Frustrated Croat Journalist Tackles Click-Bait Scourge

A Facebook page 'Hejt za klikbejt' ('Hate for Click-Bait'), explaining the true nature of articles behind intriguing and misleading headlines is attracting followers in Croatia.

Started last week, the page has attracted over 8,000 followers, who wish not to benefit Croatian news sites that click bait readers with headlines and trails.

The page posts links to different news stories and explains to readers what the articles are really about, so they do not need to open them on websites.

"Green. Women are afraid of green [colour]," 'Hejt za klikbejt' writes, while posting an article headlined "The Colour That Women Are Afraid To Wear", accompanied by a trail "While red makes people attractive, this one worries them".

"Singapore. Eight characters [in Croatian], even one less than the term 'this city'," page explains the article behind the headline "For a Fourth Year in Row the Most Expensive For Living" with the trail: "This city is even 20 per cent more expensive that the already too expensive New York".

Sven Mikulec, one of the founders of the page, told BIRN that he and likeminded others were "frustrated by click-bait headlines" and wanted to draw attention to "a repulsive practice that degrades the journalistic profession".

"Sensationalism in the titles, deliberately misleading the reader, even openly lying, all in order to attract clicks. It [the web page] started as a joke, more a personal revolt, but obviously, we're not the only ones who feel this frustration," he said.

He and his colleagues look for articles on the web, read them and offer an explanation. Mikulec worked as a journalist for news site Monitor and says he started the page as a frustrated reader and points to the support they get from readers.

...