“Directioner killed by her father after spending her tuition fee for a One Direction VIP ticket”

On editorial responsibility

I’m all for satire and sarcasm.
And, I’m a fan of content strategy. Also, I believe digital should remain “free” as the most open and updated stronghold of freedom of speech.

However.
I believe there should be some level of taste.

The Philippine Trend reported “Filipina Directioner killed by her father after spending her tuition fee for a One Direction VIP ticket”.

I actually applaud the creators of this article because, really — masterful content strategy and execution, guys. Even the featured image was well-crafted.

I am sure your articles have a lot of pageviews, and your ad revenue is probably going to grow a lot this year.
Also, all over the site, there are clear labels that this is satirical.

But, see, satire (especially, on something as free as the web) requires discernment, maturity and a slightly dry sense of humor. It’s funny as hell when done intelligently.

My 16-year old cousin picked up this article. She’s a big One Direction fan.
She was saddened by this before people told her it was a joke.
A joke about a father. Murdering his daughter. Because of a band. Targeted towards teens.

(To be more technical, scanning The Onion — one of the more popular satirical news sites, shows that their articles may touch on war, poisoning, or even rape. But not the act of it.

It may feature the death penalty — but always in an exaggerated, tongue-in-cheek way. Brutality is made comical. Not depicted in a way that may seem too close to truth.)

So congratulations, The Philippine Trend! You have successfully executed your digital content strategy!