The most interesting part of a story

Hello, Readers!

In our busy lives, skimming through news headlines is a great way to stay up to date with news without having to spend too much time reading into the details. But lately, I have been coming across headlines from news organizations that deflect the factual information of a story.

Although some of these outlets do not intend to provide readers with false information, they do phrase stories to facilitate the predetermined political party of their audience or to receive more clicks to their page.

In addition, news headlines will use wording and phrasing to evoke feelings. Here is an example of a news story I came across recently that appears to be reaching to draw in more readers and spark more emotions:

Click Newsweek for full story

U.S.

ARIZONA VOLUNTEERS FACING JAIL TIME FOR LEAVING FOOD AND WATER FOR MIGRANTS ILLEGALLY CROSSING INTO UNITED STATES

This headline effectively summarized the story while evoking emotions from readers, but when you get to the details of the story, you find a greater context of the arrest and complications behind the seemingly innocent story.

"Hoffman was convicted of operating a vehicle inside the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, leaving behind water jugs and cans of beans and entering the refuge without a permit. Holcomb, Huse and Orozco-McCormick were each convicted of abandoning personal property inside the refuge and entering without a permit...the women knowingly violated 'the national decision to maintain the Refuge in its pristine nature' by leaving the supplies and driving off designated roads in the Cabeza Prieta."

By Donica Phifer on 1/20/19 at 11:24 PM

By reading the article, we know what was neglected in the headline. We now understand the context and reason of the arrest. Upon first reading, it sounds as if the women were arrested for providing food for people in need. It sounds like a ridiculous and baseless arrest. But The women weren't arrested for leaving innocent traveling-immigrants food; They were arrested for knowingly entering a national wildlife refuge illegally with a vehicle and abandoning supplies in the wildlife refuge. The consequences would have been no different at any other wildlife refuge.

Notice how Newsweek chose to include volunteers and the phrasing, facing jail time. This initially strikes the reader with confusion and interest, but if convicted, the women only face up to 6 months and $500 in fines.

It appears that the story is more shocking than the reality of it. Once you have the facts of a story, you can create a more accurate and honest opinion, and make a decision on how you feel about the information based off facts. So, keep in mind when you are reading headlines: it is written as the most interesting part of the story!

Photo courtesy of Off The Party Line

Photo by Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge