Globe public editor: When the spoiler alert becomes pointless
You can choose to avoid a story, but not a headline, writes The Globe and Mail's public editor Sylvia Stead.
By Sylvia Stead, public editor for The Globe and Mail
There was a brief flurry on Twitter and also an e-mail to me about a spoiler (spoiling?) headline and photograph with a Game of Thrones story.
The story starts out with this warning in bold letters: (Warning: Spoilers. If you have not watched Episode 2 of Season 4, don’t read this).
But the problem was that too much was given away with the headline and accompanying photo. I don’t want to make it worse by giving anything away here, but you can click on the link if you want to know more.
One reader on Twitter said: “SERIOUSLY. A Tweet with the words “spoiler alert” + an auto loading photo = 2014 oxymoron.”
Another said, “@globeandmail Spoiler alert: This is a spoiler.”
One other said, “DON’T tweet characters picture. No time to avert eyes.”
The Globe and Mail’s community editors posted a tweet apologizing: “You have been heard. And we’ve shackled the tweet writer.”
And the photo on the story that gave away too much has been changed now.
To continue reading this column, please go theglobeandmail.com where it was originally published.
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Tamara Baluja is an award-winning journalist with CBC Vancouver and the 2018 Michener-Deacon fellow for journalism education. She was the associate editor for J-Source from 2013-2014.