Wrote: Endrit Berisha
A headline that does not indicate the location of the event was used by the media outlet "Top-Channel" in an article about a student who was reported to have abandoned her baby in a trash can at the University of Tampa, Florida in the United States of America.
"Shockingly, the student gives birth to the baby in the dormitory toilet and throws it in the trash: I washed it, wrapped it in a towel and..." is the headline of the medium, in the article published on Friday, May 3.
Article link:
The news with the same title was also distributed by several other Albanian-language media outlets – see here, here and here.
In articles, unlike the title, the location is mentioned in the first sentence.
"A 19-year-old University of Tampa student abandoned her baby in a trash can after giving birth in a dormitory bathroom.", it is stated in the introduction to the "Top-Channel" article.
Moreover, apart from the title, the content of the article is the same in all four aforementioned media outlets. It explains that the baby was found without signs of life and also reports on the student's statement.
In Facebook posts, the content has received dozens of reactions and comments. (see here, here, here and here)
Analyze:
"Top-Channel" published an article on Friday with the title "Shocking, student gives birth to baby in dormitory toilet and throws it in the trash: I washed it, wrapped it in a towel and..." The same article was also published by other aforementioned media outlets.
After verification by hibrid.info, it turns out that the title does not indicate where the event took place, although the content indicates that it took place at the University of Tampa in the USA.
Based on the working methodology, this article is rated as "Clickbait".
Reasoning:
The “Clickbait” rating is given to texts whose titles have no basis in the content of the following text. Such texts and articles aim to attract the attention of the reader or even the consumer with a sensational title by promising content that does not actually exist and are created mainly out of financial interest, that is, due to increased readability. So, this type of text is intended only to click, which can be converted into a profit for the content producer.