Recently, I have noticed a few mistakes in Daily headlines that deserve attention.

In Wednesday’s paper, the Daily printed a story regarding the Supreme Court’s denial of cert in a school (graduation) prayer case. The headline read, “Supreme Court OKs Prayer.”

Technically, the Supreme Court did no such thing. A denial of cert is a refusal to hear a case, not an acceptance of the lower court’s decision.

How can the Court possibly “affirm” a case when the full Court refuses to hear it?

I was also perplexed by a headline the Daily ran earlier this semester regarding Title IX. The headline said something to the effect of “Title IX Causes Decrease in Male Enrollment.”

The story that ran with the article made no such statement. In fact, the article mentioned other factors which may have led to a decrease in enrollment among males.

Simply because a there is a correlation between two factors does not mean there is a causal relationship.

Having worked at the Daily in previous years, I understand the time pressures staff editors are under. Daily editors should, however, pay close attention to the headlines they attach to stories.

It looks odd when the headline says one thing and the story says another.

Theresa Wilson

Graduate student

Political science