Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Teasers - AKA: Misleading Headlines

One of the things about modern reporting that drives me nuts and is one of my pet peeves is the Teaser headline that is misleading. Yeah I know the whole purpose of a teaser is to give you just enough information for an upcoming news item that you just have to read it, or in the case of television news you sit glued to your chair for that upcoming news item. Usually they are some corny or cheesy catch phrase that uses some modern pop-culture reference to make you say "Gee I've got to know what this story is about". The real bummer comes when the bulk of the story gets told and you realize that it wasn't worth the bother. These are the stories that make you wish you had changed the channel to the Gilligan's Island reruns or the M*A*S*H* Marathon, or hadn't left the comics section on the seat next to you on the bus on monday morning.

Another News peave of mine, which I've noticed a lot recently in the entertainment news, is when a headline will only mention part of the entertainer,or sports figures name. Was the Simpson that went nuts in the art museum Jessica or O.J.? Was that Neil or Lance Armstrong that tripped on the stairs while meeting with the Queen?


Then there is the whole Beniffer thing, or making every woman's name sound like JLo, really LindLo for Lindsay Lohan seriously.

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