PurplePTSD: AARON RODGERS COMING TO MINNESOTA

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

Tom Woldum

2021-10-03

Now that I’m a blogger, I’ve been told that I need to learn the art of the click-bait headline. For a guy who was raised on the 20th Century’s journalistic compass, the daily newspaper, I’ve always appreciated a snappy headline as an attention grabbing device—but bristled at the modern era’s never-mind-if-it’s-true, clicks-first mentality.In my career, I have worked for both the old-school Star Tribune and newer dot-com startups, and I know the drill from both sides, but don’t like the implications. Journalism may be dying, while clicks have become a form of currency. From the writer’s perspective, it’s “the more they click, the more they love you”. Really, though, it’s the more they love a tantalizing idea—which, almost by definition, the clickbait headline will never pay off. It’s basically faux journalism’s answer to the fake Tinder ad. Tell a tall tale, and worry about the truth later.I’m way above that kind of shallowness, and I’m committed to truthful, hard-reality-based reporting and opinion But…hey, it’s 2021…and…maybe it’s time I started playing the game…right?Right you are. So, in the interest of giving the internet what it wants, here are some Vikings-specific clickbait headlines I’m considering using for my upcoming columns here at PurplePTSD. Read ‘em and weep:

MINNESOTA SUPER BOWL BOUND –Last, but least – the least believable headline of the bunch. It’s considerably more far-fetched than the Zygi-Miley thing. This would be the clickbait equivalent of Lucy pulling away the football. We’ve all been through the emotional equivalent enough times, and we keep coming back for more. So, surely we’ll all click on this headline every time, no matter how obvious it is that it just isn’t true.So, yeah – I think I’ve got the hang of this clickbait thing now. Armed with a whole collection of Viking Clickbait Headlines, I have to decide – do I ignore my moral compass, join the rest of the blogosphere, and just go for the clicks? Or do I stick with my guns and tell it like it really is? All you have to do is click on my next byline to find out.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.