Take this headline in the Straits Times for discussion, “Briton and family leave for Perth amid threats”?
What would the readers think if they did not have the full story? Would they think that this City state is not safe for foreigners and foreigners are being threatened with serious harms and forced to move out for their own safety? If one is a foreigner in the US or UK or Australia, and planning to come here as a mercenary, to find paradise on earth, would one be having second thoughts?
Would the embassies be sending out travel warnings to their citizens to warn them of the risk if they come here? Or this is intentional, to tell the foreigner not to come here?
This is a very interesting and controversial headline indeed. Maybe a bit of sensationalism but with selected truth. It is true that Anton claimed that he was threatened. Anyone done any investigation that this is indeed true? What kind of threat, life threatening, serious, genuine, or some bloggers sputting nonsense in the net using Anonymous like the hackers?
Still a good headline to catch the attention of the readers. Maybe I shall write an article with a headline, ‘Xenophobic Sinkie hordes threaten life of talented expat to run for his life from Paradise’? Would this be sensationalism, a bit of half truth?
Chua Chin Leng AKA RedBean
*The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/