Tabloidism seems to be an occupational hazard that even reputable print newspapers have to reckon with once they embrace the digital medium. For a reputable newspaper like The Guardian , especially when it has resisted erecting paywalls, a catchy headline becomes an existential necessity to garner maximum number of clicks.
The Internet has blurred the distinction between news, story and report. The online reading experience is geared to short-term gratification, rather than being a considered/serious examination of information and knowledge. Typical online readers like to hop from headline to headline pausing only if something spicy catches their attention. The point is, it is futile to apply journalistic standards when the medium itself promotes shallowness.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
