Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Hill
I get what you're saying. I once read an article about Colorado's population growth that listed the top states from which people are moving. The writer managed to create a narrative in which the only catalyst for growth was migration, and most of the migration was due to a mass exodus of cost-of-living refugees from California.
What the writer failed to mention was that the number of people moving from California to Colorado was approximately equal to the number of people moving from Colorado to California. An even exchange of population is not an exodus. The writer also failed to explain why Texas was the 2nd state on the list (a state with a generally much lower cost of living).
The fact is, because California is by far the most populous state, it would be first on the list of states from which people are moving, for most states (if not all of them), and likewise, first on the list of states for which people are leaving.
I guess what I'm saying is, I get the sentiment behind your criticism. Nevertheless, I think you're being a little too hard on the writer of this headline. It's perhaps a bit lazy, but idiotic is a stretch. It does create a narrative that omits the fact millennials are moving both ways, but it also accurately ranks cities in terms of which are seeing the greatest net migration of millennials - which gives credence to the narrative, even if the methodology cuts some corners.
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The article is fine, as far as I've noticed. It's the headline that's false.
The headline writer's job was to create clicks, not to accurately portray the content of the article. Maybe their boss directed them to say whatever was necessary. In any case, I have no respect for untrue crap.
It's probably worth mentioning that headlines are typically written by someone different from the main article. Reporters in fact often feel screwed by headline writers. (Famous example...Zoolander.)