A juicy headline has always been a surefire way for news sites to capture readers’ attention and get more clicks and shares. Many celebrity sites and blogs appear to be using this method more than ever before, and that doesn’t always go over well with the stars or the readers.
For instance, many felt that recent reports involving Willow Smith photographed with a shirtless 20-year-old male were blown out of proportion due to the headlines that ran which painted what was happening as being inappropriate. TMZ ran: “Willow Smith Photographed in Bed with 20-Year-Old Actor,” while the more salacious Star ran: “13-Year-Old Willow Smith Caught in Bed with 20-Year-Old Moises Arias.” Reports now say that Child Protective Services are investigating the situation that Jada Pinkett-Smith described as totally innocent.
In a recent Forbes article about rapper Iggy Azalea titled “Hip Hop Is Run by a White, Blonde, Australian Woman” many readers were outraged and ridiculed both the headline and the validity of the statements it made. The title was subsequently changed to “Hip Hop’s Unlikely New Star: A White, Blonde, Australian Woman,” with an update from the staff added below it that stated the original title didn’t accurately reflect the content of the piece.
Has this media tactic gone too far? Are we tired of seeing dramatic headlines promoting news that doesn’t add up? Is it misleading to paint a picture that possibly skews the story for you, the reader, before you even get a chance to read it? Some find such headlines entertaining, while others believe it’s just bad business all around. Do you click on news with dramatic headline? Let’s talk about it below!
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