Deceptive headline (Jackson could be almost anyone)

HEADLINE FOUND ONLINE: Mock GM: Jackson to Eagles, more trades we want to see...

The problem with this headline is Jackson. The Eagles traded DeSean Jackson to the Redskins in the offseason, and I wondered why they'd trade him back to the Eagles in midseason.

They wouldn't. The story is about Vincent Jackson, not DeSean. The headline deceives the reader, and the headline writer should have realized that in advance.

That's the problem with putting names in headlines. If you wrote a story about Emmitt Smith, you'd have to use his full name; too many Smiths out there.

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EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com  BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

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• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

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• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

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• Advice for be and would-be novelists

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