Inaccurate sensationalized headlines

[my5cents]

The coroners are recording a high volume of sudden deaths for that week, while the 5 year average of sudden deaths in that particular week was 198. Not deaths from all causes, sudden deaths being attributed to the heat.

The lack of any details on the 198 "5 year average" is quite strange. Nobody has even indicated if the 5 year average is for this particular week in the year, or if it's an average number of weekly deaths throughout the 5 years.

I agree, 198 sounds like it could be the number of "sudden deaths". The death that qualify as "sudden" would be any where the death would be unexpected, such as overdoses, accidents, suicides, homicide, unexpected medical issues, and of course heat stroke. I guess any death where a doctor won't sign off on the death as something expected, requiring the coroner to take over.

I would certainly not expect that the 5 year average for heat stroke deaths to be 198 a week. Even a 5 year average for this week every year. This was the end of June start of July. Yearly that isn't normally even close to the hottest week of any year, this being the exception.

This is a case of throwing out some dramatic alarmist stats and letting the media misinterpret the stats, over react, and run wild. Something sensational, never let facts get in the way of an attention getting story.

[Boosted632]

Does anybody else notice things like this all the time and are bothered by inaccurate headlines or stories.

You mean like covid ? Guy dies in car accident but somehow its covid related

[zookeeper]

The coroners are recording a high volume of sudden deaths for that week, while the 5 year average of sudden deaths in that particular week was 198. Not deaths from all causes, sudden deaths being attributed to the heat.

The lack of any details on the 198 "5 year average" is quite strange. Nobody has even indicated if the 5 year average is for this particular week in the year, or if it's an average number of weekly deaths throughout the 5 years.

I agree, 198 sounds like it could be the number of "sudden deaths". The death that qualify as "sudden" would be any where the death would be unexpected, such as overdoses, accidents, suicides, homicide, unexpected medical issues, and of course heat stroke. I guess any death where a doctor won't sign off on the death as something expected, requiring the coroner to take over.

I would certainly not expect that the 5 year average for heat stroke deaths to be 198 a week. Even a 5 year average for this week every year. This was the end of June start of July. Yearly that isn't normally even close to the hottest week of any year, this being the exception.

This is a case of throwing out some dramatic alarmist stats and letting the media misinterpret the stats, over react, and run wild. Something sensational, never let facts get in the way of an attention getting story.

From the link foenix attached:

Updated preliminary numbers from the BC Coroners Service show 808 people died between June 25 and July 1, when temperatures topped 40 degrees in many communities across the province. The latest numbers are up from 719 reported last week. The average for that time period over the previous five years is 198.

From Jayden's article:

but the average number of deaths reported during the same period over the previous five years

Does anybody else notice things like this all the time and are bothered by inaccurate headlines or stories.

You mean like covid ? Guy dies in car accident but somehow its covid related

The headline could have been worded differently but it doesn't make the story any less true. Shocking that there would be a world outside of covid now isn't it.

Frankly I'm surprised that it took a headline to bring this story to the front, there have been several articles, earlier when they thought the number was 719, the article from the Okanagan stating air conditioners were lacking in seniors' homes, the young lady's article about same, professionals were renting air conditioned rooms in hotels so they could sleep to do their jobs, pets were succumbing to the heat on the way to vet hospitals.... First responders, coroners etc have been overwhelmed since the heat started and the backlog isn't going to go away any time soon, sort of like what they were expecting from covid but never happened.

Is okay to protect grandma from the virus by locking her away but lets pretend poor grandma succumbing to living in an easy bake oven is hype, smh.

[rustled]

Thanks for starting this thread, common_sense_guy. Like others, I rolled my eyes and said nothing. Good on you for getting the ball rolling instead! My two cents' worth, rounded up to the nearest nickel:

When using the truth in the head and subhead isn't enough to grab people's attention, they use hype instead.

The head and subhead set the tone for the reader who does go on to read the story.

Those who read only the head and the subhead get only the inaccurate - hyped - version of the story.

IT'S WRONG. Yes, it sells. What they're selling isn't a better understanding of our world - what they are selling is ignorance.

