Consuming Journalism: Just for Clicks
I remember when Yahoo’s homepage was a decent source of news from a variety of publications. That was a long time ago. I still click on Yahoo occasionally, part Pavlovian response and also to get a quick sense of whether there are any international breaking news stories. Today may have been my last visit to Yahoo. In their feed, they posted a link to a Fox News story featuring video from the tragic final moments inside a helicopter that was carrying a bride, the bride’s brother, a photographer, and the pilot to a wedding ceremony. The helicopter crashed, killing all four.
I can’t think of any journalistic rationale for publishing the video. It strikes me as sensational and built for clicks and kicks. Full disclosure: I watched the video. For the most part, I was interested in whether there was any information contained in the video that would warrant its publication. But I’m also not immune to the pull of sensationalism and disaster. My lack of click discipline isn’t a supporting argument for the value of the video.
I’m posting the text below. I don’t want to post an actual link to the story. I’d be interested in hearing thoughts on whether these sorts of stories benefit anyone. I can’t think of any reason for anyone other than investigators, family members, lawyers, and aircraft safety organizations viewing the video.
World
Video shows doomed bride inside helicopter as it crashed taking her to wedding
Fox News Thu, Jul 6 1:00 AM PDT
Newly released video showed the inside of a helicopter that crashed outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, while taking a bride-to-be to her wedding. The helicopter was also carrying her brother, a photographer that was six months pregnant, and the pilot. All four were killed. The bride, Rosemere do Nascimento Silva, reportedly wanted to surprise the groom and the estimated 300 guests with her entrance. The helicopter crashed nearly a mile away from the site of the reception, the Daily Record reported. The video of the May 2016 crash has just emerged on Brazilian media. The helicopter apparently hit bad weather. Police and air crash investigators were looking into reports that it might have hit a tree amid …