It’s hard not to love tabloid headlines. And, even with the groaners and cheap humor, few papers are better at it than the New York Post.
But as JoeMyGod and Gawker point out, a headline on a story announcing a new baby for Elton John and David Furnish was a failed attempt that looks more sophomoric and ugly than funny.
Headlines are meant to get the reader’s attention and tell the story. While this gets your attention, it’s not in the good way. Instead, you are left wondering why the headline writer thought this was a “cute” way to write about a couple that’s been together for 17 years. It also reinforces the most base of stereotypes that there is going to be a “wife” in a relationship between two men.
Every paper has a duty to readers. That duty is sometimes to amuse and entertain, but doing it at the expense of people in your community (and newsroom) seems to be a failing.