A Walkley down memory lane of the best headlines that Packered a punch

Goodnight,sweet prints? OK,maybe it’s not that dramatic,but I did read with a touch of sadness that theWalkleys have “retired” the headline category due to an apparent lack of interest.

My one (dubious) claim to professional fame is that a long time ago,I snared that award. Even today,journalists’ eyes light up when – after the routine pleasantries of an introduction – someone inevitably notes that I wrotethat“Cracker Up My Clacker” headline in the NT News.

If I’m honest,it always felt like a slightly incongruous award. The tabloid rabble – i.e. me – thought the Walkleys were a stuffy business rife with journalists taking themselves too seriously. Nevertheless,we all slaved over our entries and grumbled when we didn’t win.

Headlines,however,were something to set our sights on,to really stick it to those snooty broadsheets,with their acres of space to fit extra fancy words.

Not everyone was thrilled with my success,which was understandable. Back in 2012,the category was for the best three headlines,and my other two were both about people having sex in public:arguably not excellence in journalism. Since then,I’ve been known to reflect that I probably ruined the reputations of both the Walkleys and theNT News by taking home the gong.

It’s all a bit odd really,in that the headline writer kind of swoops in and,with a pithy flourish,can steal much of the professional credit. Shout out to reporter Conor Byrne,who did all the leg work on the“cracker” tale of a man who suffered serious burns when a firework exploded in his backside.

But it was easily the most fun award of the night. The crowd came to life when all the excellent headline nominations popped up on the big screen.

Over the years,the Walkley category expanded to cover “Headline,Caption and Hook”,a timely change reflecting the onlineness of modern news. But perhaps that was its downfall? Did the more nebulous scope – what even is a hook? – lead to low entries,sealing its fate?

Still,Walkleys or not,the headline business in Australia is going strong. The art of squeezing just the right words into some awkward space on a printed page continues daily. It’s still the most fun thing about working in newspapers:the back and forth over ideas,the sense of satisfaction when you nail the perfect combo.

Meanwhile,online,particularly on social media,there are whole new ways to reel in a reader,requiring vastly different skills. It’s still the first thing most people will see and the competition for eyeballs is fierce.

These days,I find myself atThe Age,surrounded by excellent headline writers. You can feel the joy as they work their magic online or on the page. Our colleague Duska Sulicich snared a headline Walkleylast year with “Michael rolled,the vote assured,Hallelujah!” – about former Nationals leader Michael McCormack losing his job to Barnaby Joyce – among the winning gems.

Of course,news of the category’s axing prompted a bout of reminiscing about the classic headlines of yore. So please join for a Walkley down memory lane for a look at some of the best:

It’s pretty rare,but sometimes headlines unexpectedly take on a life of their own. The cracker-clacker one still pops up fairly regularly,but at the time I thought it was decent but nothing special.

Still,two years later,whenJames Packer and David Gyngell had a very public dust-up on a Bondi street,I wouldn’t have been able to write my personal favourite – “Why I’ve got a Packer up my clacker” – without it.

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