Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

I came across a couple of headlines earlier this month that struck me -- one for how clever it was and the other that seemed sensationalistic. Both, once again, come from the L.A. Times.

On the Times Obituaries page on Dec. 13 was this headline:

Ike Turner, 1931-2007

Rock pioneer

was known for

abusing wife

Tina Turner

I think that Turner was first and foremost a musician and singer, but this headline downplays that and plays up the abuse angle. Yes, the abuse was a significant, much publicized part of his life, but it seemed odd to me to have that be the main headline. I guess I would have preferred to see information like that in a deck. I think another reason this headline struck me was that it appeared in the L.A. Times. It seemed out of character for them. Now, if I had seen this in the L.A. Daily News, I wouldn't have felt quite the same way (though I would still think that angle was overplayed).

On the same day, the Times' front page had main art and a story about a real estate agent in Stockton who takes prospective buyers on a free Repo Home Tour, going by bus to see foreclosed homes they might want to scoop up. In one column, four lines was this fabulous headline:

A magical

misery

tour in

Stockton

Perfect!