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by Nicole Collins Bronzan

When retired New York Post editor Vincent Musetto died this month, the Internet fondly revisited his famous 1983 headline on a story about a grisly New York City crime: HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR. The New York Times obituary for Musetto even evoked his turn of phrase with its headline: “Vincent Musetto, 74, Dies; Wrote ‘Headless’ Headline of Ageless Fame.”

The writer of that headline, Kyle Massey -- often called The Times’ reigning headline guru -- joins ProPublica Assistant Managing Editor Eric Umansky in this week’s podcast on what makes a good headline -- in The Times and elsewhere.

As assistant news editor, Massey focuses on the articles destined for the paper’s front page and, in particular, headlines. He even writes a weekly in-house critique of headlines for the staff.

Oh, and The Times headline on the 1983 killing? “Owner of a Bar Shot to Death; Suspect Is Held.”

Highlights from this episode:

• The ways online news has changed headline writing. (11:57)
• How headlines are written and approved at The Times. “The essence is the key, and the tone is the key.” Massey says, noting the “restrained tone,” that is The Times’ hallmark. “It’s not ‘bloodbath,’ and ‘thugs,’ ” he says. (2:16)
• The Times’ well-documented “fondness, or maybe even overuse” of headlines beginning with a prepositional phrase, which spawned the #nytbooks hashtag on Twitter in 2012. (4:50)
• Massey’s background, from his start as a sportswriter at the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Arkansas. (6:58)
• Tips for writing clear, engaging headlines: “You have to write the headline on the story that’s there,” Massey says. “You can’t, sort of, write the headline on the story you wish were there.” (15:47)

Hear their conversation on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher, and subscribe to ProPublica’s podcasts to hear conversations like these each week.

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by Terry Parris Jr.

Some of the best #MuckReads we read this week. Want to receive these by email?  Sign up to get this briefing delivered to your inbox every weekend.

Political profiteers push Ohio's pot vote (The Center for Public Integrity)

A political firm could earn $5.6M to push pot legalization measure in Ohio — an idea they created. http://t.co/pBnoz5Gv7X #muckreads

— Kytja Weir (@kytja) June 18, 2015

"'The honest and most easy response is: I am going to profit from this,' the initiative's creator told the Center for Public Integrity. 'If people are upset about me making money, I don't know what to say other than that that's part of the American process.' ... The measure would root the 10 marijuana growth sites to particular land parcels, which happen to be controlled by the mysterious companies funding the initiative."

In an unmarked grave, a baby's untold story (BuzzFeed News)

She died 8 days after officials placed her in giant for-profit foster care co. Then they kept it secret. http://t.co/aPexLrcuWc #MuckReads

— Amanda Zamora (@amzam) June 18, 2015

"BuzzFeed News obtained from other sources many of the documents (Department of Children and Families) tried to keep secret. But the name of the little baby who had died remained unknown. She was anonymous. Then, this March, the city clerk of Beverly, Massachusetts, found a death certificate of an infant who died on Jan. 21, 2012, aged 2 months and 5 days. There it was, under 'decedent name': Lily Marie Brown."

Locked away: Grady Memorial Hospital withheld rape evidence from police, despite victim requests (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

This is effing unbelievable. #muckreads https://t.co/uIP6aNiWTu

— Carrie Brown (@Brizzyc) June 16, 2015

"...victims at Grady may have undergone an invasive, grueling rape exam for nothing, advocates said, and dangerous criminal may have gone unpunished. Police could have been flagged to patterns of attacks. Entering DNA samples into a national database could have unmasked attackers who were strangers to their victims or prevented serial rapists from striking again."

In North Dakota's Bakken oil boom, there will be blood (Reveal News)

As death count mounts in Bakken oil fields, accountability for worker safety shifts b/t companies: http://t.co/41hubLEKZm #muckreads @reveal

— Christina Jewett (@JewettCIR) June 15, 2015

"...the boom also has been a serial killer. On average, someone dies about every six weeks from an accident in the Bakken – at least 74 since 2006, according to an analysis by Reveal, the first comprehensive accounting of such deaths using data obtained from Canadian and U.S. regulators."

A fragile peace: Part 1 and part 2 of a special report on Ciudad Juárez (El Daily Post)

For Mexico, the drop in violence in #Ju√°rez is a case study, but not a complete victory. http://t.co/YoKoEVPBdH

— El Daily Post (@ElDailyPost) June 11, 2015

"It has been three years since the violence abated and the murder rate dipped from 300 a month to 30. In March and April of 2015, the number of homicides in the city reached its lowest point since 2005. But crime experts say that could change because the judicial system hasn't come down hard enough on some of the criminals."

As VA cuts narcotic prescriptions, veterans with chronic pain cry foul (The Austin American-Statesman)

Tons of VMs this am from frustrated vets after story on VA patients getting their painkillers cut off: http://t.co/khsLwNUCD5 #muckreads

— Jeremy Schwartz (@JinATX) June 15, 2015

"'Why do they let us suffer without our pain medicine?' one veteran said. 'It feels like we are being punished for other people who abused drugs. But what about those of us who take the medications on a regular basis for chronic pain? The VA should just treat its patients humanely.'"

Social worker obtained state licenses despite criminal past (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Convicted serial rapist, bank robber became licensed social worker in Wis., Mich. & Ind. http://t.co/HeiZR60Ngf @cspivak #muckreads

— John Diedrich (@john\_diedrich) June 14, 2015

"He raped several women while their husbands were at work. He robbed a Milwaukee bank and burglarized homes. And he kidnapped and raped a 14-year-old girl. Deisler was convicted and spent a decade behind bars. He got out and became a licensed social worker and therapist in Wisconsin and two other states, specializing in treating addicts and sex offenders."