Clickbait: The changing face of online journalism

Peter Preston, former editor of the Guardian and a columnist for the Observer, said: “You certainly want your journalists to be thinking how they get the maximum level of interest… it seems on one hand it’s pretty stupid to not make sure your journalists are doing their best to serve their readers.

“It’s a means of getting journalists to concentrate on [ensuring] whatever story they are doing is presented in the best way.”

But Ken Smith, chairman of the Welsh executive council of the National Union of Journalists, has concerns.

“Without a doubt, there is a dumbing down in terms of content going on websites which does not bode well,” he said.

“Inevitably, if the criterion for including the story on the website is determined by the number of clicks, then we’re going down a very dangerous path.

“There’s going to be an emphasis on the trivial, rather than stories which require more considered reading.

“If you’re setting individual targets about how many clicks they should be getting, they will be more inclined to do this instant gratification journalism rather than look into issues of concern about how the local council is performing because they take time to research.”

A by-product of this style of journalism – the frustration of readers clicking on a story which promised more than it delivered – has led to new ways to offer content.

Netherlands-based Blendle allows people to read stories from a host of newspapers and magazines, and offers a pay per story set up with a money back guarantee if readers feel short-changed or dissatisfied.