Spam Journalism #86

Spam Journalism: The spurious use of sensational headlines to add spice to an otherwise pointless article.

There have been so many spam articles in the press recently, I haven’t had the heart to keep running Spam Journalism posts. It is a little too much like shooting fish in a barrel. However, I can’t really let this one go by.

Deadly swine flu will return says expert

“Swine flu will return this year to “mop up” those who previously escaped infection, a leading flu expert says.

“More people will be hospitalised and some may die as a result of influenza viruses, with “substantial outbreaks” of several flu strains expected in retirement homes and schools.

“But flu rates are currently lower than previous years.”

Readers of the MacDoctor will know that Swine Flu eventually materialised to be less deadly than ordinary flu. The sub-editor doesn’t even have the grace to put deadly in inverted commas. And the article is nothing more than a virologist saying that swine flu is still around and some people are going to catch it.

Gee. Whoulda thunk it?

This is classic spam journalism. Scary headline; nothing article. Can’t get more pointless than that.

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