The Headline Game – 12/12/07

It’s been a while since we’ve had a good Headline Game.

Real life or parody? Sometimes, I can’t tell the difference anymore. That’s when it’s time for the Headline Game.

Below are two headlines from CNN.com and two headlines from Rueters News Service. Can you tell which are the real headlines and which … oh wait. They’re all real. I guess it’s not going to be much of a game this time, but feel free to discuss any of the stories behind these Onion-sounding headlines in the comments section below.

1. Deal could mean $70,000,000,000 more for war
2. President Bush vetoes child health bill again
3. Teen caller tricks White House
4. “w00t” crowned word of year by U.S. dictionary

Note: CNN headlines taken from front page of CNN.com; headline of actual story may differ.

Stories: Story 1, Story 2, Story 3, Story 4

4 Responses to “The Headline Game – 12/12/07”

  1. Tony Kvale Says:

    I thought I had it right with the first 3 being legitimate headlines, but “woot”? I have to look that one up to learn the reason it has been added! Happy New Year!
    Tony
    Kvale Good Natured Games, Saint Paul

    P.S. Our company has a variation on funny headlines. No right or wrong answers — you get to create a headline to a curious ‘front page’
    photo. If interested, visit http://www.HeadlineGame.com

  2. Bill Says:

    Welcome, Tony!

    Usually, this game includes two real headlines and two fake headlines, but this time the real headlines all sounded fake to me.

    I checked out your site and it does look like fun. It reminds me a bit of the New Yorker cartoon caption contest, but with news stories instead.

  3. Bronx Richie Says:

    Hey, haven’t seen the headline game recently. Is a revival possible? Perhaps with a twist? Anybody can use REAL Onion headlines -but how about FAKE ones?

    Here are two for starters:

    “Grey Panthers” of the ‘70s – Where Are They Now?

    Research Shows “I’m a PC” Actor Actually Much Cooler in Real Life Than Mac Guy

    Anybody…anybody??

  4. Bill Says:

    Funny!

    Actually, John Hodgman, the actor who plays the PC in those commercials, is much cooler than the Mac guy. Because we all know that Funny = Cool.

    I don’t know if I have any fake Onion headlines in me, but I did get some compliments on this piece.

    The original feature was intended to highlight the sorry state of the world and to mock the mediocrity of the media. That’s always worth doing. Maybe we’ll bring the game back at some point.

Leave a Reply