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All right. Let’s talk about the Warren story. The headline is written the way it is because it attracts the most attention possible and that’s one of the problems with how our current media is set up and why they keep getting it so very wrong. 1/
The headline itself is written to be provocative. Warren got paid what? For opponents it’s reason enough to click the link. Or, at the very least, share it without reading as instant proof Warren’s corrupt, even if that’s not what’s in the story. 2/
So. Critics of Warren share it, most of them without looking for proper context. But there’s a secondary market: the outrage market. People who are offended by the ridiculous nature of the headline who click it for the context. 3/
What happens is, in a polarized climate, you have to reach the most people possible. Clicks and shares. So you give an out of context but provocative headline. It causes a brief stir-up and drives numbers. 4/
Meanwhile, if you strike a nerve, it goes viral. If you really nail it, maybe it causes a controversy. You could get days of content from it! At the very least, it becomes a Republican talking point. Every time Warren surges this article gets shared again! 5/
It’s totally in favor of optimizing profit and the news industry has been subject to these market appeals for years and years and years and it dilutes necessary work and harms public conversation. 6/
Unfortunately this is a large part of how we ended up in this current crisis. With Trump it was a constant stream of scandals that ensured nothing every caught hold. With Clinton it was one story, the emails, that held purchase and gained strength. 7/
This isn’t to say journalists aren’t doing good work. It’s not to say the media is completely inept. It’s simply pointing out that the business of news, particularly in the social media age, is a dangerous, broken record and it contributes to a broken system. 8/8
Oh. For the record, nearly 60% of people who share an article on social media do it without reading it, all based on the headline. Media outlets know this and capitalize off it. Here, with the Warren story, it’s particularly important to remember. 9/9
