And the point is ...? That's the response I have to to Jack Shafer talking down the variety of mainstream news websites that increasingly put out headlines that attract viewers. It seems like Shafer is basically saying it works for them, thus the mention.
If a writer doesn't know by now that headlines capture attention and draw people in, they're never going to know. The truth is we're in a media world which is a combination of tabloid fodder, entertainment and hard stories. People like to go see the tabloid fodder type of stuff, but are willing to check out the more serious stories once they get there. It's not rocket science.
The conclusion he makes is partially correct in that they do use tabloid stories in a way “explicitly designed to momentarily rouse and titillate the Web audience, says worlds about how the site thinks of us. Life is a freak show, the Web sites instruct, and we viewers just another bunch of freaks.”
Where I think he gets a little silly about it is in the way he attempts to say the website offering this type of headline and story is insulting the reader. In truth, they're simply giving people what they want, even if it is dumb stuff.
This has been going on from about the beginning of journalism, and will continue to go on just about forever. Life just can't be taken too seriously, that's what these stories are really saying. That's why a mix of tough and difficult news needs to be mixed with the other.
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