There are media outlets that rightly complain about the bad practices spreading on social media, and then imitate them.<\/p>\n
The reason for this imitation is exactly the same: capturing the audience's attention, an end that seems to justify any means.<\/strong> For both so-called \"influencers\" and digital media, that attention translates into money<\/strong>, since in both cases, views generate advertising revenue. And this ends up generating a painful symbiosis between some media outlets (even the seemingly most respectable ones) and any charlatan.<\/strong> Let's look at an example.<\/p>\n Yesterday, the Spanish newspaper Abc published a news story<\/a> with this headline: \"A Gij\u00f3n resident explodes against tourists from Madrid who go to Asturias in the summer: \"Go to Benidorm\"<\/strong>\"<\/em>. I'll save you the trouble of reading the news so you don't fall for it: the supposed resident is not the mayor nor a councilor, he's just a kid with a Tiktok channel<\/strong>. The interest in someone like that saying something is the same as if I announced that I would hold a conference to explain the genetics of lentils. That is, none.<\/p>\n However, the news has an incentive for Abc: tourismophobia and specifically, hatred of the inhabitants of Madrid<\/strong>, a recurring topic in the summer that generates stupid controversies and gives rise to debates one way or another. In fact, Abc's tweet spreading this news has almost 500 responses<\/a> at the time of writing these lines. So, success for Abc: it has spread the word about the city's idiot and managed to attract visitors with it. But at what price?<\/strong><\/p>\n I know the beautiful city of Gij\u00f3n, a welcoming place located in a privileged spot on the Asturian coast. I'm sure there are many residents of that city who make a living from tourism and work hard every day to keep their businesses going.<\/strong> For ABC, the news isn't about those honest people, who work hard every day and create wealth and jobs thanks, in large part, to those \"annoying\" tourists who come from Madrid. ABC has decided to make news about a fool with a TikTok channel that doesn't represent anyone<\/strong> and whose message is motivated simply by hatred of people from other communities and by the desire to attract attention by any means necessary.<\/p>\n I know there are very good journalists in traditional media, including ABC.<\/strong> They are people who do a good job reporting on issues of interest to citizens. Those journalists deserve respect. Others don't deserve it as much.<\/strong><\/p>\n The author of yesterday's news already has a long collection of \"clickbaits\"<\/a>, as headlines are known that serve as bait to attract visitors by resorting to sensationalism. Coincidentally, two days ago the same editor turned another fool into news<\/a>, in this case a young man from Galicia, also promoting tourismophobia against the people of Madrid<\/strong>, with this headline that is pure trash journalism: \"A resident of Galicia doesn't hold back and says what many think about tourists from Madrid<\/strong> who go there in the summer: \"They are an invasive species.\"<\/em><\/p>\n Conclusion: Abc has realized that giving any fool who incites hatred against the people of Madrid a platform generates traffic and, therefore, revenue<\/strong>, and that's why it dedicates two news stories to two different fools in the same episode in just three days. I don't know \"what many think,\" because I'm not a fortune teller, but I'll say what I think: that form of journalism stinks and promotes the worst of social media<\/strong>, giving fame to unknown people for doing and saying hateful things.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Abc's case is not an isolated one: many media outlets are already doing this<\/strong>, which, like that newspaper, have discovered that giving publicity to any kind of monstrosity can generate traffic. Obviously, the technique is successful, and my goal with this article is for you to at least be aware of it so you don't fall for it.<\/strong> Those who make this stinking sensationalism successful are not only the journalists and media outlets that practice it, but also the readers who fall for it, even if they do so unwittingly. Now, at least, you know.<\/strong><\/p>\n ---<\/p>\n
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