undefined | Better HN

0 pointsNortySpock2y ago0 comments

> people tend to think they are informed about a story even when they just read the headline alone

Well, when the headline is "Lost hiker found using Apple Watch" or "Airline grounds fleet due to loose bolts" or "potential presidential candidate says something that sounds stupid" or "AMD says their new chips are faster than last year's chips", then I don't really need to read anything further to know the gist of the story, do I?

0 comments

2 comments · 2 top-level

JohnFen2y ago

Yes, you do, unless the story isn't important to you. Even then, you shouldn't let the knowledge of a headline lead you to think that you know what's happened. Headlines are not written by the person who wrote the story, and are often misleading. The only thing a headline informs you about is the general topic of the story.

Thinking that the headline is a summary of the story or accurately reflects what the story says is risky.

The two primary ways that bias sneaks into news reporting are through story selection and through the choice of headline.

6gvONxR4sf7o2y ago

Unfortunately, headlines are frequently contradicted by the text in the article. For the headlines that are enticing enough to get high on social media, it seems like more than half are misleading.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse