Zawahiri's killing was a Biden play for popularity - but it may have unexpected consequences

[Johnny2X2X]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/zawahiri-s-killing-was-a-biden-play-for-popularity-but-it-may-have-unexpected-consequences/ar-AA10esqw?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=380142b4c0184efd92a76e4a4e640c50#comments

Not the Onion, but the Guardian. And people chuckled when it was said the media will spin this as negative for Biden. Pathetic.

[gab13by13]

1. What a horrible headline,

I guarantee that if I had posted this I would get alerted on.

The notion that President Biden had Zawahiri killed just to help his ratings is bullshit. Zawahiri was a mass murderer who recently had been making videos urging attacks on the US.

[hay rick]

4. It was alerted on.

I voted to keep it. The poster used the article title, which is required in Latest Breaking News, but not in General Discussion. I went with the poster's intent.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

5. I alerted The Guardian headline editor...headline little to do with rather good analysis in the actual

article!

[hay rick]

8. Headlines are a crucial element of journalism.

Many more people are exposed to a headline than actually read the associated article.

[shrike3]

14. Misleading headlines are a longtime issue that no one wants to fix.

Because they get eyeballs on the screen.

[Emrys]

18. Whenever I've seen journalists challenged if their headlines don't match the article content,

their defence has always been "We don't write the headlines."

Right enough, that's a sub-editor's job, but the defence is beyond stale, especially nowadays when headlines may be all people read of a piece of journalism on social media.

The Guardian may be head and shoulders above many other media outlets quite a bit of the time, but it's a big mistake to think any media outlet is your friend.

[shrike3]

27. We don't. And we take all the grief.

Copy editor (that's what it was called in the old print days) gets to go home and the person who actually writes the piece deals with the fallout.

[Hugin]

21. The Guardian of all papers.

*tsk*

[Hekate]

13. "I wish posters would use quotation marks"

[Tetrachloride]

2. It takes luck, skill, perseverance to get the target.

There’s no reason to wait. Waiting is bad luck.

not even going to read that article

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Other than the snide remark about Biden doing it for popularity, the article does make some

decent points about the US-Taliban relationship.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

6. To the contrary, the headline is pathetic, the actual article is very insightful as a whole!

[Hortensis]

7. We took out Al Queda's top leader as a PR stunt? What's WRONG with that spin?

Most DUers will only read your headline, 2X. The Guardian knew that too when they made their headline a direct slur against Biden and thus Democrats, covering their journalistic ass with content most will never read.

[Johnny2X2X]

9. I wanted it to have that effect

That's what Biden is up against. Killing the mastermind of 9/11 is spun as a bad thing by some headline writing editor. It's toal garbage.

[Hortensis]

10. Ah, well, so true: it is hostile garbage. By The Guardian in this case.

Just read that, I think, 24 Republican senators, including McConnell, signed a statement approving of taking out al Zawahiri. Of course, they're currently taking incoming themselves for blocking the expansion of healthcare to veterans who'd been exposed to toxic burn pits.

[shrike3]

15. They want eyeballs.

That's why so many headlines are misleading; they make people want to click on the link.

[Hortensis]

16. Only some, Shrike. By far most headlines are NOT clicked on

by most viewers, no matter what, making them invaluable delivery vehicles for intended messaging.

It's very common for the headlines to be dishonest smears, with reputations "covered" by information contradicting and correcting that first impression in the articles themselves. Back in 2016 I'd often count the negative-sounding headlines including HRC's name down the left margin of the NY Times political section each day -- ran about 6 or 7 or so, out of 8 or 9 or so. Really bad.

[shrike3]

17. I used to work in the business. That's exactly what headlines are meant to do. Catch eyeballs.

I'm not saying it always works.

[Hortensis]

19. But that's not what I described. Not all journals use "eyeball-catchers"

to deceive these days either, and I certainly assume that was always the case where you worked. In more honest, less bitterly partisan times.

[shrike3]

22. I used to have blatantly inaccurate headlines put on my stories.

Why? To make them sound more lurid. People were more likely to read them. I'd get the heat, not the headline writer. Try and convince people you didn't write the headline when your name is on the story. I didn't work for tabloids, either. Papers of record. Did anybody ever learn a lesson? Nope. The more sensational the headline, the more people were likely to read it. That's what I'm trying to convey. It was about money and eyeballs, not partisanship or making anybody look bad.

Most of journalism's sins have to do with money. I've given up trying to convince anyone otherwise.

[Hortensis]

23. The NYT was unquestionably trying to make HRC and Dems "look bad."

And the same happens in many other papers with other candidates. This is all studied in depth by independent experts, as you'll know from your background, but of course anyone running a glance down the Times's left margin didn't need to wait for the reports to be issued.

[shrike3]

24. Sure, I worked in the business for decades.

And you've read a lot of headlines. So of course you know much, much more than me. Thanks for letting me know that.

[Hortensis]

25. Forgot to wish you a good election evening. Definitely interesting.

[shrike3]

26. Whatever

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

11. The WaPo's take on it

What Ayman al-Zawahiri’s killing means for al-Qaeda

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda and one of the world’s most wanted terrorists, has been killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul.

The 71-year-old was largely considered the brains behind the notorious terrorist group and its vision for attacking the West — including the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which catapulted al-Qaeda from relative obscurity to a household name in the United States.

President Biden said in an address to the nation Monday that Zawahiri’s death — after he evaded capture for decades — sent a clear message: “No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.”

The strike is the latest successful U.S. operation against al-Qaeda and Islamic State leaders. Biden said Zawahiri’s death should help ensure Afghanistan can no longer “become a terrorist safe haven” and a “launching pad” for attacks against the United States.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/02/zawahiri-al-qaeda-leader-killed/

[Baggies]

12. You have to do it

And you do it realizing that someone will step into the dead leaders place and that they’ll use it as a recruiting tool. Afghanistan will remain a terrorist safe haven, but we can’t stay there forever.

[treestar]

20. They are 10 times more vicious than they were with Obama

The media sucks.

[Brainfodder]

28. Trying to make news, stick to reporting please.

Probably dirty.

Wiggle room enabled.