I caught myself editing an LA Times headline this morning. Not the first time either. The only journalism classes I ever had were in high school. I was, of course, on the paper and thought that’s what I’d be, the next Nellie Bly. You know, the kind of woman played by Rosalind Russell. But alas I didn’t pick my college–I won’t go into that–and it turned out NOT to have a journalism department. Back in the day, it never occurred to me that there was such a thing as J-schools for college grads. Actually, was there? I wouldn’t have gone anyway. I wasn’t into clear thinking or assertive behavior in those days.
Anyway, I learned all the basics in Mr. Ritche’s class. (I can’t remember how to spell it, that’s how long ago it was). I understood how the inverted pyramid worked and why. I searched out words like “very,” “just,” “pretty,” and eradicated them. I tried to avoid the prepositional phrase in favor of strong adjectives and the occasional, even stronger verb. I probably forgot a lot, but when I see unnecessary words, it bugs the **** out of me.
Gay Degani 
There were J-schools, back in the day; I attended a damned fine one at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.And don’t fret about editing; I do it, too, except I hate to see those adverbs. Anyway, that headline deserved it. Such sloppy work!
I’ll qualify my comment that I’ve never taken a journalism class, but I’ve always appreciated good journalism. What’s really frightening is its current downward spiral, with the newspaper consolidation and acquisition by media conglomerates that’s causing it. I can’t recall the fiction book that contained it, perhaps a M. Connelly book, but it referenced how those who do PR releases would seek out TV reporters for a sound bite, but would try to avoid the newspaper reporters because they were no fools. Sadly, that time may have passed.
Take THAT newspaper! HA! (my name has an arrow…FEAR ME!)