fan·tas·tic (f
n-t
t
k) also fan·tas·ti·cal (-t
l)
adj.
1. Quaint or strange in form, conception, or appearance.
2.
a. Unrestrainedly fanciful; extravagant
b. Bizarre, as in form or appearance; strange
c. Based on or existing only in fantasy; unreal
There’s a “fantastic” story doing the rounds today about how Kim Jong Un’s uncle was executed by being fed to 120 hungry dogs – journalistically, it’s an own goal as NBC admit that “the report could not be independently verified.”
That won’t stop the headline flying around the world – dog bites man may not be a headline, but 120 dogs eat dictator’s uncle most certainly is.
What is troubling is that it marks a further tabloidisation of news – if something so sensational cannot be verified, it should not be reported, and definitely not in those terms.