1. Write a headline like this:
Searchers find items likely tied to Skelton kidnapping
2. That appears over details like this:
Michigan State Trooper Andrew Coohon said items were found during the sweep by the search and rescue team, but he cautioned it is too early to tell if they are related to the case.
“The items found were all at one specific location,” Trooper Coohon said. “The items found will not be released until further testing to determine that they are related to the case.”
This is from a story in the Blade. Maybe something was said to justify the headline, but it certainly doesn’t appear in the story. The Blade’s website must be pretty busy today while readers look for the details that never appeared. Perhaps I’ll have the same headline in the Observer this week, but if I do, I’ll at least explain why the word “likely” was used.
And in the end, nothing related to the Skelton case was found.