I find it interesting that as our society has become "better educated", fewer people seem capable of perceiving and rejecting hype and bias in the "news" - and more people are willing to publicly excuse the willful peddling of ignorance. Perhaps it's because sometimes they think the hype and bias is helping convince others to believe something they believe in? It seems to me that people with a decent quality of higher education would never excuse hype and bias presented as truth.

[bob vernon]

You can't expect math and science accuracy from journalism students. They've spent their entire lives avoiding math and science. And grammar, too.

[zookeeper]

Thanks for starting this thread, common_sense_guy. Like others, I rolled my eyes and said nothing. Good on you for getting the ball rolling instead! My two cents' worth, rounded up to the nearest nickel:

When using the truth in the head and subhead isn't enough to grab people's attention, they use hype instead.

The head and subhead set the tone for the reader who does go on to read the story.

Those who read only the head and the subhead get only the inaccurate - hyped - version of the story.

IT'S WRONG. Yes, it sells. What they're selling isn't a better understanding of our world - what they are selling is ignorance.

I find it interesting that as our society has become "better educated", fewer people seem capable of perceiving and rejecting hype and bias in the "news" - and more people are willing to publicly excuse the willful peddling of ignorance. Perhaps it's because sometimes they think the hype and bias is helping convince others to believe something they believe in? It seems to me that people with a decent quality of higher education would never excuse hype and bias presented as truth.

How would one word a limited word headline to make this article true as opposed to sensational, hyped or biased?

[rustled]

Thanks for starting this thread, common_sense_guy. Like others, I rolled my eyes and said nothing. Good on you for getting the ball rolling instead! My two cents' worth, rounded up to the nearest nickel:

When using the truth in the head and subhead isn't enough to grab people's attention, they use hype instead.

The head and subhead set the tone for the reader who does go on to read the story.

Those who read only the head and the subhead get only the inaccurate - hyped - version of the story.

IT'S WRONG. Yes, it sells. What they're selling isn't a better understanding of our world - what they are selling is ignorance.

I find it interesting that as our society has become "better educated", fewer people seem capable of perceiving and rejecting hype and bias in the "news" - and more people are willing to publicly excuse the willful peddling of ignorance. Perhaps it's because sometimes they think the hype and bias is helping convince others to believe something they believe in? It seems to me that people with a decent quality of higher education would never excuse hype and bias presented as truth.

How would one word a limited word headline to make this article true as opposed to sensational, hyped or biased?

From the OP, sensationalized/biased/hyped:

808 deaths from heat wave
According to the B.C. Coroners, the number of deaths from the recent heat wave is up to 808

Truth:

808 deaths during heat wave
According to the B.C. Coroners, higher than usual number of deaths during the recent heat wave

Subhead too long?

808 deaths during heat wave
B.C. Coroners say higher than usual number of deaths during recent heat wave

In the original, the word "from" is misleading.

Another recent example, sensationalized/biased/hyped, from https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/339828 ... tops-in-BC :

O'Toole stops in BC
Tory leader Erin O’Toole bashes Liberals in campaign-style Richmond stop

Truth:

O'Toole stops in BC
Tory leader Erin O’Toole criticizes Liberals in campaign-style Richmond stop

Too many letters in the subhead?

Erin O'Toole stops in BC
Tory leader criticizes Liberals in campaign-style Richmond stop

Using a loaded word in the subhead to set the tone for the reader is antithetical to unbiased journalism. It's highly unlikely the use of a single loaded word "bashes" was merely accidental, sloppy journalism.

Writers often suggest a head and a subhead - usually the senior editor of the publication is responsible for them and gets final say, so that's on the Richmond News, not the writer.

Castanet most likely has the right to use their own heads/subheads when republishing - if not, it's up to them to avoid republishing pieces from such obviously biased sources. A choice to republish obvious bias, intact, is just that - a choice.

[zookeeper]

I agree, I would have used "during" as well, this does not change the fact that the op and others are questioning the math and the validity of the article because of the misuse of one word.

The evidence to stating "heat related" comes from the obvious, if one were to attend 800 fatal car accidents there would be the automatic assumption that they were killed in the car accident. Very few would come up after the coroner report as deceased prior to impact, heart attack etc.

