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Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

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Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#31

Post by rhizome »

jonnathanson wrote: post #27

Whenever I encounter a rhetorical question in a headline or link, I assume the author is either going to reach some foregone and facile answer, or no answer at all. In this sense, questions as headlines are not only linkbait; they're often the signs of worthless articles, usually consisting of regurgitated common sense, or else poorly distilled coverage of superior source material. There are occasional exceptions, to…

I often flag or downvote question-titles and "X ways you're..." self-helpy magazine headlines. As you say, it's an almost perfect indicator of bad writing.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#32

Post by rhizome »

stcredzero wrote: post #24
nikcub wrote: post #6

My pet peeve. This was closely watched at Techcrunch and we mocked other blogs (and our own bloggers) who fell back on it frequently (pronouncing titles with question marks with an inflection). Using a question mark just means you aren't sure of your position or what you are trying to say. It makes it easier to sit on the fence and not really say anything, playing it safe. I think most readers prefer a firm opinion o…

Then how does one write about interesting open questions? If the implicit assumption that there aren't any interesting open questions, then I have doubts. Such a field should be a mature industry, and not a field for startups or serious research.

I question whether articles without conclusions are necessary at all, and the situation you describe is one of poor writing. Say something, then create a headline based on that. If you aren't saying anything, then a bad headline is all that's possible.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#33

Post by stcredzero »

rhizome wrote: post #32
stcredzero wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then how does one write about interesting open questions? If the implicit assumption that there aren't any interesting open questions, then I have doubts. Such a field should be a mature industry, and not a field for startups or serious research.

I question whether articles without conclusions are necessary at all, and the situation you describe is one of poor writing. Say something, then create a headline based on that. If you aren't saying anything, then a bad headline is all that's possible.

So you're saying it's never necessary to consider open questions at all? What if the question was written as a conjecture, then the name of the conjecture was used as the title, would that be somehow better? That makes no sense.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#34

Post by bonch »

_delirium wrote: post #19
sosuke wrote: post #15

I liked Jon Stewart's take on this question in his segment on the question mark. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-13-2006/the-... Cartman also uses the just asking questions tactic to antagonize Wendy in a South Park episode where he takes the job of school announcer. http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s13e13-dances-...

There was a bit of a brouhaha about this a few years ago with TV pundit Glenn Beck as well. Beck has a certain style of saying he's "just investigating" questions, where he'll posit some extreme allegation, and wonder out loud why the target of the allegation won't go on record denying it and provide evidence. He'll insist he doesn't even necessarily think the allegation is true, but just wants the questions to be ai…

That link says Glenn Beck didn't sue for libel.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#35

Post by rhizome »

stcredzero wrote: post #33
rhizome wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I question whether articles without conclusions are necessary at all, and the situation you describe is one of poor writing. Say something, then create a headline based on that. If you aren't saying anything, then a bad headline is all that's possible.

So you're saying it's never necessary to consider open questions at all? What if the question was written as a conjecture, then the name of the conjecture was used as the title, would that be somehow better? That makes no sense.

Kind of. Sturgeon's Law takes care of the rest.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#36

Post by fabricode »

These question marks are almost as annoying as the "self-interview" question marks made popular by former Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld.

What is a self-interview? Well, it's when you ask yourself a question then immediately answer it. Are they occurring more now than before? Listening to people on TV news shows and NPR seems to show that more are doing it now.

Why would people do this? Because it makes it sound as if they're answering a question that has been asked -- even if the answer they're giving wasn't actually in response to the actual interviewer.

Can we stop this now? I sure hope so.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#37

Post by ars »

fabricode wrote: post #36

These question marks are almost as annoying as the "self-interview" question marks made popular by former Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld. What is a self-interview? Well, it's when you ask yourself a question then immediately answer it. Are they occurring more now than before? Listening to people on TV news shows and NPR seems to show that more are doing it now. Why would people do this? Because it makes it sound as if they…

Wouldn't it be easier to give the reporter a list of suggested questions? I think it would.

Would some reporters object? Probably, but I sure you could find a friendly one, or let them ask some question not from the list.

Would this make reporting better? It would sound better, so that's something.

But does asking yourself a question and answering it do any harm? I don't think so - it's a pretty effective way of transmitting information. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_questioning and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#38

Post by dredmorbius »

mpclark wrote: post #22

Can't stop people writing them, but it's certainly time to stop clicking on headlines that end in question marks...

Now if there were a way to automatically nuke any news item that ends in a qmark on major news sites ....

I RIP[1] a ton of shit out of sites already. That's one I'd like to add to the mix.

--------------------------------- Notes: 1. Remove it Permanently Firefox plugin. No equivalent for Chrome AFAIK.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#39

Post by stcredzero »

rhizome wrote: post #35
stcredzero wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're saying it's never necessary to consider open questions at all? What if the question was written as a conjecture, then the name of the conjecture was used as the title, would that be somehow better? That makes no sense.

Kind of. Sturgeon's Law takes care of the rest.

Non sequitur.
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