A-Ha! A sensationalist headline like that of a tabloid paper and people just have to come and have a look, however unlikely! Why do we even consider such stuff? Is our morbid curiosity serving an actual purpose, or are we just filter-feeding...sucking in all manner of crap just in case something we want turns up? Is there anything about sensationalism that is any good for us?
Why do people feel the need to connect with social paranoia? Are such headlines disingenuous, and what does it say about publishers who print such rubbish? After all enough people buy this stuff to keep them in business, though no-one admits to actually buying it! Are tabloids just the equivalent to adult comics? If so, do they serve any purpose as news-vendors? And what about "serious" newspapers, do they have any business printing such trivia, or is it just a break from serious (often depressing) news. TV companies are just as bad. :confused:

A-Ha! A sensationalist headline like that of a tabloid paper and people just have to come and have a look, however unlikely! Why do we even consider such stuff? Is our morbid curiosity serving an actual purpose, or are we just filter-feeding...sucking in all manner of crap just in case something we want turns up? Is there anything about sensationalism that is any good for us?
Why do people feel the need to connect with social paranoia? Are such headlines disingenuous, and what does it say about publishers who print such rubbish? After all enough people buy this stuff to keep them in business, though no-one admits to actually buying it! Are tabloids just the equivalent to adult comics? If so, do they serve any purpose as news-vendors? And what about "serious" newspapers, do they have any business printing such trivia, or is it just a break from serious (often depressing) news. TV companies are just as bad. :confused:
People like to gossip . Yeah way!! The more fantastic the gossip the better . Exaggerations are the spice of a good story . Scoop up the sugar and eat it like the food has real nutritional value. Sweet teasers for the mischievous mind . I like candy , doesn't everyone . Bitter sweet Chocolate is real good if you ask me. Goes good with a cookie

A-Ha! A sensationalist headline like that of a tabloid paper and people just have to come and have a look, however unlikely! Why do we even consider such stuff? Is our morbid curiosity serving an actual purpose, or are we just filter-feeding...sucking in all manner of crap just in case something we want turns up? Is there anything about sensationalism that is any good for us?
Why do people feel the need to connect with social paranoia? Are such headlines disingenuous, and what does it say about publishers who print such rubbish? After all enough people buy this stuff to keep them in business, though no-one admits to actually buying it! Are tabloids just the equivalent to adult comics? If so, do they serve any purpose as news-vendors? And what about "serious" newspapers, do they have any business printing such trivia, or is it just a break from serious (often depressing) news. TV companies are just as bad. :confused:

Human nature is what it is and people that understand that can also choose to capitalize on it. Not much mystery there. So what are you actually looking for here? Publishers come in all flavors and we all vote on what we like to read with our dollars.

Don't you think the most sold book in the world is a bit sensationalist? The Holy Bible, after all the inspired word of God is about as sensational as things can get. To me it's just badly written snippets of history couched in the language of religious zeolites of the time.

Every night on BBC news24 they go over to ABC news in America. I hate to miss it, it's just so funny! the OTT presentation, the mock seriousness, the navel-gazing. I'm so glad I'm not subjected to it as my main source of news. God alone knows what my world view would be if Fox or ABC were my daily rations!

Every night on BBC news24 they go over to ABC news in America. I hate to miss it, it's just so funny! the OTT presentation, the mock seriousness, the navel-gazing. I'm so glad I'm not subjected to it as my main source of news. God alone knows what my world view would be if Fox or ABC were my daily rations!
Killem all . I guess I know since I watch it every day, or brother Jimmi would say and he did on national T.V. at the beginning of The gUlf War1. Blow em up!!! What I find extremely hilarious is Parliament . Those dudes know how to throw down insults galore . MISTER SPEAKER!!! and a few punches too. Better than Smack Down wrestling

Religion will eat your face! (http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=74759)

It will eat your money too if the latter-day con artists get thier way!

Killem all . I guess I know since I watch it every day, or brother Jimmi would say and he did on national T.V. at the beginning of The gUlf War1. Blow em up!!! What I find extremely hilarious is Parliament . Those dudes know how to throw down insults galore . MISTER SPEAKER!!! and a few punches too. Better than Smack Down wrestling

Yes a good example of how to have a posh fight! I say dear chap, how frightfully crass, etc. etc. These people certainly produce thier share of sensationalist headlines. John Profumo must have sold millions of papers.

But some strange stories are true: Dog the ate toes of its diabetic owner as he slept (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/04/ap/strange/main20039531.shtml)
Gives a whole new meaning to toe jam.

Maybe that's the problem..Just on account that the rare story IS true! The editors rely on either our inquisitiveness or our disgust. I mean, what is the point of writing a story about that? It's not real news. Its macabre. Who in thier right mind would want to know about that dog? Is it the same thing that makes millions of people watch celebs scoff down bugs in the jungle?

what is the point of writing a story about that? It's not real news.

Media is in the self-made position of dictating what is/isn't news. For example:


Lizzie Borden: The story of brutal family crimes that just won't die.

The Disappearance of Judge Crater: A mysterious case after all these years.

Leopold and Loeb: The heartless murder that continues to shock the world.

And on it goes, blah blah blah.

However, it's interesting from a scientific perspective that dogs will try to eat "bad things" even if they're parts of the human body. From a personal perspective, I knew a very old lady who told me that, as a little girl living in rural America, she developed some sort of worm infection in her scalp. Her parents had the family dog eat the infection, and then they killed the dog. At the time, I didn't know whether she was telling me a tall tale or not because I had never heard of this before. Now I know it has a good chance of being true.