Who writes column titles in newspapers?

[Jan Klimkowski]

Editors and/or headline writers write newspaper headlines, depending on the size of the staff. Bigger papers have headline specialists. On smaller papers it may be the editor. The author almost never writes headlines, which must fit size and space requirements.

Jack

Jack is correct.

In the UK, sub-editors rather than the actual reporter typically write headlines.

The main point of headlines is to get people to buy the newspaper. Their more general purpose is to persuade readers to look at an article they might otherwise not bother reading.

As a result, headlines often bear only tangential relation to the articles below, and will almost without exception be more sensational than the piece justifies.