I'm pretty sure the author wasn't involved in the headline.  Less than half the story is about the U2 incident.  The rest of the story is about Alaska's role in US-Soviet relations over the past 70 years.  The headline could just as easily have read "Off Course Plane Doesn't Start WW3" or "Be Proud of Your Alaskan Heritage" or even "Man Bites Dog, Film at 11."