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On 7 March 2019 the Dutch website RTL News published an article titled: “Sustainable thinker often the worst polluter”. The article claimed that several connections could be made between sustainable thinking and polluting behaviour. In other words: those who claimed to worry about the environment were often the ones who polluted more.

The article was based on a scientific report by I&O Research, which made several connections between polluting behaviour and various socio-demographic data such as income, education level, gender and voting preferences. The report itself was more nuanced though, and made no claims about a possible connection between environmental thinking and polluting behaviour. Comparing the RTL article and the report, we found some glaring errors made by the author. You can read more about this in our Factcheck-post linked here.

Moreover, the author missed (best case scenario) or completely ignored several pieces of information found in the report. For example, VVD voters (a conservative and liberal party on the right side of the political spectrum) are considered the biggest polluters. Peter Kanne, the expert who led the research team that created the I&O report, told us that many theories found in the article are false.

What surprised us the most was that several other Dutch media picked up the article and published it without even checking any sources. Factchecking is a skill a modern day journalist is expected to use on a frequent basis, so why did not one of them bother to double check whether or not the information was correct? Is it too much to ask of our professional journalists to provide unbiased, complete information? 

Articles being published on several news platforms is not an uncommon phenomenon anymore, but how has copy-paste journalism become so accepted in a sector that prides itself on delivering truth? Is it the ever growing workload, time constraints or simple negligence?

It would be naive to think that our current zeitgeist has nothing to do with the problem. We keep getting busier. The workload in newsrooms keeps getting higher while at the same time deadlines are tighter. There often simply isn’t time to double-check information, at least not thoroughly. Another cause could be the lack of rest and leisure time in a journalist’s schedule. Taking a day off for mental health reasons or for a break is seen as unprofessional. Journalists on news desks often work long and irregular days. Overtime, irregular shifts and nightwork are rather the rule than the exception. The result is articles of lower quality and a higher risk for burn-outs or depression.

According to studies there is an increasing trend with companies that generate news attention by creating their own ready-made articles that they then send out to news media. The branded content is then picked up by overworked journalists and often published with barely any changes. The rise of digital technology and social media has also given companies the tools to create their own news blogs and websites, where they can create and publish their own “news” cheaply. Not only professional journalists, but also bloggers, citizen journalists and alternative media are able to spread news quickly. Thus, the digitization of the media landscape has also led to a certain decentralisation, which in its turn can be confusing for readers and even journalists, who can’t distinguish between correct information and ‘fake news’. There are simply too many sources.

Another study shows that only 13% of journalists rank control and analysis of information in their top three of most important journalistic daily tasks. Fewer and fewer journalists value the process of factchecking. We believe that’s a pity. Changing this phenomenon in the short term is difficult, but it’s clear changes needed to be made. Factchecking remains a valuable basis of journalism, especially if we want to be taken seriously as a source of information and more importantly as a source of truthHere are a few headlines that get the job done:

1. Eminem Terrified As Daughter Begins Dating Man Raised On His Music

Referencing familiar emotions, such as a parent’s worry for a growing child, can make a headline extremely effective. Add a celebrity’s name for even more juice.

2. 7 Ways to Make Money While Waiting for Disability Benefits

This headline combines several useful strategies: it uses a number to suggest a listicle approach in the content, it promises a way to solve a common problem (“make money”), and it adds specificity to narrow the audience.

3. How to Have a Healthier and More Productive Home Office

Make a specific, actionable promise with your headlines. Unusual adjectives can help add interest.

4. A Little Mistake That Cost a Farmer $3,000 a Year

As long as you don’t try to manipulate the reader, scare tactics can contribute to effective headlines.

5. Are You Making These Embarrassing Mistakes at Work?

Triggering a milder emotion can also encourage clicks, especially if you present a familiar situation for the reader.

6. Lose 8 Pounds in 2 Weeks

Don’t promise too much in a headline like this, but if you can deliver on the headline’s guarantee, you’ll find that specific, deadline-oriented language works well.

7. How Many of These Italian Foods Have You Tried?

Questions prove particularly effective in headlines, especially if you can engage the reader’s curiosity.

8. What’s Scarier Than the Sex Talk? Talking About Food & Weight

Sensational headlines work well if you don’t oversell them — or venture into crass territory. They can also add spice to otherwise dry news headlines.

9. More Than Half of Medical Advice on ‘Dr. Oz’ Lacks Proof or Contradicts Best Available Science

Statistics can add authority to your headlines and attract attention. Adding a celebrity name doesn’t hurt, either.

10. Lack Time? Here Are 4 Convenient Ways to Keep Your Dog Fit

Set up the headline with a familiar problem, then offer a specific number of ways to complete a goal or task.

11. How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life

Combine a news story with a pervasive fear to create a great headline. Bonus points if it involves a cautionary tale.

12. 10 Signs That You Will NOT Make It As A Successful Photographer

You might anger a few folks, but confrontational headlines can encourage conversation and lead to clicks.

13. Sure-Fire Ways to Ruin Your Marriage

Turn around the common listicle approach to headlines by offering X reasons the reader can create an undesirable outcome.

14. 10 Different Types of Girlfriends – Which One Are You?

