HuffPo article here.
Here's an example of over-hyping a story and stretching it into an emotional issue to generate traffic. It starts with the headline, putting the idea in the reader's mind that the entire state of Michigan is telling gay couples that their marriage never existed, when in reality it was only the state's attorney general.
This points to another problem with the story, which is the confusion going on between the attorney general's office and the state government over the legality of the 300 gay marriages performed in the state before the ban was upheld. Truthfully, the gay marriages are perfectly legal, but the couples are not currently eligible for state benefits that usually come with a valid marriage license. The entire story is misleading and is meant to seem worse for gay marriage supporters than reality shows.
I hate when news outlets put headlines that are meant to not just grab the attention of readers but to also generate a negative image before they even open the story. This like you said is a perfect example of reporters taking the objectivity out of the media. They want the reader to have a preconceived notion of a particular story before ever getting any actual facts. I like your use of this to get my attention because I was really expecting some catastrophic story regarding gay marriage licenses being revoked. Good post.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it definitely "over-hypes" an issue and attracts the media to such a controversial issue to some people around the world. Most readers just read the title of an article and collect their thoughts without reading the whole article. The article can cause major controversy with gay couples who are married in the state of Michigan. There needs to be more informative articles that are relevant to everyone.
ReplyDeleteThe use of that headline is solely to grab the readers attention. In an attempt to boost their readers, they are utilizing false headlines. You make a good point about the confusion between attorney general's office and the state government. While the headline may over-hype the article, the content does show that the confusion between the two government entities leads to confusion throughout the entire state.
ReplyDeleteHeadlines are used to catch the attention of readers. Especially if its over a controversial issue that has been known in Michigan. Its very confusing when one entity says yes your marriage is legal and then another goes back and say no. Great Post!
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