“I guess if you say ‘could’ in a headline, many people will read it as ‘did’. So, for example, a magnetic pole reversal ‘could’ have caused mass extinctions. This means it did. Possibly all by itself.

“The impacts may have been enormous.”

It’s surprising how powerful this strange media narcotic is. Anything that is even possible, gets a free promotion to probable, and then… suddenly: it’s understood as fact.

If I went around writing headlines stating that I could give you a billion dollars … would you suppose that meant I probably would… and then decide I did?

This resembles a form of conceptual promotion that schizophrenics suffer from. The possibility they become obsessed with becomes first probable in their minds, then an absolute truth… with no concern whatsoever about whether it was even probable or could be. Not to mention effectively zero tests, and a near-complete disregard for any research or discussion that doesn’t support their pet delusion(s).”

— modern headline damage