CNN.com, that is a terrible headline (somewhat lame)

Cafe Society
#1

I was on cnn.com today (July 21), and ran across this headline:

“Dakota Fanning, 12, raped in her next film”

and I immediately thought, “Is she OK? Did the cops get the miserable fuck?” Then it dawned on me what they meant. Of course, her character gets raped, not her. But that’s not what the damned headline says! The headline indicates that child star Dakota Fanning has been raped and there is video evidence of it. CNN could do me a big damn favor and differentiate between people who are real and people who are not, especially on the front page. And for this story (and why is it a front page story anway?) I won’t listen to criticism that they couldn’t come up with a better headline, when the video box right underneath it had the headline for the same story as “Child star in disturbing scene.”

GAHHH!!

Mayo

#2

It’s pretty clear to me that what’s meant is as a character in a film. Otherwise, why would it be “next film”? Has a rape of her been captured on tape before? I think we’d know.

What else could they have put as the headline? “<character name> gets raped on film”? No one knows who it is, so people will be less interested. “Dakota Fanning plays a character who gets raped in her next film project”? Too long. The mini-headline, “Child Star in disturbing scene”? If anything, that suggests that something untoward has happened to her in real life much more than that actual headline.

#3

Heck, if it was Variety, it probably would’ve said “Fanning, rape vic in next pic”.

#4

OK, maybe it just shows how well adapted I am to media, had I seen that headline cold, as soon as I hit the phrase “next film” it would have all made sense and I would have known exactly what it meant.

But a better brief headline would have been “Dakota Fanning to play rape victim”

#5

I’m just praying that they don’t mean Charlotte’s Web.

“That’s Some Pig!”

#6

“Dakota Fanning, 12, plays rape victim in her next film”. Seems like that’s one possible headline. Just throwin’ that out there.

#7

What the fuck? I couldn’t imagine someone getting “Dakota Fanning got raped” from that headline. Its clear as crystal to me that they mean the character.

And…she’s 12 now? I feel old.
Her episode of Malcom in the Middle was on yesterday again.

#8

Wow. There is one film I have absolutely no interest in seeing. And considering how often and loudly she shrieked during WOTW, I predict many, many people are going to leave the theater with severe hearing loss after seeing this feel-good epic.

#9

I’ve complained to CNN for a headline.

It was about a basketball player not standing/singing the national anthem. The story explained that the player basically ignored “God Bless America”. I explained to CNN that “God Bless America” is not the national anthem.

The headline was changed shortly; I doubt it was due only to me, but hey!, you never know. :cool:

#10

The interesting thing about the film, to me, was what I was reading about the plot descripton: it’s about a little girl who’s very depressed and going through problems in her life, and her only solace is the music of Elvis Presley.

So basically, it’s Lilo and Stitch with less aliens and more rape.

#11

Nah, it’d be “Dakota poked, vic in flick.”

#12

Sorta pissed off but a rant that can’t really sustain a whole lotta steam, CNN, media brouhaha, Dakota Fanning…?!

Off to Cafe Society, where the shadows lie.

#13

I’m a sooooo going to a hot place for laughing at that.

#14

Heh… that would be one TOUGH pitch for a script at the studio.

(Of course, at a Japanese studio somewhere, someone HAS done that concept…)