Free tool
The Headline Card
Eight headline tricks and the check for each, on one printable page.
Grab your copy
One page. Print it, or keep it on your phone for the next headline that gets your thumb moving.
Download the PDF No email required.What's inside
- The eight tricks that get a click without telling you anything, each named so you can spot it fast
- A one-line check for every trick, the question to ask before you tap
- The first move that catches all eight: say in one sentence what happened and who did it
- The Source Test, three questions to run on any headline before you trust it
- The research behind each trick, listed at the bottom
- One page, US Letter, prints fine in black and white
How to use it
Step 1
Keep it close
Save it to your phone or pin a printout near where you read the news.
Step 2
Spot the trick
When a headline grabs you, scan the eight and name the one it is using.
Step 3
Fill in the blank
Say in one plain sentence what happened and who did it. If you can't, the headline hasn't told you yet.
Step 4
Run the three questions
Who gains if you click, how do they know, and what is the honest case this headline is fair?
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