In the two most common writing genres, news report writing and adcopy writing, headlines carry the very essence of our pieces. When written by competent writers, they grab the readers’ attention and interest; they make the readers want to read more. In the industry, we say they are supposed to ‘hook’ our readers.

The structures of the body copies and the writing rules that apply in the two genres differ. However, since we are not learning how to write, we shall not go into detail.

Last Saturday, Bernama reported, according to the headline reproduced here, that ‘Rosmah [is the] recipient of Unesco’s ‘Lead by Example’ award’.

The first paragraph said, “The prime minister’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, has been selected to be the recipient of Unesco’s ‘Lead by Example’ award in conjunction with the 71st United Nations General Assembly”.

The message there was clearer than crystal to anyone who has even an average grasp of English. The message was that Rosmah Mansor had been selected for the said award.

Considering the ill reputation that the supposed would-be nominee has acquired due to the various allegations made of her, the nomination has been considered by many to be an awful mistake.

Today, we have come to learn that it was not Rosmah Mansor that had been selected but the Permata programme.

Rosmah Mansor and the Permata programme are two completely different things! I don’t know about you, but they are so to me.

So we ask, was the reporter concerned an incompetent writer or has he tried but failed miserably to spin his top? Of course, you know what that top spinning means.

But if you asked me, it is wrong to nominate the programme for the award even it has produced fantasimorgous results. At least it is so based on my understanding of what the phrase ‘lead by example’ means. If what the programme has achieved is exemplary and it is deserving of a prestigious form of recognition, then the title of the award has to be changed.

What say you?