A s part of the debate on information disorder it’s necessary for the news industry to recognize its own role in creating content that does not live up to the high standards demanded of an industry now attacked from many sides. It can — and does — lead to journalists being described as the ‘enemy of the people’. I want to highlight practices by newsrooms that can add to the noise, lead to additional confusion, and which ultimately drive down trust in the Fourth Estate. One of these practices is ‘clickbait’ content, what I call ‘false connection’. When news outlets use sensational language to drive clicks — language which then falls short for the reader when they get to the site — this is a form of pollution. “While it is possible to use these types of techniques to drive traffic in the short term, there will undoubtedly be a longer-term impact on people’s relationship with news.” Back in 2014, Facebook changed its news feed algorithm, specifically down-ranking sites that used clickbait headlines.8 Another update in 2019 detailed how Facebook used survey results to prioritise posts which included links users had deemed more “worthwhile”.9 A study conducted by the Engaging News Project in 2016 demonstrated that “the type of headline and source of the headline can affect whether a person reacts more or less positively to a news project and intends to engage with that product in the future”.10 The need for traffic and clicks means that it is unlikely clickbait techniques will ever disappear, but the use of polarizing, emotive language to drive traffic is connected to the wider issues laid out in these guides. While it is possible to use these types of techniques to drive traffic in the short term, there will undoubtedly be a longer-term impact on people’s relationship with news. It could be argued that the harm is minimal when audiences are already familiar with the practice, but as a technique it should be considered a form of information disorder. Certainly, we’re living in an era of heightened competition for attention when newsrooms are struggling to survive. Often, the strength of a headline can make the difference between a handful of subscribers reading a post and it breaking through to a wider audience. 20 I N F O R M AT I O N D I S O R D E R FA L S E CO N N EC T I O N 21