Dear journalists: amplifying the president saying he won't wear a mask *without* pointing out that nobody is allowed be near him without taking a COVID-19 test in the SAME sentence/headline/tweet is irresponsible and dangerous. Please, let's learn. Don't amplify without context.
"The president, whom nobody is allowed to approach without a COVID test, says he may choose not wear a mask." See? Journalists merely amplifying him without context are encouraging people to emulate him without enough information. Please, please do your job.
I want journalism to survive. There's an important, irreplaceable role for journalism in a healthy society that new media does not replace. But journalists have to do their job as it fits the 21st century. Report with context. We don't need mindless amplification. It's harmful.
Yes, context in same tweet/sentence/headline or don't amplify. No exceptions. No parroting. If you can't fit context in your headline, change your headline strategies/spacing and tweeting habits. It's the 21st century. Time to adapt. See context: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/03/826853164/white-house-to-give-coronavirus-test-to-people-in-close-proximity-to-trump-pence
How not to do headlines. This just amplifies what he said without context: nobody is allowed to get near the president without a COVID test. Not a temp check: a full test. No test, no access. Put that there, and it's a story. Without it, people may be more likely to emulate him.
They're playing to their usual scripts without considering the harms of their usual scripts. https://twitter.com/YelloPaddedCell/status/1246455007710343174