If it is not, the lead may be buried or the story may need restructuring. Make the necessary changes, consulting with the appropriate editors. The headline usually summarizes the main point, or news peg, of the story. In most hard news stories, especially wire stories, the information in the headline should come from the first three paragraphs. An effective headline will give the reader, especially one who browses, the essence of the story and induce the reader to want to know more.
Few readers have the time to read all of the stories in the paper.
They rely on the headlines to provide a summary of the story and help them determine which ones to read. Be creative yet informative with your headlines. The main headline usually contains just a few words. Use decks to tell the reader more about the story. Headline space is precious so pack as much information in the headline and deck as you can.