possible - that is to say, make it as easy as possible for them to receive the news to which they are entitled. 

I don't have time to wonder whether a bus was "beheaded" or if, perhaps, someone tripped and was decapitated by the bus (or if a mad man beheaded his seatmate on said bus, which is what in fact took place). From a headline, I want to glean the gist of the article without actually having to read it, so that I can read about things that are important to me and steer clear of things that are not.

For instance, this headline does a great job. I know what I'm getting. I know it will be an article explaining to me why this man chose to withdraw his name from consideration for surgeon general of the U.S. It's clear, it's concise and it piques my interest and makes me want to continue reading. It draws me in as a reader.

That's what a good headline should do.