Buzz words...bold font!
*insert bloody, gory story of new attack with plenty of gruesome adjectives and solemn political citations here*
Italics to keep your interest!
Writing and journalism have lost their artistic edges. When statisticians and marketing analysts brought their world into press reporting, it was hailed as a new and improved social platform, but now journalism has become more about how many eyes scan a webpage and less about the quality or importance of subjects.
If you look carefully at almost any article you will find a views tracker, a Facebook share, a Twitter re-tweet, and a Pinterest attach option. This social media share-ability is what these reporters are judged on. How many people did this reach? How many shares did you get?
Reporters are constantly working to catch your eyes, and they will do anything to keep them. The top story on Fox News website foxnews.com has an entirely capitalized title ripping apart Hillary Clinton in favor of "FEELIN' THE BERN".
ABC News counters this with their entirely capitalized heading screaming to the world that a "CHIBOK GIRL KIDNAPPED BY BOKO HAREM FOUND"!
Now, Reuters news, an agency sometimes criticized for their semi-extreme nonpartisanship (i.e. Reuters refused to call Tsarnaev and the attackers on 9/11 terrorists for fear of offending the population), has a policy concerning strict upkeep of factual and internationally important news. Even with this policy they manage to adorn their top post of the day with grisly body-bag images, and an irate caption "How Bangladesh's Gay Community Lives: In Terror".
All of these articles hold intense value to anyone interested in international affairs, and aren't to be minimized as topics or concerns. However, the cheap tricks these news agencies use and encourage to entice a reader is almost sickening. These news companies make gross profits from your fear and disgust. They carefully manufacture their articles, headlines, and featured pictures to make a reader think "Oh man, that's awful...I need to read more!" And suddenly, they've got you.
Readers deserve the right to search for, to read, and to choose their own sentiments concerning international news. The policies and underhanded psychological and manipulative ways these companies pull you in is concerning. Find your own news. Form your own opinions. Question everything. Question even this article, for it too is meant only for eyes. After all, dear reader, all you are is a set of eyes.
