The NBC News article linked below provides a good example of a common media trick — while technically correct, it’s not contextually correct.
The article is the follow-up on a back-and-forth between Jimmy Kimmel and Aaron Rodgers: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jimmy-kimmel-blasts-aaron-rodgers-monologue-jeffrey-epstein-comment-rcna132999
Here is how the article is headlined:
Headline: “Aaron Rodgers offers no apologies after Jimmy Kimmel blasts him for Epstein comment”
Sub-headline: ‘Speaking Monday on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” the late-night host called on Rodgers to apologize for saying he would appear in court documents associated with Epstein. The star quarterback declined to do so Tuesday.’
Both are technically correct based on what is presented in the article.
But are they contextually correct?
In other words, do these headlines accurately represent the true context of the back and forth between Kimmel and Rodgers, as reported in the body of the article itself?
I don’t think so.
I think most will take from the headline that Rodgers said Kimmel would be on the Epstein list and hasn’t apologized for it.
But, the rest of the article shows that Rodgers didn’t say Kimmel was on the list and explained what he meant by the original comments.
A technically correct headline for the story would be “Kimmel seems to have falsely accused Rodgers for saying Kimmel was on the Epstein list”
While that may not be contextually accurate, either, it demonstrates the wide latitude journalists have in writing technically correct headlines to frame how they wish readers to see the facts. That is near the exact opposite of the original framing, yet technically fits with the facts presented in the article.
I think this is a big problem with media. Too many stories are technically accurate but not contextually accurate.
I believe this is so media organizations can play innocent and have plausible deniability to say they accurately reported facts and can’t help that readers did not read those facts carefully enough.
A technically and contextually correct headline would be, “Aaron Rodgers says he did not mean to imply Kimmel would be on the Epstein list, rather that Kimmel would be disappointed that something he chided as a baseless conspiracy theory turned out to be true.”
I’d say that’s the most accurate representation of representation of the body of article, yet, it’s boring and doesn’t help paint Rodgers as a wacky conspiracy theorist.