Contradictheory: ‘Don’t be lazy, read the whole darn thing’

Headlines act as powerful frames, influencing both comprehension and memory. If a headline misleads, that first wrong impression sticks, even if the article later corrects it. — 123rf

“Unai Emery brands Aston Villa players ‘LAZY’,” shouted the headline. That might seem warranted, given that the club hadn’t won a single one of its first five Premier League games and only managed to score a single goal. But it was uncharacteristic for a manager known for keeping a level head with the press. 

Did he really lose it? When you actually read the article, you’ll realise that what he actually said was, “We were lazy sometimes in defence”. These are two completely different uses of the word. One implies a lack of overall effort, the other means they didn’t defend well. But let’s be honest, “Emery asks players to defend better” doesn’t get clicks. “Lazy!” does.