The article got me thinking about yellow journalism, which is defined as "the use of lurid features and sensationalized news in newspaper publishing to attract readers and increase circulation." (Britannica Encyclopedia)
Although I am not claiming that this article included false news, the snippets are certainly bizarre and left me wondering if yellow journalism is often used in general in news these days? I think it is certainly possible, given all the other corruption that has been uncovered such as information about 9/11 and in the past, The Watergate Scandal. "Weird but true" also reported such things as a man sitting on a lawn chair across the street from a burning building, laughing hysterically. Therefore, he was thought to be a prime suspect for who started the fire.
The final tidbit was about a French grandmother who got stuck in her bathroom for 20 days after jamming the door. She banged on the pipes and her neighbors started a petition to stop what they thought was illegal repair work, rather than checking up on the 69-year-old woman.
Although all these things are certainly possible, I just find it interesting the way they were presented as dramatic, very brief blurbs.
Conclusively, this piece left me wondering if others have seen this type of news and if peers believe that yellow journalism is still in practice? Again, I am not asserting that this is in fact yellow journalism, it just sparked this train of thought with its almost "word vomit," dramatic feeling.
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