Betteridge's law of headlines: Difference between revisions
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The maxim has been cited in anonymous compilations of variants of [[Murphy's Law]] under the title of "'''Davis' law'''"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.houseofgoldbergs.com/Docs/Humor/murphyAll.txt |title=List of variants of Murphy's Law |date= |accessdate=2012-11-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Liberman |first=Mark |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003585.html |title=Language Log: Davis Law |publisher=Itre.cis.upenn.edu |date=2006-09-17 |accessdate=2012-11-08}}</ref> or the "'''journalistic principle'''",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://murphyslaws.net/edition.htm |title=Murphy's Laws: Journalistic Principle |publisher=Murphyslaws.net |date=1997 |accessdate=2012-11-08}}</ref> and has been referred to in commentary as "an old truism among journalists" in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://meatrobot.org.uk/post/20793051/its-an-old-truism-among-journalists-that-if-a |title="It's an old truism among journalists ..." 2007 |publisher=Meatrobot.org.uk |date=2007-12-04 |accessdate=2012-11-08}}. The reference is to a post in the comment section of the blog [http://www.dcscience.net/2007/11/21/dont-trust-boots/ DC's Improbable Science], dated Nov 22, 2007.</ref> |
The maxim has been cited in anonymous compilations of variants of [[Murphy's Law]] under the title of "'''Davis' law'''"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.houseofgoldbergs.com/Docs/Humor/murphyAll.txt |title=List of variants of Murphy's Law |date= |accessdate=2012-11-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Liberman |first=Mark |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003585.html |title=Language Log: Davis Law |publisher=Itre.cis.upenn.edu |date=2006-09-17 |accessdate=2012-11-08}}</ref> or the "'''journalistic principle'''",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://murphyslaws.net/edition.htm |title=Murphy's Laws: Journalistic Principle |publisher=Murphyslaws.net |date=1997 |accessdate=2012-11-08}}</ref> and has been referred to in commentary as "an old truism among journalists" in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://meatrobot.org.uk/post/20793051/its-an-old-truism-among-journalists-that-if-a |title="It's an old truism among journalists ..." 2007 |publisher=Meatrobot.org.uk |date=2007-12-04 |accessdate=2012-11-08}}. The reference is to a post in the comment section of the blog [http://www.dcscience.net/2007/11/21/dont-trust-boots/ DC's Improbable Science], dated Nov 22, 2007.</ref> |
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===Hinchliffe (1988)=== |
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| ⚫ | In the field of [[particle physics]], the concept, referring to the titles of research papers, has been referred to as '''[[Ian_Hinchliffe|Hinchliffe's]] Rule'''<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/07/guest-blogger-joe-polchinski-on-the-string-debates|title = Guest Blogger: Joe Polchinski on the String Debates|date = 7 December 2006|accessdate = 16 May 2014|website = Cosmic Variance|publisher = Discover Magazine|last = |first = }}</ref> since before 1988.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peon|first=Boris|url = http://ccdb5fs.kek.jp/cgi-bin/img/allpdf?199007095|title = Is Hinchliffe's Rule True?|date = 4 August 1988|accessdate = 11 August 2014}}</ref> |
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===Marr (2004)=== |
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Five years before Betteridge's article, a similar observation was made by British newspaper editor [[Andrew Marr]] in his 2004 book ''My Trade''. It was among Marr's suggestions for how a reader should interpret a newspaper if they really wish to know what is going on: |
Five years before Betteridge's article, a similar observation was made by British newspaper editor [[Andrew Marr]] in his 2004 book ''My Trade''. It was among Marr's suggestions for how a reader should interpret a newspaper if they really wish to know what is going on: |
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:If the headline asks a question, try answering 'no'. Is This the True Face of Britain's Young? (Sensible reader: No.) Have We Found the Cure for AIDS? (No; or you wouldn't have put the question mark in.) Does This Map Provide the Key for Peace? (Probably not.) A headline with a question mark at the end means, in the vast majority of cases, that the story is tendentious or over-sold. It is often a scare story, or an attempt to elevate some run-of-the-mill piece of reporting into a national controversy and, preferably, a national panic. To a busy journalist hunting for real information a question mark means 'don't bother reading this bit'.<ref name="My Trade">{{cite book |last=Marr |first=Andrew |title=My Trade: a short history of British journalism |year=2004 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |isbn=1-4050-0536-X |page=253}}</ref> |
:If the headline asks a question, try answering 'no'. Is This the True Face of Britain's Young? (Sensible reader: No.) Have We Found the Cure for AIDS? (No; or you wouldn't have put the question mark in.) Does This Map Provide the Key for Peace? (Probably not.) A headline with a question mark at the end means, in the vast majority of cases, that the story is tendentious or over-sold. It is often a scare story, or an attempt to elevate some run-of-the-mill piece of reporting into a national controversy and, preferably, a national panic. To a busy journalist hunting for real information a question mark means 'don't bother reading this bit'.<ref name="My Trade">{{cite book |last=Marr |first=Andrew |title=My Trade: a short history of British journalism |year=2004 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |isbn=1-4050-0536-X |page=253}}</ref> |
