Headlines matter. I was aghast to learn that 8 out of 10 readers do not get beyond the headline of a story, and that the two who do are often deeply influenced by the headline in their reception of the story itself. How a CNN headline led readers astray is reported on here: “CNN Downplays Wave of Palestinian Terrorism with Bizarre Comparison to ‘Attacks by Jewish Settlers’ by Rachel O’Donoghue, Algemeiner, December 9, 2021: An Israeli security guard was left seriously injured on Monday [Dec. 6] when a Palestinian driver rammed his vehicle into a West Bank checkpoint. The perpetrator, identified as 16-year-old Muhammad Nidal Younis, from Nablus, was shot dead before he could cause further harm. It was a terror attack — one that could have had graver consequences were it not for the swift and decisive actions of soldiers stationed at the checkpoint. Yet, this was the headline used by CNN to report on the incident: “Suspected car-ramming attack by Palestinian teen highlights rising tensions, amid questions over Israeli police actions.” There are several points that need to be addressed with regard to this title. First, there is nothing “suspected” about the attack. Why did the headline writer introduce a potential doubt when there was none? The car-ramming was not merely “suspected”; it took place. Or was the word “suspected” meant to cast doubt not on the fact of the car-ramming but on what was its intent? Perhaps we were meant to understand that the car-ramming, after all, might not have been a deliberate act of homicidal terrorism at all, but the innocent result of a malfunctioning brake, or possibly, the result of a young, inexperienced driver who became confused, and in his confusion, stepped on the gas rather than, as he had intended, on the brake. These are preposterous excuses (and it’s easy to check the car’s brakes). The incident was exactly what it appeared to be: a car-ramming, with intent to maim or kill. Similar car-ramming attacks at Israeli checkpoints are attempted every other week in the West Bank. It was much more than merely “suspected.” Second, the inclusion of the rather vague term “highlights rising tensions” masks the context in which this attack occurred. That is, it was the second terror attack by a Palestinian in just 48 hours, the former involving the stabbing of a Jewish man in Jerusalem on Saturday. More at link.