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Episode details

Radio 4,15 Feb 2021,14 mins

Laws That Aren't Laws: Betteridge's Law of Headlines - Episode 3

Scientifically...

Available for over a year

If a newspaper headline ends in a question mark, is the answer always no? And if so, are journalists who use them being lazy and cynical? Ian Betteridge described what is now known as Betteridge's Law of Headlines in a small blog post in 2009. Is it still relevant in our current age of clickbait and media bubbles? Robin Ince puts these questions to Caroline Frost, an ethicist, entertainment journalist and broadcaster, often seen reviewing the papers on a Sunday night on the BBC News Channel, and to Gemma Milne, a tech journalist and author of a book about the dangers of hype in science journalism called "Smoke and Mirrors". Produced by Alex Mansfield. First broadcast on Monday 24 August 2020.

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