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===Betteridge=== |
===Betteridge (2009)=== |
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Betteridge explained the concept in a February 2009 article, regarding a [[TechCrunch]] article with the headline "Did Last.fm Just Hand Over User Listening Data To the RIAA?": |
Betteridge explained the concept in a February 2009 article, regarding a [[TechCrunch]] article with the headline "Did Last.fm Just Hand Over User Listening Data To the RIAA?": |
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:This story is a great demonstration of my maxim that any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word "no." The reason why journalists use that style of headline is that they know the story is probably [[bullshit]], and don’t actually have the sources and facts to back it up, but still want to run it.<ref name="betteridge2009" /> |
:This story is a great demonstration of my maxim that any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word "no." The reason why journalists use that style of headline is that they know the story is probably [[bullshit]], and don’t actually have the sources and facts to back it up, but still want to run it.<ref name="betteridge2009" /> |
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===Science=== |
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| ⚫ | In the field of [[particle physics]], the concept, referring to the titles of research papers, has been referred to as '''[[Ian_Hinchliffe|Hinchliffe's]] Rule'''<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/07/guest-blogger-joe-polchinski-on-the-string-debates|title = Guest Blogger: Joe Polchinski on the String Debates|date = 7 December 2006|accessdate = 16 May 2014|website = Cosmic Variance|publisher = Discover Magazine|last = |first = }}</ref> since before 1988.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peon|first=Boris|url = http://ccdb5fs.kek.jp/cgi-bin/img/allpdf?199007095|title = Is Hinchliffe's Rule True?|date = 4 August 1988|accessdate = 11 August 2014}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 18:03, 31 August 2015
Betteridge's law of headlines is an adage that states: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no." It is named after Ian Betteridge, a British technology journalist,[1][2] although the principle is much older.
History
The maxim has been cited in anonymous compilations of variants of Murphy's Law under the title of "Davis' law"[3][4] or the "journalistic principle",[5] and has been referred to in commentary as "an old truism among journalists" in 2007.[6]
Hinchliffe (1988)
In the field of particle physics, the concept, referring to the titles of research papers, has been referred to as Hinchliffe's Rule[7] since before 1988.[8]
Marr (2004)
Five years before Betteridge's article, a similar observation was made by British newspaper editor Andrew Marr in his 2004 book My Trade. It was among Marr's suggestions for how a reader should interpret a newspaper if they really wish to know what is going on:
- If the headline asks a question, try answering 'no'. Is This the True Face of Britain's Young? (Sensible reader: No.) Have We Found the Cure for AIDS? (No; or you wouldn't have put the question mark in.) Does This Map Provide the Key for Peace? (Probably not.) A headline with a question mark at the end means, in the vast majority of cases, that the story is tendentious or over-sold. It is often a scare story, or an attempt to elevate some run-of-the-mill piece of reporting into a national controversy and, preferably, a national panic. To a busy journalist hunting for real information a question mark means 'don't bother reading this bit'.[9]
Betteridge (2009)
Betteridge explained the concept in a February 2009 article, regarding a TechCrunch article with the headline "Did Last.fm Just Hand Over User Listening Data To the RIAA?":
- This story is a great demonstration of my maxim that any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word "no." The reason why journalists use that style of headline is that they know the story is probably bullshit, and don’t actually have the sources and facts to back it up, but still want to run it.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b Betteridge, Ian (23 February 2009). "TechCrunch: Irresponsible journalism". Technovia.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- ^ Macalope, The (11 August 2012). "The Macalope Weekly: Pointless Exercises". Macworld. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "List of variants of Murphy's Law". Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ Liberman, Mark (17 September 2006). "Language Log: Davis Law". Itre.cis.upenn.edu. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Murphy's Laws: Journalistic Principle". Murphyslaws.net. 1997. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ ""It's an old truism among journalists ..." 2007". Meatrobot.org.uk. 4 December 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2012.. The reference is to a post in the comment section of the blog DC's Improbable Science, dated Nov 22, 2007.
- ^ "Guest Blogger: Joe Polchinski on the String Debates". Cosmic Variance. Discover Magazine. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ Peon, Boris (4 August 1988). "Is Hinchliffe's Rule True?". Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ^ Marr, Andrew (2004). My Trade: a short history of British journalism. London: Macmillan. p. 253. ISBN 1-4050-0536-X.