Tontolares

Tontolares. The daftest headlines from newspapers around the world.

These ‘tontolares’ are so called because they’renonsensewritten with the clear intention of grabbing attention – which wouldn’t be a bad thing in itself, were it not for those who twist them into utter rubbish.

In most cases, they are purely opinions in which phrases are crammed in to mimic facts, speculation, or even the author’s own wishes. Some contain more or less veiled attacks or disparagement of individuals or groups. Editorial stances driven by sympathy or its opposite; supposed evidence used to construct a narrative that culminates in a so-called news story about something that hasn’t happened.

There are implausible ‘tontolares’, which do not always match what lies behind them. News items taken from supposed Asian media outlets, poor translations, and satire that slips into a media outlet which then spreads it and passes it on to the rest. News agencies that produce thousands ofnews itemsevery day and do not spend even 10 minutes verifying them – not against two or three sources, but against none at all.

But there are also amusing headlines – though these are few and far between – because, depending on the topic, they turn the content into a joke. And whilst that also carries its own risks, it’s guaranteed to raise a laugh.

If the ‘Tontolar’ is appealing, fascinating, scandalous or funny, we rush to spread the word without questioning a thing. And the excuse many people use is that all the responsibility lies with the media outlet or journalist. Perhaps this excuse made a bit more sense before the internet age.