Why do people look for clickbait headlines when the news is political? - eviltoast

I started to notice a trend on Mastodon and Lemmy where the person criticize a news source for writing a minimally biased headline.

Sometimes, I even notice a person posting a article on Mastodon to provide commentary, and in the replies you would find a person criticizing the headline for not using loaded words.

Is there is any specific reason for people doing this?

  • Sundial@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    18 hours ago

    Personally, I don’t think the commenter was wrong to point it out. This isn’t an even conflict and Israel is not only attacking Hamas. “Pro-Palestine” implies you’re choosing a side in this conflict and allows people to form a bias. Anti-genocide showcases exactly why the majority of people are against the war.

    • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      18 hours ago

      But I don’t think it paints anyone in an unfair light. Now, if they called them antisemitic, anti-Israel, or anti Jewish rioters, that would be painting them in an unfair negative light, but when you get a relatively neutral term even though you would prefer an edgier one, that’s not the journalists fault.

      I would’ve rather been known as “Heroic defender of the marginalized and downtrodden”, but I guess I’m ok with just “Democrat” in the headlines.

      • Sundial@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        17 hours ago

        I see where you’re coming from but at the end of the day “Pro-Palestine” implies that these people are only protesting it for Palestine, and not the genocide. If the situation were reversed where Palestine was committing a genocide against the Israeli people then these people would not be “Pro-Palestine”. Remember, a lot of people around the world think that Palestinians want to ethnically cleanse the Jews (which is 100% not true). They use this as an excuse to justify what Israel is currently doing. This is what I meant by saying it has an implicit bias. It’s a very polarizing situation and the media is making it worse by labelling everyone either Pro-Israel or Pro-Palestine. We’re meant to believe that by picking a side you forsake the other. Which is not the case for a lot of people.