[Abernathy]

Online clickbaity bollocks. Noticed a relatively new tactic on this front. To get you to click though and find out what the fuck it's about, it's the word count con. The headlining URL gives you the number of words that somebody has said without actually saying what it actually was. Example :

Jeremy Clarkson's blunt 12-word reaction to Starmer and it's bad news for Zelensky

Now this might work well if was just a two-word expression. There's a fair chance that would be "fuck off" or some such variation. But 12 words ? What could Clarkson have said?

In the end, I didn't bother clicking through, because I really don't care what the fuck Clarkson's "blunt 12-word reaction" was.

But this is such a humungous bag of shite.

[davidjay]

Why would anything Jeremy Clarkson say or do be of any consequence to Zelensky?

[Dalem Lake]

Having googled that title and found it was a typical Daily Express clickbait, I do think the gammon who clicked through to read it will be a bit disappointed with the actual content and Clarkson's so-called sticking it to Starmer.

The columnist, 64, has now issued a warning to Sir Keir as he suggested the US have switched allegiance from Ukraine to Russia in a huge blow to Zelensky, as he urged, "But soon we are going to need someone who will make stand".

He added we need "an integrated United States of Europe" to stand up to the "potential lunacy in Russia, China and America".
However he fears it's just a "pipe dream".

[RedSparrows]

I'm not sure there's a better expression of the vacuity and hollowness of everything than Taboola, the slop service extraordinare.

[Andy McDandy]

A lot of celeb-led mass media is based on the idea that there are a dozen or so celebrities who enough of the population are fascinated by enough to make anything regarding them newsworthy*. If you've ever watched Channel 5 News, or even had a cursory look at the papers, you'll know what I mean.

Clarkson, Cowell, Beckhams, Depp, Gervais, Gaga, Aniston, Styles, Holden, Rooneys. I might be a bit out of date, but hopefully you get the idea.

*Or if not the focus of a story, how can they be shoehorned into one? "Could Beckham be the next Bond?", and David Brent photo = workplace story are good examples.

[Yug]

Andy has reminded me of something from around 20 years ago. New Year's Eve. About 10 to midnight. I'm watching The Battle of Midway for the umpty-dozenth time, on Channel 5. "FYI Daily" suddenly appears on the screen. News bulletin. What's happened?

Dear Channel 5,the sort of people who spend New Year's Eve in front of the telly watching an old war film aren't the sort of people who give even 1/16 of an ounce of shit about how Madonna and Guy Ritchie are spending the evening (in the local pub, apparently). What next? Interrupt 633 Squadron to tell us Katie Price has taken her dog for a walk?

[Andy McDandy]

One of the advantages for journalists with these people being that the content is often supplied by the slebs.

Path of least resistance from event to reportage is another good rule of thumb.

[The Weeping Angel]

Another path of least resistance is to trawl social media for quotes. For example you might read a story about a fan theory being confirmed and it's usually just someone speculating online.