Word of the Day: Betteridge's law

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms |March 27, 2018

Betteridge's law Betteridge's law is an adage that states "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no." The sweeping generalization refers to the poor journalistic practice of writing sensational headlines in the form of a question in order to compensate for the author's lack of facts. Much like Murphy's Law -- anything that can go wrong will, and at the worst time possible -- Betteridge's law is rooted in cynical humor. Phrasing headlines as a question is a legitimate practice that has become closely associated with fake news due to its misuse. When a headline is phrased as a question to which the answer is "no," the author is free to ask hypothetical questions designed to appeal to emotion. Examples of headlines that comply with Betteridge's law include: Can Amazon Alexa be trusted? Should Google Home fear Watson Assistant? Will your next lawyer be named Siri? Question-formatted headlines are often used for linkbaiting, the practice of crafting sensational content in hopes that readers and content providers will share the content with others. Question-formatted headlines are also used to spread disinformation because they allow an unscrupulous author to imply that a story about a subjective opinion is based on objective fact. Betteridge's law, which is named for technology journalist Ian Betteridge, has been a maxim of online journalism since the 1990s. The misuse of eye-catching questions in headlines to increase circulation, however, can be traced back to yellow journalism, scandal sheets and political tracts of centuries past. Quote of the Day "Data and analytics leaders should not underestimate the current risk of people intentionally disseminating misleading information." - Kurt Schlegel   Trending Terms fake news weaponized information disinformation cognitive hacking social engineering linkbaiting critical thinking   Learning Center Researchers work on AI algorithms to detect fake news Artificial intelligence researchers are being challenged to come up with AI algorithms that can identify fake news, but is the technology ready? Is Fake News Destroying Democracy? The issues of fake news are not new and democracy has always been a fragile flower, not a vigorous weed. Cognitive hacking: Understanding the threat of bad data Cognitive hacking and bad data were used during the 2016 presidential election, and they can be used against enterprises. Here's what you need to know. Tech jobs for all, robots and fighting fake news at IBM InterConnect 2017 IBM InterConnect 2017 showcased state-of-the-art tech tools, women in technology and more. Gartner issues four-part prescription for data and analytics leaders Data and analytics leaders must shift from manual processes done by the few to automated analytics done by the many, says Gartner. Writing for Business I was annoyed when my friend shared the Facebook post about the dangers of microwave ovens, but he didn't know any better. It was just a case of __________. A. misinformation B. disinformation Answer   Stay In Touch For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com   Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed!   FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2018 TechTarget. All rights reserved.