WASHINGTON - A bold headline is often the difference between getting someone to read a news story or simply move on to something else. After Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, here is a look at some of Wednesday's headlines related to the presidential election.
Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders won in their respective parties in New Hampshire taking landslide victories. But you can't help but notice how some publications have chosen to recap the race with some shocking language.
For one political story in the Huffington Post, it used a headline of "A Racist, Sexist Demagogue Just Won The New Hampshire Primary" with a subheadline of "Donald Trump seriously did it."
The New York Daily News went with "Dawn of the Brain Dead: Clown comes back to life with N.H. win as mindless zombies turn out in droves."
For the New York Post - "Hillary's Henchwomen Have a Dirty Secret."
We found those headlines on the web and decided to take a trip to the Newseum to see some other headlines from newspapers across the country. Many headlines did not use the type of language as the other three publications, but we did take note of the Asbury Park Press from New Jersey that used the headline, "Christie Crashes in N.H."
While every publication is different and some intend to be divisive, I wondered why we see headlines like these. We spoke with Ian Wishingrad, a branding expert, to better understand why a publication might choose to use such shocking language in their headlines.
"There is just so much content out there that everyone needs to stand on their own two feet and get your attention, so a big bold picture with a big bold headline is your best shot at doing so," he said. "And attention spans are completely scattered these days, so just like there is click bait on the internet, these front pages have become click bait by essentially trying to grab your attention and see if you want to read more."