Like most journalists, I love to read.
Ever since I was a youngster, reading has been one of my favorite pastimes. At first, books were my thing, and I loved to take trips to the library and check out as many as I could carry home.
Later I incorporated magazines and newspapers into my reading repertoire, and I still devour them today. I’ll even read labels on food boxes and other items if they’re sitting in front of me.
As the editor of the Leader, I spend hours each day reading stories for the newspapers we publish weekly and the website we update daily, which I also enjoy.
However, there’s one thing I regularly read that isn’t always fun – the comments on the Leader’s social media, in particular the Leader Facebook page.
We at the Leader are happy about the large following we have for our website and social media, and we encourage our readers to frequently check them out. We also are glad the stories often prompt conversations among our readers, and most of the comments on the stories are more than welcome.
However, I must admit some of them drive me crazy. The comments I find most bothersome have one thing in common – the commenters obviously haven’t read the story.
Those maddening comments focus exclusively on the information in headlines and Facebook posts.
One example is when the Leader posts stories about the latest number of COVID-19 cases in the county. The headlines for those stories typically state how many new cases have been reported, and the Facebook posts normally include a little more information, maybe about when the latest data was reported or how many total cases have been reported in the county.
Sometimes the number of new cases is drawn from two or more days, which typically is explained in the first line of the story. Despite providing that information to readers right away in the story, sometimes a commenter will say something like, “Those new cases are from a three-day period, but the Leader doesn’t tell you that. They just want to scare everyone.”
That’s not true, of course. We want to inform our readers and tell as complete a story as possible, but that can’t happen in just the headlines or the Facebook posts.
Sometimes the comments we receive about headlines go so far as to call them misleading or “clickbait.”
Granted, headlines are meant to grab our readers’ attention so they will read on. In the journalism business, we are taught to write headlines that “tell it and sell it,” which, I guess, in this digital age could technically translate to clickbait. I mean, we at the Leader definitely want you to click on the story. That’s why we’ve gone to the trouble of writing the story, rather than just a headline and Facebook post.
However, we also are careful to write headlines and Facebook posts that are factual and sum up the story. We don’t write headlines that say, “You’ll never believe what so-and-so did,” followed by a long, meandering story that never answers the question. That’s clickbait.
When we write a story at the Leader, we strive to tell you right away what the main point is. It’s nearly impossible to adequately accomplish that in a headline, though. We need at least a few sentences, not just a few words, to do that.
But time and again, I see comments complaining that a headline doesn’t tell the whole story. Those are the comments that really get to me.
More than once, I’ve had a friend or family member tell me I’d be better off not reading the comments at all, but that won’t work. For one, I’m nosy and want to know what’s going on – an important quality for any journalist.
Most importantly, though, reading the comments allows us here at the Leader to gain insight into what our readers are thinking. Also, since Leader staff members are human, we sometimes make mistakes that readers bring to our attention in the comments, which allows us to make the needed corrections right away.
We also get story ideas from information that readers post on our social media.
Thankfully, we at the Leader have loyal readers, as well as loyal advertisers who allow us to provide the paper and website for free to our local readers.
We appreciate that support, so we work hard to let our readers know about important happenings around the county, whether they’re profiles about interesting Jefferson Countians; the latest news from school districts and city councils; announcements about businesses to open in the area; details about upcoming festivals or fundraisers; or obituary information about county residents who have died.
We’re happy to provide that service. I have just one request. If you want to comment on a story you come across online, please take the extra few minutes to read it first.
You might find the story answers the questions you have. Maybe you’ll find the story provides new insight into a topic you’re interested in, or maybe it will offer you fodder for a thought-provoking comment that leads to a deeper conversation about the topic.
As the adage goes, knowledge is power, and one of the best ways to gain more knowledge is through reading – but please, not just the headlines.
