Deceptive Headlines

[Grimey]

I thought it would be cool to have a thread for deceptive headlines.

Let me give you an example: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,108701,00.htmlHeadline: AARP Loses 45,000 Members Over Support for Medicare LawWhy is it deceptive? AARP's membership grew last year from 35.2 million to 35.7 million.

45,000 people sounds like a lot until you compare it to 35,700,000. In other words, AARP lost 0.126% of its membership -- not even 1/4 of a percent! It also says that some rejoined."Somewhere between 45,000 and 49,000 members have resigned their membership essentially in anger over our support for the Medicare legislation," Novelli said at a meeting with reporters at AARP headquarters.

Some of those who quit later rejoined, but AARP doesn't know how many, Novelli said.

Despite the resignations, though, AARP's membership rolls grew last year from 35.2 million to 35.7 million, he said. The headline sounds pretty incredible until you read the article.

The headline is true, but it misrepresents the truth. That's called deceptive. The headline could say that membership grew by 500,000 the same year AARP supported the Medicare law. Even that would be stupid because membership would have only grown by 1.46%.

[jamesglewisf]

I didn't know they had 35 million members. That's a lot.

[Alec]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/8378445.htmCable News Network founder, yacht racer, restaurant owner, philanthropist and occasional actor Ted Turner was honored on Wednesday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The cable television pioneer was feted most for his devotion to classic films by a group of veteran but still glamorous actresses who thanked Turner for keeping them in the public eye.What they left out -- But becoming part of history isn't cheap. Those who want to be memorialized on the Walk have to pay $15,000 — or more accurately, a sponsor such as a movie studio or record company has to pay $15,000. The reward? An inevitable heap of TV and print coverage for the honored celebrity, who is often promoting a new film or album.

"They use the stars as a marketing tool," Jones said. "That happened in the last few years. You were getting a star tied to the release of an album or a movie."

That certainly was the case with Britney Spears, who got one last month as her "In the Zone" album was released; with Kevin Bacon who was awarded a star just as "Mystic River," in which he co-stars, hit theaters; and with Nicole Kidman earlier this year, whose star was timed to generate Oscar buzz for her role in "The Hours." (The publicity efforts paid off; Kidman won Best Actress.)

"I'm seriously speechless right now," Spears told the crowd of 2,000 at her Nov. 17 Walk of Fame ceremony. "This is something that I've dreamt about since I was a little girl. I can't believe I’m actually here with all of you amazing fans. Hello?"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,104660,00.htmlAside from getting a sponsor and paying the $15,000 fee, would-be star recipients must submit an application to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (search), which asks for little more than the nominee's name and list of accomplishments. A committee of five — headed by Hollywood's longtime "honorary mayor" Johnny Grant — sifts through the 200-300 annual applications and chooses 20-24 of them to recognize, according to Martinez-Holler. LOL! You have to pay for your star.

[Alec]

Read more here: http://www.hollywoodcoc.org/walkoffame/walkfaq.html.