Just Kill Me

Robert Waldmann

Don’t kill the guy who writes headlines for www.washingtonpost.com. Nonviolence. First amendment. Free press. Don’t do it.

I have already complained about another headline today, but I must admit that “Stagnant Prices Prevent Social Security Increase” totally leaves “Cap-and-Trade Would Slow Economy, CBO Chief Says” in the dust.

OK so now the inflation rate formerly known as “price stability” is called “stagnant prices.” Some traditions were not abandoned — a nominal increase which is not real is called an increase, because reality is for nerds.

It is remotely conceivable that the headline writer might be sophisticated enough to know that a tiny bit inflation is good for the economy and way better than deflation, but my working hypothesis is that in order to launch the Web 2.0 version of the WaPo and relate to the hep kids, The Washington Post hired the guy who wrote headlines for “The Onion.”

Is anyone willing to look me in the eye and claim that there are two different human beings weird enough to think of “Stagnant Prices Prevent Social Security Increase” and “Poll: Happy, Healthy Obamas Out Of Touch With Miserable Americans.”

Well I’m sorry ghost of Katherine Graham turning over in her grave, but wacky headlines are just not enough to make The Washington Post “America’s Finest News Source.”

Update: Rdan here…Yves adds her thinking to the issue