'Headless' Headline Writer Axed by NY Post

Citing budget cutbacks, the New York Post has axed Vincent A. Musetto, the journalist widely credited with writing one of the greatest tabloid headlines of all time ("HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR"), dropping him from his most recent assignment as a film critic.

"After 40 years at the Post, during which I wrote 'Headless Body in Topless Bar,' it has come to this," Musetto said in an e-mail to his colleagues.

Musetto was running the paper's newsroom in 1983 when he put together those five words, and he's been lauded as the editor behind some of the Post's most famous headlines.

Mussetto's own favorite, reportedly, was "GRANNY EXECUTED IN HER PINK PAJAMAS." When the New York Times repeated the headline using the word "slain" in place of "executed," he got the paper to run a correction.

 

Also of Interest

• Jeff Bezos: Latest in New Breed of Newspaper Magnates
• Are You Giving Up on the News?
• Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being

 

See the  AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more