Exaggerated News

Stories can get blown out of proportion in ways other than exaggerating the facts. The report on the ‘Fantasy Slut League’ discovered at Piedmont High school is a great example of this. It is about a league popular among many of the athletes and other students which encouraged and pressured students into engaging in inappropriate activities with the opposite sex. The article was not based so much on facts as much as it was based on interviews of many of the students who attend the school and were involved in the scandal.

The biggest mistake in this article that possibly blows it out of proportion is their failure to define and clarify “sexual activity.” According to students who wrote what they considered to be a more accurate report , “Most of the 25 sophomore, junior and senior girls interviewed for the story said that while they thought the league was degrading, they also believed Principal Rich Kitchens didn't properly define "sexual activity," or "hooking up," as it pertained to the league, in his letter to parents…Of the 25 girls, 24 initially defined "hooking up" as making out, and not necessarily sexual activity, according to the student newspaper's report.”

The article also claimed that alcohol was directly related to the activity, specifically being used to impair judgment and control. Students claim that while there is often alcohol at the parties, it is not a main contributor to the behavior (though that is very debatable).

To make this story more accurate, the reporters should have done a better job at defining “hooking up” and “sexual activity.” With that, they should have been more specific and clear with those definitions when interviewing the students.