Can we say "Most misleading headline"?

December 5, 2000 11:42 PM

Can we say "Most misleading headline"? "Cybersex News Report Sparks Outcry" sure doesn't imply to me the same thing as the body of the story. I thought there might actually be something more interesting inside.
posted by ookamaka (5 comments total)

I can't believe after following the first link at google, I actually found the story on this site. And I can't believe a "reporter" actually did this for a story.
posted by mathowie at 11:57 PM on December 5, 2000

And what the hell does the picture have to do with anything?
posted by sylloge at 12:30 AM on December 6, 2000

On the surface, this story/picture looks like two things to me: One, that much of the story got lost on the editing floor of the news services. Second, that the pic aligned with the story also smacks of translation problems. It's like reading assembly instructions translated from an Asian language.

Dig a little deeper and I see something else going on here. I read a lot of sexuality stories from around the world and what this story actually reveals is a sensationalized piece of journalism published in a country where freedom of the press (and freedom of all sorts) are strictly regulated, sometimes to the point of repression. So no matter how cheesy *we* find the story, people with web access there would find it socially transgressive. They'd see it as having the potential of blowing the lid off the rules of their society. Unfortunately, the news services don't dedicate the time to make sure western audiences understand the social constructs behind stories like this one.

Also, a lot of countries are still struggling with free expression issue that we take for granted and the internet is forcing countries to address situations far swifter than they otherwise would. It's the information equivalent of "science moving faster than the law" that we face here. Case in point: http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,40432,00.html.
posted by debrahyde at 5:25 AM on December 6, 2000

holy crap, that link was pooch-screwed. :)
posted by pnevares at 10:12 AM on December 6, 2000

I don't suppose anyone will read this, but the Hello Kitty thing was filled with a body
posted by holloway at 1:34 AM on December 8, 2000