Headline in online newspapers: A matter of concern.

Teacher Vu Cuong

This is the view of Vu Cuong, a lecturer specializing in online journalism at the Academy of Journalism and Communication, in an interview with a reporter regarding the issue of "clickbait headlines" on online news sites today.

Having taught online journalism for a long time, how do you assess the current trend of sensationalist headlines and clickbait in online newspapers? Could you briefly outline the types of sensationalist headlines and clickbait tactics that newspapers are currently employing?

Teacher Vu Cuong:Currently, Vietnam has over 200 online newspapers and news websites, along with tens of thousands of internal news sites. In recent years, with the development of technology and the very high demand from readers, online newspapers are experiencing strong growth in both quantity and quality.

However, it is undeniable that Vietnamese online newspapers are currently experiencing a phenomenon of sensationalist headlines designed to attract views. This situation can be attributed to several factors: newspapers following market economic trends, many newsrooms using the number of views as a criterion for evaluating and rewarding news articles, a significant number of readers lacking the skills to filter and distinguish such headlines, or even journalists themselves lacking strong journalistic ethics.

Clickbait and attention-grabbing headlines simply involve using "tricks" and "tricks" to entice readers to click on the headline and read the content inside the news article. The goal is to increase the number of views for that news article.

There are many ways to attract views through headlines. For example, using exclamatory words, creating excessive emotion, or headlines that don't reflect the true nature of the event, aiming to pique curiosity and entice readers to read the article, or even headlines that are completely unrelated to the content of the article.

According to a recent study examining the criteria by which readers click on news articles on online newspapers, the order of priority is as follows:

- The title contains an exclamation mark.

- Long title

- The title contains adjectives, adverbs, and verbs.

- Short title

- The title contains a question or question word.

Thus, according to this study, not only Vietnamese newspaper readers, but also online news readers worldwide generally prefer headlines containing adjectives, adverbs, verbs, and exclamations, as these act as criteria to encourage readers to read the content within the article. However, the problem lies in knowing how to use these exclamations, adjectives, and adverbs appropriately to avoid being perceived as "clickbait."

What is the purpose of each type of headline, in your opinion? From a media perspective, what impact (positive or negative) does it have on the target audience and the person featured in the article? For example, headlines like: "80-year-old man hugs and gropes 15-year-old girl"; "70-year-old man drags girl into bathroom and rapes her".

Teacher Vu Cuong:The headlines mentioned above used highly evocative verbs and adjectives to attract readers, such as "hugging," "molestation," and "rape," or employed unusual and sensational numbers like "80-year-old man," "70-year-old man," and "15-year-old girl"...

In theory, these are the same headline-writing techniques mentioned above, using exclamations, adjectives, adverbs, and strong verbs to attract the reader's attention. However, the problem lies in the fact that these authors exploit ethical issues and socio-cultural values ​​to stimulate a very trivial curiosity in the reader, rather than relying on the actual quality of the information.

No studies have yet shown the specific impacts of these types of headlines on readers. But in my opinion, these types of headlines, to varying degrees, have negative psychological effects. Emphasizing details or using evocative adjectives and verbs in tragic events to attract readers is inhumane. For the victims and their families, this is like "rubbing salt into their wounds." For readers, especially young people, the frequent appearance of such headlines can create psychological desensitization, stimulating only vulgar tastes and failing to evoke empathy for the victims. Over time, this could lead to a loss of the spirit to fight against evil and negativity.

Some argue that the current trend in online news headlines is based on "keywords." Do you think this is true?

Teacher Vu Cuong:Based on the analyses above, it is true that the use of keywords in headlines exists. Google even has a function to "measure" keyword phrases by date, region, and language. This shows that using keywords in headlines is a logical trend.

But the crucial point here is that reporters and authors need to have a cool head, know how to distinguish and select appropriate keywords for their news articles, and also be suitable from political, cultural, and social perspectives. They should avoid offensive phrases that negatively impact society and the community.

However, amidst the fierce competition in mass media, readers sometimes only read the headlines (only clicking on the article if they find it interesting or intriguing). Therefore, sometimes, disregarding professional ethics, reporters are forced to come up with sensational headlines to attract readers. So, according to you, how can we attract readers with headlines that aren't sensational?

Teacher Vu Cuong:In my opinion, attracting readers isn't just about catchy headlines, but also about the quality of information. To compete in today's media landscape, online news outlets must constantly update their content to meet the needs and tastes of their readers. Currently, this means increasing the use of multimedia content (graphics, video, audio, interactive programs, etc.); enhancing interaction with readers through multiple channels (leveraging social media, etc.); and improving the quality and speed of information updates.

However, it must be emphasized that headlines play a crucial role in attracting readers. It's difficult to establish a universal standard for headline writing. How a headline is written depends on the tastes of the target audience. For example, if you're running a teen magazine and you use overly "serious" headlines, or you don't know how to use teen slang, I think it will be very difficult to attract readers, and those wouldn't be considered good headlines.

While Vietnamese journalists have traditionally believed that headlines should be short and concise, a well-known British online newspaper with a large readership, the Daily Mail, is now trending towards very long headlines. Therefore, creating catchy, engaging headlines without being sensationalist lies in the creativity of each journalist. This can begin with topicality and breaking news, highlighting the most striking details, exclusive information, or the most important information. There are countless ways, but in my opinion, journalists should always respect the principle of humanistic values ​​in headline writing in particular and in journalistic creation in general.

Thank you, teacher.

According to Infonet