All Blog Posts from Public Eye

People making fun of the headlines that have been unleashed to tell the story of astronaut Lisa Nowak has now reached critical mass. We, of course, are as guilty as all of these people.

This is, after all, a story with many bizarre and salacious threads – most of which are clearly difficult to overlook.

But predictably, the very ingredients that made for a hot storyline have led to a backlash.

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Two Senate races remain too close to call

Allen-Webb race is too close to call

Race too close to call mid evening Tuesday

"Dancing with the Stars" too close to call: Joey Lawrence, Mario Lopez, Emmitt Smith in three way tie

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Two Senate races remain too close to call

Allen-Webb race is too close to call

Race too close to call mid evening Tuesday

"Dancing with the Stars" too close to call: Joey Lawrence, Mario Lopez, Emmitt Smith in three way tie

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From the San Antonio Express-News:

…when [headline writers] produced a startling nine pun headlines April 20, Editor Robert Rivard enacted an immediate ban on puns in headlines — or "heds," to use newspaper jargon.

"That was it for me," Rivard said, "especially as I made my way through the predictable e-mails from readers dismissing us as a serious newspaper."

In declaring the ban April 21, Rivard e-mailed news editors: "It's a shame to see the good work of so many disparaged because of the immaturity of a few headline writers who seem more focused on peer approval than on producing a quality newspaper for the community."

I get where Rivard is coming from – the headline "Border violence killing tourism," for example, which appeared in the Express-News, is simply inappropriate. But puns are the lifeblood of headline writers, for better or worse. When Anne Bancroft, who played Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate," died in June of last year, I wrote a satirical piece mocking the various headlines that appeared – everything from "Anne Bancroft has left and gone away" to "Heaven Holds A Place For Those Who Pray" to " "Fans loved her more than she will know."

When the stories aren't all that serious, however, punny headlines can be kind of funny. Or at least, that's what we tell ourselves. Below, you'll find a few punny heds that we've run with our "10 Plus 1" feature, which involves interviews with various CBS News folks. Are they amusing, annoying, or a little of both? Your call:

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