Hunting Happiness

Has anyone noticed the ever-increasing trend of sensationalism in the media to attract eyeballs?  On the front page of CNN.com the other day a headline proclaimed “One in Three Children Abused in First Week of Life”.  Clicking on and reading the story indicates a stat that while still sad is a little less jaw-dropping and just completely different overall: that 1 in 50 babies are abused or neglected, not 1 in 3 as the headline implies.  Out of the 2% who are abused or neglected, 33% were in the first week of life.

Anyone who follows CNNMoney.com will notice another favorite media trait.  One day an article proclaims the end of the financial world is near and the next, an article about a positive stat and how recovery is on the way.

I am becoming less and less a fan of the vast majority of media out there.  At the end of the day each person has to take responsibility for him or herself, but the media sure doesn’t help matters.

What is the worst case of intentionally misleading headlines or story flip-flopping you’ve seen?  Post it in comments!