I tried to rock the copy editing world yesterday by declaring my undying appreciation to the Associated Press for spiking the distinction between "more than" and "over."
That was No. 1 on my list of things I'm not losing sleep over that we, as copy editors, have traditionally sweated bullets over.
Here's No. 2:
Question mark headlines
Question marks in headlines don't cause a single blip in my radar. I don't care even when the story doesn't answer the question in a story.
Question headlines can be a way of reflecting what readers are thinking. They can set the exploratory tone of a story. They can depict debate. And, yes, they can make you click on a story to find out the answer ... "Are you a lazy copy editor? Or a purist?" would likely get a decent number of clicks on copydesk.org.
Of course, you can overdo it. A post on JimRomenesko.com once pointed out 24 question headlines on Slate. com.
As long as you're being true to the content and not using question headlines as a cheap ploy for clicks, then save the sleeping pills for more critical issues.
Tomorrow: Repition