[twobits]

Truth be known, real Journalistic skills left the real world not long after the Walter Cronkite's and Dan Rather's. Thereis no "news journalism" anymore. It is all just editorial opinion being presented as news.
Never has the dissemination of truth in news been so difficult as it is now.
Lord help us now cuz unless something changes that forces truth in news reporting, elimination of censorship by big tech, we are destined to be screwed by the shear reality of governance by millions of sadly uninformed and mostly naïve people that are legally permitted to vote.
And that scares the out of me.

[liisgo]

Truth be known, real Journalistic skills left the real world not long after the Walter Cronkite's and Dan Rather's. Thereis no "news journalism" anymore. It is all just editorial opinion being presented as news.
Never has the dissemination of truth in news been so difficult as it is now.
Lord help us now cuz unless something changes that forces truth in news reporting, elimination of censorship by big tech, we are destined to be screwed by the shear reality of governance by millions of sadly uninformed and mostly naïve people that are legally permitted to vote.
And that scares the out of me.

100%, like you said.
Sad part is, far too many have bought into it, and the scary part is, need it.
We are done for.

[bob vernon]

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kamloops/ ... pian-scene

I heard someone quip about this headline: "That's what I always thought about Westwold". Seriously.

[Babba_not_Gump]

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kamloops/ ... pian-scene

I heard someone quip about this headline: "That's what I always thought about Westwold". Seriously.

Not sure what their thought was about Westwold, but I found most people there quite civilized. And then there's Falkland and Monte Lake.

[nucksRnum1]

its scary to think that we may be slipping into another dark ages. Which is what "conservatism" brought humanity a several hundred years ago. Without freedom of the press who will keep Conservatives to account? Conservatives against the press today - act like they have a patch of intelligence. When in fact - it is a patch of ignorance.

Whats scary is all the press covering protests were targeted by police that didn't want these journalists showing an entire context rather than a concocted one. There were a couple that even lost their eyes with "non lethal" ammo. It's crazy to me that a long generation ago Americans could see what was happening in Viet Nam on the evening news because of revered journalists that were brave enough to be in the war zone.

Then somewhere along the way a war was started in Iraq - in which the US military "briefed" the press in the green zone and controlled the narrative. Video of smart laser bombs showing the latest military technology. Bit by bit the media became used to being spoon fed by the powers that be. And when someone revealed the truth? Those people and the whistleblowers became enemies of the state. For trying to reveal truth news.

So I think that is where we have come. People are so disinterested in the truth - that they supplement it with their own agenda. Like Fox news or in a dark room in the basement on Parlor or Facebook. Falling victim to the "big lie" that lead to January 6th. The crazy thing is that this is what people want.....another dark ages of the 21st century. Where evangelicals can be the modern religious totalitarian power. And scientists and philosophers can be murdered in a new and modern way - besides burning at the stake. Maybe with plastic bags over their heads like the Khemer Rouge did. Mounds of skulls in memorial of doctors, teachers, journalists or any other people that stand in the way of regression.

If that happens it will be a sad day. And an era that we can avoid if we choose to look back at history.

[John Crawford]

The quality of reporting and using bait and clink headlines has become common practice on Castanet.
Been following Castanet since their conception in a basement on Harvey, however, I now tend to look towards other news sites due to poor sensitized headlines and very poor content

[common_sense_guy]

I am amazed that those who rail against news and media can say media and news is all lies with a straight face. Especially when most Conseratives get their news from the likes of Ezra or Alex Jones or Tucker Carlson or even more loonie sources on the now defunked Parlor. People were so revved up by under ground sites that they attacked the White House. Or tried to drive over gates to get Trudeau who wasn't even home. Fortunately the guy was white. He was talked down rather than pumped full of lead. One thing that comes from this is the free entertainment about jewish laser satelites or leftist cabals who traffic children.

I feel bad for you if you can't distinguish between the different groups of people . On one hand you have a group that can point out the obvious inaccuracies in headlines and speak up about it, and the other group of people that say all media is lies and bias.. Do you really think those two groups are the same group. You must not be able to distinguish between the two as your painting all of us with the same brush. There's a huge difference in the intelligence levels between those two very different groups.