Just for laughs…
A few years ago, we processed newspaper content at MyMedia very differently to the digital system we use today. The manual method involved a bleary-eyed monitor clutching a cup of coffee at 2:30 in the morning and reading every newspaper in Australia. We would identify content for our clients, then scan the articles into our system. In those pre-dawn hours, there was one publication that always brought a smile if not an outright burst of laughter from our mouths and that was the NT News.
From 2010 – 2019 the NT News became notorious for their hilarious headlines. These headlines weren’t just eye catching they were award winning. The 2012 front page story “Why I Stuck A Cracker Up My Clacker’ won a Walkley Award and was about 23-year-old Alex Bowden who suffered serious burns after his mates lit a firecracker in his bum.
It was a deliberate editorial decision to consistently run whatever story they thought would get the most people talking on the front page. There was a specific formula – the story required a great photo, a cheeky headline and ideally one of the 3 C’s: Crocs, Cyclones or Crime. In fact, the NT News now holds the record for the greatest number of croc related stories on the front page, there were 9 in one day.
The formula obviously worked well, despite the NT only having a population of about 250,000 their Facebook page has over 360,000 followers. The NT Museum and Art Gallery even ran an exhibition called ‘Yes it’s Real – Legendary covers from the NT News’ and if you’re so inclined you can purchase the book ‘What a Croc!’ which has a collection of the most memorable front pagers.
Unfortunately, in 2019 the tongue was taken out of the cheek. NT News editor of the time Matt Williams announced that it was time for the masthead to align with other newspapers around Australia and become politically correct. Considering the current state of the world I think we should all take a moment to stop being so serious and just appreciate some of the absolute pearlers that came out of the NT News…
