AP's Top News Stories for August 5th, in Four Words Or Less
As a public service, we here at BNET Media have been running top news headlines from the Associated Press this week. Well, actually, we're doing it to make a point: that its policy of charging those who would use more than four words of its content is completely wrong-headed.
Which is a long way of saying there's a catch as to how we are running these headlines. So as not to be charged for a license by the AP, we are only running the first four words of each. For fun, this time around, since these shortened headlines are obviously lacking in certain elements that would help you understand what the content is about, I'll pose them as multiple choice questions, and you can try to guess, without clicking on the link, how each headline concluded. (Yes, these guidelines have been around for awhile, but with the AP's policies a hot topic these days, it's time to take a hard look at all its policies involving re-purposing of content.) OK, without further ado, here are the top news stories for August 5th:
1. Freed journalists home in a. time for dinner. b. 60 seconds using newly-licensed technology from the creators of "Star Trek". c. US after NKorea pardon.
2. Obama says Indiana 'factories a. coming back to life.' b. rock!' c. are closing by the hundreds.'
3. Pa. man kills 3 a. people b. fitness club members c. , himself; Web page describes plans.
4. Ahmadinejad sworn in as a. witness at the People's Court b. Iran president amid crisis c. 66th mayor of Memphis.
5. 'Clunkers' rebates look likely a. to bankrupt U.S. government once and for all b. end up in a lot of smushed cars c. for another month.
6. LA police chief Bratton a. "hearts" New York b. is actually from Boston c. is stepping down.
7. GM board orders faster a. new vehicle rollout b. descent into irrelevancy c. speedboat.
8. Putin bares his torso a. in summit meeting b. along with his soul c. in Siberia.
9. Abdul says she's quitting a. making embarrassing remarks on her Twitter account. b. 'Idol' with sad heart. c. drinking Coca-Cola; it makes her too jumpy.
10. Giants, Manning agree to a. 6 years, $97 million deal b. play lottery; split winnings c. crazily expensive contract in teeth of Great Recession.
Thanks for playing. So what do you win? New insight into how unsustainable this AP policy is. Enjoy!
The correct answers are (1=c, 2=a; 3=c, 4=b, 5=c, 6=c, 7=a, 8=c, 9=b, 10=a).
More top -- but truncated -- headlines from the AP at BNET Media: