"Sexting" in a headline?

ESPN.com's Favre headline -- second most prominent hed on their site's main page -- uses the word "sexting" to describe his alleged actions. Yes, we know what it means, but seems way too casual a usage for a news headline on a major site.

 

Maybe too casual or questionoable in a newspaper, not on the web...especially a site with no ethics to start with.

 

Well, agreeing with spnited, but likely for the wrong reasons, I don't have a problem with it in a headline, and I likely don't have a problem with it in a newspaper headline, either.

But you're right, regular web users will include your first demographic group to get it without over-explanation.

 

I wouldn't have a big problem with it in a newspaper either, SF. By maybe I meant some editors and possibly readers might consider it questionable in a newspaper.

 

Yeah, you're probably right.

Hey, when you and I were in this business 20 years ago, did you think you'd be A) On an "Internet" message board (what the hell is that?); B) Discussing the word "sexting"; C) Discussing the word sexting as it pertained to a Hall of Fame quarterback using his cell phone to send digital photos of his sexual organ to am employee of another NFL team?

I'm just randomly guessing here when I say it probably wasn't on your radar screen in 1990.

 

I would definitely use it in a headline, probably with single quotes around it to indicate the derivative nature of the word (ie, it's made up, readers). Our job is to educate our readers. This seems like the correct usage to me.

 

Perfectly fine in newspapers. Much easier than trying to fit 'sending digital images of his dick' in a one-column headline.

 

I'm sure it was all Polaroid penis pics back then.

 

The Freep has used it a few times when dealing with the Kwame scandal.

 

I have used 'sexting' in a headline.

However, my story was about a law enforcement presentation to high schoolers on the dangers of sexting.

Come to think of it, maybe He Who Shall Not Be Named should have sat in on that presentation.

 

Yeah. I'm not seeing the problem here. For newspapers or online.

OMG!!! THEY SAID SEX!!!!!!!

 

Wasn't objecting to the nature of the word, just the familiarity for readers overall.