Anti-Click Episode 2: The All Hillary Episode

This week on the vlog, I handled some Hillary Clinton related click bait. This is what the copy I read from actually said:

Hello, welcome to Anti-Click, where I review click bait so you don't necessarily have to. I'm your host Amanda filming at scenic wherever I have wifi. On Sunday, Hillary Clinton announced she would once again be running for President - let's look at some of the ways the former senator, Secretary of State, and First Lady has been used to garner views - and I just have to warn you, there is little creativity.

Let's start with the NPR article "5 Things You Should Know About Hillary Clinton." Does this article mention the Presidential hopeful's stance on important issues? Of course not. It mentions things like shehas not driven a car since 1996, and that she's been involved in a lot of scandals. The article admits that last one is common knowledge, so it really does feel like they chose the number for the clicks.

Huffington Post, however, took it further with "17 Little-Known Facts About Hillary Clinton That Have Nothing To Do With Her Politics." At least it admitted that it was non-political, and it really only repeats that Hillary Clinton has not driven a car since 1996. However, this article has flaws, starting with the title. That's a title I expect from Cracked, not HuffPost Politics. The URL shortened it to "Hillary Clinton nonpolitical facts" - what was wrong with using that? Also, am I supposed to be comfortable getting political coverage from a source that captions a picture "LOLLLL?" This isn't Buzzfeed.

Speakig of Buzzfeed, they contributed to this stunning Hillary coverage with "Here's Hillary Clinton Ordering a Chicken Bowl at Chipotle." I have to give them credit - the title isn't that click-baity, and they didn't caption any pictures "LOLLLL," making me feel slightly more comfortable getting political coverage from them. But this isn't news. Who cares what Hillary Clinton orders at Chipotle?

Well, apparently, everyone because New York Time's The Upshot ran "Hillary Clinton's Chipotle Order: Above Average." To be fair, The Upshot is "less essential analysis" - but come on. How is it this much easier to know what Clinton ordered at Chipotle than it is to find out what she actually said in Iowa? I feel like a stalker for trying to read the news.

That's it for this week. Feel free to leave whatever you want in the comments - praise, criticism, recommendations for articles, and I'll be back next week for more Anti-Click.