The peculiar practice of anti-fishing clicks

The clickbaiting of journalism has caused a tectonic shift in most headlines circulating online, so that all too often they end up being little riddles or Trivial Pursuit questions. While this may be a nuisance for the reader, it's explained by the logic of having to monetize the attention of respectable media through wholesale advertising. Even more curious is the anti-clickbait tactic, which I'll illustrate with the example of this Sunday's front-page headline.ABC"Forestalia used the PNV man in the Cerdán scheme for its big project in the Basque Country." I wouldn't want to fall into the sin of arrogance by attributing my own ignorance to the average citizen, but I would venture to say that a large majority of ordinary people are unclear about what Forestalia is, who the PNV man in the Cerdán scheme is—or what exactly this scheme consists of—and what the big project in the Basque Country is. And it's not just the sum of individual elements: the headline itself doesn't explain the significance of Forestalia using a "PNV man" for a project. Are we talking about commissions? About corruption?

It's obvious that theABC It hasn't shed any light on the darkness, with all due respect to Carles Porta. The statement is only decipherable to a very small minority of insiders and demonstrates how entrenched media outlets often get bogged down without considering the reader. "Forestalia used the political contacts of Antxon Alonso, linked to the PNV and Cerdán, to promote its large-scale electricity project in the Basque Country" would have been a clearer statement. But it doesn't strongly suggest foul play on the part of the PNV, which is what it was all about. This practice is common in the media: fill the sentence with insinuations, but make sure it reeks of negativity. Even if it's not fully understood, the damage is already done.