The desire to shake the imagination of the modern reader at all costs encourages the authors of newspaper headlines to resort to techniques that are far from correct and often not entirely ethical. Let's say you're browsing through the latest newspapers and suddenly see a headline:

"Zhvanetsky was let down the stairs" (AIF-Moscow. 1999. N 28). Immediately reading the contents of the sensational note, you will be convinced that this is not a threat to the safety of a famous artist, but about ... a doll that Zhvanetsky's colleagues named in his honor.

Newspaper headlines that mislead readers about the content of the text, it is logical to call disorienting and they can have several varieties:

1. Headlines with minimal predictability. For example: "The rescue service did not let Shenderovich die "(Coma. truth. 1999. December 24). It is not surprising that such a headline will immediately attract attention. Many, however, will be puzzled to learn that we are talking about the New Year's Eve show " Oh, lucky!", during which Shenderovich called the" Rescue Service of the City of Moscow "several times in order to use the tips of"lady operators of this service".

A terrible example: "How to dismember neighbors "(Mk. 1999. 23 Jan.). Even before reading the text, we understand that the word "dismember" is hardly used in the title in the literal sense. Still, many people will be surprised when they learn that the author means "how to settle neighbors", and the publication is devoted to the draft law "On the privatization of residential premises in communal apartments in the city of Moscow".

Please note that the headlines that we have combined in this group are associated not so much with the text as with the subtext of articles, and even more often with an out-of-text situation. On the pages of MK and Megapolis-Express, such headlines have become a familiar, one might say, ordinary phenomenon.

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2. Headings that represent one of the abstracts of the publication. At the same time, it is not at all important for the authors that the "title" thesis does not reflect the essence of the text, and sometimes it is refuted in it. The only important thing is that it is expressive, intriguing, and therefore successfully "sells" the newspaper. Here is a typical example: "The devil is a woman "(Kommersant. 1999. December 18). What do you think this post is about? Let me tell you about Roman Polanski's new film "The Ninth Gate". Don't jump to conclusions about the character of the movie. As can be seen from the text, it is primarily about the harmful influence of magical and satanic books. And while it's true that the film's protagonist comes up with the idea that "you shouldn't try too hard to summon and search for the devil when he's always around - in the person of a wife, girlfriend, or casual acquaintance," the headline reflects the journalist's mindset rather than the idea of the film. Or another example: "NTV on New Year's Eve will distribute "bugs" "(Coma. truth. 1999. December 24). After digging through the text dedicated to preparing for the New Year's broadcasts on NTV, we finally find an explanation for the headline: "NTV will distribute gifts with might and main. The biggest one is the Volkswagen Beetle." But, first of all, we are talking about a car in the singular, and, secondly, is this what the text is about?! After all, the main thing in it is the content of New Year's programs. Unfortunately, the headline told readers only what the journalist's imagination was most impressed with.

3. Headlines that are a direct distortion or manipulation of the facts contained in the text. For example: "Parents will pay rent to the school" (Mir for a week. 1999. N 9). Without a doubt, the title will attract attention, while generating a lot of questions: How much should I pay? for what? etc. In the text itself, we are waiting for an interview with the director of the Federal Institute of Education Planning E. D. Dneprov. The subject of conversation is the recent decree on the introduction of boards of trustees in schools. At the end of the text, we find a long-awaited question: "Tell me, don't you think that with the introduction of pop councils in schools, extortion of money from parents is simply legalized?". And what is the answer? "- There are schools where such councils already operate. So life has determined: the task of the council is just the opposite..." That is, the meaning of the answer is "just the opposite" to the meaning of the title: parents will not pay school fees! So what is the point of a publication that raises a false alarm?

Another headline: "Moscow will have its own Hyde Park" (Moscow Ved. 1999. December 12). Contrary to the title, the article reports only on the initiative of a group of retired Muscovites who are preparing an appeal to the mayor's office about allocating territory for the park. And here is another typical example: "Moscow is not afraid of the flu" (Moscow Ved. 1999. December 14). Do not rush to rejoice! It turns out that we are talking only about somewhat exaggerated rumors about the epidemic. In fact, "now about 70,000 Muscovites are getting sick a week," in connection with which the author of the note

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notifies readers about the beginning of a new flu prevention program for schoolchildren.

Or: "Dzerzhinsky killed his sister, and then drowned Russia in blood "(Coma. truth. 1999. December 24). We hasten to assure you that this statement sounds in the text is not so categorical and definite. The author mentions the opinion of some of Dzerzhinsky's fellow countrymen, who are sure that it was Felix who shot his sister Wanda with a gun. However, others are convinced that he was not involved in this accident. So, the curator of the Dzerzhinskiy Museum, Mikhail Grib, in response to a request to comment on the rumors, replies: "These are already old people. Who is ninety, and who is under a hundred. They say all sorts of nonsense. For example, that Felix Wanda was killed. So it's not true. Stanislav killed me."

4. "Defective" headings, the meaning of which remains a mystery after reading the text.

True, in some cases we can make assumptions, but we can't be completely sure about the content of such headlines.

This is, for example, the title "Masters of Generation" P "" (World in a week. 1999. N 9). The text tells about the new performance of the Moscow Operetta Theater - the musical "Metro", dedicated to " ordinary young people from the streets of Moscow, who strive to enter the adult world, dream of getting into the theater, on the stage." What about the title? Its relation to the content of the material can only be guessed. Let's assume the following option. By the word "Generation "(translated from English - generation), the author may have meant the participants of the musical. "P" can mean "Subway" as a synonym for "Metro". We couldn't find any keys to a more complete decoding of the "header code".

The next "riddle": "Stock up on vodka-Ligachev is coming "(World in a week. 1999. N 9). Unfortunately, the author of the note found it unnecessary to explain the need to follow his call. He limited himself to saying that "the star of the 80s Yegor Ligachev is extremely popular in the Tomsk region today," where he is running for the State Duma of the Russian Federation in a single-member district.

Another headline: "Woe to the convicted" (World in a week. 1999. N 9). In this article, we read an interview with CEC member Serhiy Bolshakov about the nuances of the election campaign. In particular, S. Bolshakov notes that " those who lose in the elections are obliged to reimburse in full the cost of airtime and print space provided free of charge to TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of periodicals." If the author of the title was referring to these organizations, the meaning of the epithet still remains a mystery. In fact, incriminate means "expose, prove guilt", and this is not discussed in the article.

What is the reason for the extraordinary popularity of disorienting images?

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F. W. Hodgson explains it by the desire of journalists to make the headline interesting for the reader at all costs, even if they have nothing to say to the latter (F. W. Hodgson. Modem Newspaper Practice. Oxford, 1992. P. 117). Indeed, disorienting headlines are most often found with "passing" materials that do not represent anything interesting.

However, in our opinion, serious reasons for the spread of headlines containing misinformation are the irresponsibility and short-sightedness of journalists, who do not understand that the risk of losing readers ' trust is never justified.

For the sake of beautiful eyes

An expression from Moliere's comedy "The Simpers". Aristocratic suitors who have been rejected by simpering women find their happier servants posing as their masters with them. The servants are exposed, and one of the rejected aristocrats, addressing the simpering women, exclaims:"And if you love them now, it will really be for the sake of their beautiful eyes."

This expression is used when referring to someone who is being done a favor not for the sake of his merits, but because of a personal disposition towards him. It is often used ironically in the meaning: no way, just like that, for nothing. As a synonym, the expression "to do something for beautiful eyes" is used.

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