I read the Wall Street Journal every morning. It is a serious publication. Let’s face it, any newspaper that puts all its content behind a high pay wall classifies as serious. And, if you hadn’t noticed, their logo includes a period. Seriously.
In spite of that, their writers are not above having fun when composing headlines. These can provide a daily chuckle if you keep your eyes open. Some recent examples:
- “Food Sector Feels Queasy”
- “Investors Aren’t Thirsty For Coca-Cola”
- “Now Packed With Drama: Cans of Tuna Fish”
- “Tesla Opens Production Throttle”
- “Arctic Winds Put Fire Under Natural Gas”
OK, I’ll admit these are not gut-rippers, but everything is relative. You just work with what you’ve got, so I enjoy these little bursts of creativity with my morning coffee.
Now imagine the (serious) thrill I experienced the other morning, when I unexpectedly stumbled upon headline humor hiding in an article about the disappointing performance of the USA Speed-Skating Team.
No doubt someone at the WSJ was jonesing to headline their article “USA Speed-Skating Team Cold-Cocked“ but knew he or she would be unemployed in hours. So they crammed it into the middle of the story, knowing it would be noticed by readers like myself. Well done!
Hidden Headline Humor warms my cold Bronx heart!
And don’t miss the period in WSJ’s Logo.
But wait, there’s more!
Lurking in another article was a tongue-in-cheek swipe at those mighty universities, Stanford and Harvard. This piece examined the excuses given by the IOC for not closely monitoring construction progress at the Sochi Olympic site. In an awkward exchange, Jean-Claude Killy manages to conflate Harvard and Stanford with the KGB. Inserting this quote is probably the work of a frustrated Cal alum. But no matter, it’s brilliant!
More Headline Humor hiding in plain sight.
That period just won’t go away.
I know we are not talking Pulitzer Prizes for creativity here, but I live in a small world, and will take what I can get.
Seriously.
Not A Mystery 
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