Click Bait news stories

[Sonny Taylor]

[Rant]: I'm very tired of reading news (or even technology stories) where the main point of the article headline is left to almost their last paragraph in the story. The stories try to build you up with sentimental details before getting to the main reporting point: What actually happened? What is this really about?

That (in my opinion) should be the first overview detail before getting into finer detail. But noooo.. you have to read the prelude before you get to the main point of the article. Oh, and then the story provides you with with little to no serious details of the event.

I've begun to read such stories from the bottom up. That gets me to the story point immediatly before reading nitty-gritty details.

Just another form of click bait.

[rustled]

Print publications had to make stories fit and cut from the bottom up. The most important elements of the story came first.

Today, plenty of "news" stories lead with emotional fluff instead (or the "what you need to know" - which tells us what to think to save us from having to think for ourselves and ensures readers come to the "correct" conclusion!) and the stories are often far longer than they need to be.

It seems to me if online publications are paid for the number of seconds a client's ad is on a viewer's screen, this means they are being paid more for doing the opposite of good journalism - they're paid for entertaining the reader.

[Catsumi]

Print publications had to make stories fit and cut from the bottom up. The most important elements of the story came first.

Today, plenty of "news" stories lead with emotional fluff instead (or the "what you need to know" - which tells us what to think to save us from having to think for ourselves and ensures readers come to the "correct" conclusion!) and the stories are often far longer than they need to be.

It seems to me if online publications are paid for the number of seconds a client's ad is on a viewer's screen, this means they are being paid more for doing the opposite of good journalism - they're paid for entertaining the reader.

Bullseye!

[Babba_not_Gump]

Most often I read the headlines and then move on. Not much different then one of our inmates here posting a full page of verbal diarrhea. Trying to find the answer in those is futile. I simply ignore those.

Though there is the occasional story that peaks my interest, but they're few and far between.

[Sonny Taylor]

It seems to me if online publications are paid for the number of seconds a client's ad is on a viewer's screen, this means they are being paid more for doing the opposite of good journalism - they're paid for entertaining the reader.

Right on, I thought about that aspect of this as well. No more being led down the garden path for no salient point that truly interests me.

Somewhat related, I'm regularly amused by how well the internet news media can fill their pages with fluff when there's nothing truly significant happening in the news.

[rustled]

Most often I read the headlines and then move on. Not much different then one of our inmates here posting a full page of verbal diarrhea.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

JK. I'm over it.

Trying to find the answer in those is futile. I simply ignore those.

Though there is the occasional story that peaks my interest, but they're few and far between.

Reading the headlines is quite often misleading, though.

It's increasingly difficult to stay informed without feeling one is being misinformed.

[rustled]

It seems to me if online publications are paid for the number of seconds a client's ad is on a viewer's screen, this means they are being paid more for doing the opposite of good journalism - they're paid for entertaining the reader.

Right on, I thought about that aspect of this as well. No more being led down the garden path for no salient point that truly interests me.

Somewhat related, I'm regularly amused by how well the internet news media can fill their pages with fluff when there's nothing truly significant happening in the news.

The 24-hour news cycle is probably responsible for some of this. It used to amaze me while travelling in the US that they constantly had news on in the restaurants etc.

[Sonny Taylor]

Can you imagine a day that any news provider on the net puts up a page that says

"No significant news today; here's yesterdays page"

[Old Sailor]

Not much different then one of our inmates here posting a full page of verbal diarrhea. Trying to find the answer in those is futile. I simply ignore those.

I don't read them either. Then there are the quotes of the complete posting all over again.

I didn't read the first one so why would I read the next 3 versions!

"inmates" lol

[Lady tehMa]

I use AdBlock browser (recommend!) on my phone to avoid the blasted ads. And I read quickly so I usually scroll down to where the interesting bits are in short order. Often, it isn't interesting but is something commonplace and doesn't really have anything I want to read. So, I've pretty much quit reading that type of news story.

[Catsumi]

Not much different then one of our inmates here posting a full page of verbal diarrhea. Trying to find the answer in those is futile. I simply ignore those.

I don't read them either. Then there are the quotes of the complete posting all over again.

I didn't read the first one so why would I read the next 3 versions!

"inmates" lol

You are so right! I detest that collection of quotes that were only gathered together to make some obscure, oblique and pointless point that no one else gets. They often use a full page devoted to that nonsense that disturbs the flow of the thread.

Perhaps they intend to derail.

[Sonny Taylor]

So, I've pretty much quit reading that type of news story.

Maybe a little unrelated is that I'm reluctant to read news (and tech) stories where the headline contains "may have". Like "How Animals May Have Conquered Snowball Earth".

Mostly what I've read has Way too much conjecture without solidly known facts.

[Babba_not_Gump]

So, I've pretty much quit reading that type of news story.

Maybe a little unrelated is that I'm reluctant to read news (and tech) stories where the headline contains "may have". Like "How Animals May Have Conquered Snowball Earth".

Mostly what I've read has Way too much conjecture without solidly known facts.

Well Sonny, here it is, and it looks intriguing.

https://hakaimagazine.com/news/how-anim ... all-earth/
How Animals May Have Conquered Snowball Earth