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MENTAL MODEL · M12261

Betteridge's Law of Headlines

Betteridge's Law of Headlines
CollaborateHigh supportCommunication Studies
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Betteridge's quip: any headline ending in a question mark can almost always be answered with "no," satirizing clickbait-style rhetorical questions.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Betteridge's law of headlines is an adage that states: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no." It is based on the assumption that if the publishers were confident that the answer was yes, they would have presented it as an assertion; by presenting it as a question…

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News headlines phrased as questions almost always have the answer "no" — question headlines are often a marketing tactic to avoid giving a conclusion while sensationalizing.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlinesZH · Explicit
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