We swear we’re not trying to point out failures by the Olympian in every issue. Sometimes it just works out that way.
A couple weeks ago, volunteers went around the county conducting a census of homeless people. The results of this census are used by local social service agencies to better address homelessness and to win state and federal funding.
A well-written article in The Olympian noted that, in the census, “individuals are asked several questions including what factors led them to homelessness and whether they are currently experiencing chemical dependency or domestic violence.” (Yes, we said “well-written article.”)
The headline on their website was simple and straightforward: Volunteers collect information from county’s homeless population
But then there was the headline that showed up splashed across the top of the front page of the print edition: Volunteers seek information on drugs, violence from area population
Good grief. We really don’t know whether this is prejudice against homeless people or just ineptitude. Or more likely, the headline writer saw an opportunity, no matter how inappropriate, to get the words “drugs” and “violence” into a headline, to sensationalize it up and sell a few more copies.
Nevermind that the census question was asking whether homeless people were the victim of violence; the headline will reinforce the fear of violence from homeless people. And nevermind that “chemical dependency” very often means alcohol, not “drugs”; besides, only homeless people use drugs or alcohol, not people with homes, right?
And it’s funny how the other question noted by the reporter — the one about factors that lead to homelessness, the one that might make us think about the way our society works and how easy it would be for us to lose a job or face catastrophic health problems and end up homeless — that question gets ignored in the headline altogether. “Drugs” and “violence” are so much simpler.
Writing good headlines is difficult. It doesn’t help that the Olympian (or its parent corporation) has cut back staffing so much that the headline writer is probably desperately overworked. Or that that headline writer is actually sitting at the News Tribute offices in Tacoma, not in the same office as the reporter, where they could lean over a divider and ask a question.
Not all the OP&L headlines are gems. But we promise to do our best to be accurate and thoughtful and to avoid sensationalism. (Except for the headline on this editorial, obviously.) ◙