This headline plays on the same motivations that encourage people to take quizzes in magazines.

15. More of Us May Be “Almost Alcoholics”

Encourage people to click to find out if they’re part of a group you mention in the headline. Both positive and negative associations can prove effective.

Content Killers: Headlines That Never Pan Out

Now let’s take a look at a few headlines that won’t do your content any favors.

16. Make One Million Dollars in One Day

Don’t over-promise in your headlines and under-deliver in your content. That’s a sure-fire way to lose a reader for good.

17. Study Shows Frequent Sex Enhances Pregnancy Chances

Headlines don’t work if they state the obvious.

18. We Didn’t Believe It. So We Fact-Checked It (Twice). Now Let’s Talk About How to Take It Worldwide.

This headline works in 18 words and a parenthetical aside, but we still don’t have any clue what it’s about.

19. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Ultimate Guide

This type of headline can work well, but only if it’s actually the ultimate guide. If you’re just jotting down 500 words on the subject, rewrite the title.

20. Health Insurance Companies HATE This New Trick

Consumers get smarter every year. Clickbait headlines generate more irritation and resentment than intrigue.

21. The Weight Loss Trick That Everyone Is Talking About

If everyone is already talking about it, why does the subject deserve an article?

22. This Stick Of Butter Is Left Out At Room Temperature; You Won’t Believe What Happens Next

Some headline formulas have been done to death. The “You Won’t Believe What Happens Next” catchphrase has played out, so find a new way to hook readers.

23. The DOJ Just Released Its Ferguson Investigation — And What They Found Was Horrifying

Here’s another example of clickbait. If readers don’t actually find the content horrifying, they’ll feel cheated.

24. 60 Photos From the Past That Will Blow Your Mind

Today’s readers don’t want you to tell them how they feel. Headlines like these suggest that the article’s author knows people better than they know themselves.

25. What state has highest rate of rape in the country? It may surprise you.

CNN learned the hard way that using sensitive issues like rape as clickbait will turn readers against you.

26. 5 Reasons To Date A Girl With An Eating Disorder

Some people might still hate-read blogs, but most have cleansed their bookmark lists of offensive material.

27. Weight Loss Shakes Lose Weight Today

Keyword stuffing doesn’t just plague content — it’s also a problem for headlines. Often, you wind up with word salad.

28. No Results With Your Attempts to Stop Drinking?

This headline doesn’t say anything. The best headlines tell you exactly what the article will offer.

29. The Importance of the Legal Aspects of Business Correspondence

Clarity is essential for headlines. If readers don’t understand what the headline means, they won’t read the article.

30. How to Tie Your Shoes

Teaching your audience how to do something ridiculously simple probably won’t do you any favors.

Headline Fails: Cringe-Worthy Titles

Now we come to the ugly: headlines that could have been great if a copy editor had given them a second read.

31. Dead Body Found in Cemetery

You don’t say? Believe it or not, this headline made its way into a newspaper despite its accidentally humorous connotations.

32. One-Armed Man Applauds the Kindness of Strangers

If you’re aiming for an empathetic headline, don’t mistakenly poke fun at the subject.

33. Infusion Partners With Anheuser-Busch to Accelerate Business Innovation Using Microsoft Hololens

Jargon- and buzzword-laden headlines aren’t compelling to a general audience.

34. How To Write Award Winning Blog Headlines

As far as we know, there aren’t any awards for blog headlines.

35. No, Spooning Isn’t Sexist. The Internet Is Just Broken.

Never mind that it’s impossible to “break the Internet.” When your headline uses two completely unrelated statements and fails to tie them together — especially when one of those statements involves a trite buzzword or phrase — your headline fails.

36. Ebola in the air? A nightmare that could happen.

This headline seems to play on the aforementioned scare tactics, but it ultimately fails because the article goes on to say that it can’t happen.

37. These Workers Just Want Money, And You Won’t Believe What They Did To Get Some.

Workers, by definition, expect money — or some form of remuneration. Try not to resort to obvious statements in headlines.

38. Someone Gave Some Kids Some Scissors. Here’s What Happened Next.

If your readers immediately picture a preschool bloodbath, your headline isn’t doing its job.

39. Rubio Suggests Trump Has Small Genitals

In today’s political climate, this isn’t even newsworthy. It’s also a rather tasteless headline.

40. Tiger Puts Balls in Wrong Place Again

When you’re writing a headline, go ahead and try for the bad pun. Once it’s out of your system, revise.

Writing Better Headlines

If your headlines sound like they belong in the “bad” or “ugly” category, you can easily recover with a few tips. Great headlines give your content more visibility and help you rank better in search engines, so it pays to enhance your skill at writing them.

Start with the main idea of your article. Do you want to educate your audience? Entertain your readers? Inspire action?

Use adjectives and action verbs in your headline that appeal to your target audience or that serve the subject matter. Write three or four different headlines, then compare them. Why do you like one over the others?

The more you play with different headline formulas and constructions, the better you’ll get. As long as you keep your audience in mind, you’ll craft headlines that will encourage users to click on your article titles and read your content to the very end.

Exploring the Different Types of Multimedia Content

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