Published: 12:20 AM, 04 May 2026
Is Clickbait Costing Journalism Its Credibility?
Amina Mumtarin Shreya
There was a time when a newspaper headline was a promise. It was short, clear, and honest. It told you what happened, and the story explained it properly. This trust between journalists and readers, built over many years, is now under threat. Not from governments or censorship, but from the same newsrooms that once protected it.
Welcome to the age of clickbait - where the headline is not a summary, but a trap.
The Numbers Don't Lie
Globally, only 40% of people say they trust most news most of the time - four percentage points lower than at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Greece and Hungary, that figure collapses to 23%. Around 39% of people worldwide now actively avoid the news, up three percentage points from last year, and in the United Kingdom, interest in news has almost halved since 2015 (Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2024).
These are not the statistics of a healthy press. They are the symptoms of a profession losing its audience's trust - and clickbait sits at the heart of that loss.
Closer to Home: The Bangladesh Crisis
The problem is acutely visible in Bangladesh. Thousands of online news websites now operate in Bangladesh, all fighting for the same limited reader attention in an increasingly crowded space. Because of this competition, headline quality has declined. Many now use exaggeration, half-truths, or even false information just to attract clicks.
During the political unrest in 2024, social media in Bangladesh was filled with misleading headlines. Many left out important details, increased casualty numbers, or quoted people saying things they never said. Several websites published almost the same clickbait headlines based on unverified rumours, often within hours of each other. They gained traffic, but took no responsibility. False information spread quickly, while corrections came too late. As a result, people trusted the news less and less.
Research confirms in every study conducted on the subject that clickbait is generally seen as a harmful form of journalism. It weakens the purpose of headlines, which is to inform clearly and damages trust in the media. Bangladesh is not the only place facing this problem. It is a warning sign for everyone.
A Trap With a Headline
Clickbait works by creating an artificial "curiosity gap" - the strategic withholding of key information that readers can only discover by clicking through. A headline like "CEO unexpectedly fired — you won't believe how she found out" deliberately omits what could simply be stated. The reader is manipulated into believing the answer is sensational, when it rarely is (PubMed Central, 2022).
Research consistently shows that clickbait headlines lower readers' perceptions of both credibility and journalistic quality (Taylor & Francis Online, 2020). Studies further confirm that while emotionally charged headlines are shared more, clickbait makes many readers feel they are being manipulated - causing them to trust the publisher less and making them less likely to share the content at all. The short-term click is purchased at the cost of long-term credibility.
No One Is Immune
This is not just a tabloid problem. A study of major international news outlets - The Guardian, The New York Times, El País, and Público shows that clickbait may not appear much on front pages. However, it shows up far more in “Most Read” sections and in stories that spread widely on social media (MDPI, 2024). This means readers are often pushed toward content that is more shocking than important.
Online-only news sites use more sensational headlines than traditional newspapers. But this difference is getting smaller, as even respected publications have adopted similar tactics to attract more readers. When trusted newspapers begin chasing clicks, there is no floor left to fall through.
What Must Change
Today, 59% of people globally are concerned about distinguishing real news from fake online (Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2024). The Reuters Institute identifies the four primary factors driving trust in news as transparency, lack of bias, high journalistic standards, and fairness. Not one of these is served by a headline designed to deceive.
Newsrooms must choose depth over bait. Platforms must stop algorithmically rewarding provocation over truth. And readers must slow down, asking before clicking whether the promise of a headline is one worth trusting.
Journalism exists to hold power to account, to bear witness, and to tell the truth plainly. A headline is where that truth begins. When we allow it to become a lie, we do not just lose a click.
We lose the press itself.
Amina Mumtarin Shreya is
General Secretary of Shwapno
Youth Development
Organization, Dhaka.
