Both your and GP comment are inaccurate and/or unclear.
HN prefers but does not require the original title.
HN does not permit submitter editorialising.
Where the original title is clickbait, which may include editorialising, HN requests that submitters change the title, if at all possible to some phrase within the article.
Another de facto rule concerns "title fever", which is when a title is so distracting that it overwhelms the content of the article in discussion.
From the guidelines:
If the title includes the name of the site, please take it out, because the site name will be displayed after the link.
If the title contains a gratuitous number or number + adjective, we'd appreciate it if you'd crop it. E.g. translate "10 Ways To Do X" to "How To Do X," and "14 Amazing Ys" to "Ys." Exception: when the number is meaningful, e.g. "The 5 Platonic Solids."
Otherwise please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait; don't editorialize.
HN prefers but does not require the original title.
HN does not permit submitter editorialising.
Where the original title is clickbait, which may include editorialising, HN requests that submitters change the title, if at all possible to some phrase within the article.
Another de facto rule concerns "title fever", which is when a title is so distracting that it overwhelms the content of the article in discussion.
From the guidelines:
If the title includes the name of the site, please take it out, because the site name will be displayed after the link.
If the title contains a gratuitous number or number + adjective, we'd appreciate it if you'd crop it. E.g. translate "10 Ways To Do X" to "How To Do X," and "14 Amazing Ys" to "Ys." Exception: when the number is meaningful, e.g. "The 5 Platonic Solids."
Otherwise please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait; don't editorialize.
<https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html>
Some of dang's comments on the issue:
- On changing original title (from yesterday, and NPR to boot): <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37625424>. Also: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36655892>
- On substituting a phrase from the article: <https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...>
- On submitter editorialising: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8357252> <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35163133>
- Distracting titles: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37137478>. Particularly cases where "the thread will lose its mind": <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22176686>
- "Title fever": (Beginning 4 'graphs in) <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20429573>