Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Please Ignore This Headline
When I took classes in journalism, we were told to put the most important information right into the headline, because a lot of people didn't read past that.
I came across the following story, which does just the opposite of what it should have done. It puts the least important part in a headline, and in doing so could cause a dangerous mindset in people who don't read any further.
Here was the headline: Study: Diabetes due in part to genetics.
You can read the entire story here:
MercuryNews.com | 08/09/2005 | Study: Diabetes due in part to genetics
If you do read through the story, you'll see that even the researchers who made the discovery that diabetes was in part due to genetics discount the importance of genetics. They say, in effect, "blame your parents, but take responsibility for yourself." In other words, there may be a genetic component, but don't let that lead you to believe there's nothing you can do about it.
But I don't know how many times I've heard someone say, "Well, it's all genetic, so I might as well just accept it and do what I want." I hear this most often in regard to smoking. Yes, some people do smoke all the way into their nineties and die of something besides cancer or a heart attack. Just because you may be related to one of them doesn't mean you can smoke without consequence. (That goes double for people reading this, because another recent study says that smoking is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome!)
So, when I see a headline like that, I cringe. Because someone who very much needs to read the rest of the story, and to start taking responsibility for his or her diet and exercise, may just read the headline and move on to another story while dismissing the importance of the doughnut they just devoured.
The fact is that there's plenty we can do about preventing or reversing Type II Diabetes. If you're not yet on the HRH Program, for instance, that could be one of the big steps you could take to make sure you're doing everything you can to override whatever genetic or behavioral lot this world has dealt to you.
So, the moral of the story is, ignore headlines that seem to let you off the hook. Digg This!
I came across the following story, which does just the opposite of what it should have done. It puts the least important part in a headline, and in doing so could cause a dangerous mindset in people who don't read any further.
Here was the headline: Study: Diabetes due in part to genetics.
You can read the entire story here:
MercuryNews.com | 08/09/2005 | Study: Diabetes due in part to genetics
If you do read through the story, you'll see that even the researchers who made the discovery that diabetes was in part due to genetics discount the importance of genetics. They say, in effect, "blame your parents, but take responsibility for yourself." In other words, there may be a genetic component, but don't let that lead you to believe there's nothing you can do about it.
But I don't know how many times I've heard someone say, "Well, it's all genetic, so I might as well just accept it and do what I want." I hear this most often in regard to smoking. Yes, some people do smoke all the way into their nineties and die of something besides cancer or a heart attack. Just because you may be related to one of them doesn't mean you can smoke without consequence. (That goes double for people reading this, because another recent study says that smoking is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome!)
So, when I see a headline like that, I cringe. Because someone who very much needs to read the rest of the story, and to start taking responsibility for his or her diet and exercise, may just read the headline and move on to another story while dismissing the importance of the doughnut they just devoured.
The fact is that there's plenty we can do about preventing or reversing Type II Diabetes. If you're not yet on the HRH Program, for instance, that could be one of the big steps you could take to make sure you're doing everything you can to override whatever genetic or behavioral lot this world has dealt to you.
So, the moral of the story is, ignore headlines that seem to let you off the hook. Digg This!
