diff --git a/tests/test_cover.py b/tests/test_cover.py
index c0fd6af..d859a06 100644
--- a/tests/test_cover.py
+++ b/tests/test_cover.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import json
 import os
 from collections import Counter
 from datetime import date
@@ -136,3 +137,31 @@ def test_truncate_to_width_fits_within_budget():
     bbox = draw.textbbox((0, 0), result, font=font)
     rendered_width = bbox[2] - bbox[0]
     assert rendered_width <= max_width, f"Rendered width {rendered_width} exceeds {max_width}"
+
+
+def test_obituary_headlines_filtered():
+    """Verify the filtering pattern used by publish/issues/scheduler call sites."""
+    class FakeArticle:
+        def __init__(self, title, categories):
+            self.title = title
+            self.categories = json.dumps(categories)
+
+    articles = [
+        FakeArticle("Town Meeting Approves Budget", ["Government"]),
+        FakeArticle("John Smith, 85, beloved teacher", ["Obituaries"]),
+        FakeArticle("Harbor Festival This Weekend", ["Culture"]),
+        FakeArticle("Jane Doe, 92, retired nurse", ["Obituaries"]),
+        FakeArticle("Panthers Win Championship", ["Sports"]),
+    ]
+
+    headlines = [
+        a.title for a in articles
+        if "Obituaries" not in json.loads(a.categories)
+    ]
+
+    assert len(headlines) == 3
+    assert "John Smith, 85, beloved teacher" not in headlines
+    assert "Jane Doe, 92, retired nurse" not in headlines
+    assert "Town Meeting Approves Budget" in headlines
+    assert "Harbor Festival This Weekend" in headlines
+    assert "Panthers Win Championship" in headlines