Local opinion: Balanced, in-depth news — boring! Media 'stink bombs' — fun

Every day, two factors struggle for media dominance, even as events around the world need our attention, because they will shape our future. First: media coverage tracks important happenings over time with care given to all sides and perspectives. This honors the public’s right to know. But secondly, randomly exploding “stink bombs” from global leaders re-direct global coverage in streams they prefer.

A media stink bomb is an outrageous statement or image posted on social media by any leader with millions of followers. This stink bomb directs the media spotlight precisely. We misunderstand these stink bombs as wildly shot and fired off impulsively. No. In this writer’s opinion, they are calculated media directives.

How does a media stink bomber control news cycles?

In this frequently encountered behavior, first insult somebody with a national or, better, global following. That way, the “He said-he said” can circle the globe quickly and last at least a day.

Platforms reward emotional, sensational content with higher visibility, allowing memes to travel faster than verified facts. This is "algorithmic amplification" — a mouthful. Search engines give priority in results lists to the sensational headlines, not to the virtuous, accurate headlines for in-depth coverage of ongoing events.

Today’s news of some peace negotiation is less thrilling than a stink bomber declaring that opposition candidate X is "worse than Hitler."

Media “stink bombs” set the agenda. Negative information attracts reader attention that rises to a frenzy. These media “stink bombs” go right around all fact-checking that real credentialed journalists use. These statements and images play to separate readerships. They drive more wedges between people with zero evidence or justification because they are simply wild name-calling.

What is the future of global leaders who callously resort to media stink bombing? One might have to say, “so far, so good” for stink bombers and “what the public doesn’t understand won’t hurt me.” After all, the main impression is that stink bombing is some kind of a bad childish antic, which it isn’t. Readers and viewers seldom consider that this is a highly professional method to control their attention and to keep the spotlight exactly where the “media stink bomber wishes. The press seemingly have no choice but to follow. The public finds their eyes fixated on screens full of vile name-calling. What’s not to like here for a highly placed media stink bomber and the advisers who actually create the stink bombs that deceptively look so childish and random? No, the stink bombs are most likely not created in a fit of pique and probably not late at night, either. That is the myth. The stink bombs put out by the media influencers are either created by a human team or that team crafts them using AI, coolly, calculatedly, and in advance of the supposedly impulsive posting.

Stink bombs are gold to AI rankings because of how they replicate and rank sources in online search engines. Studies vary in estimating how much of social media is AI-created, but several say at least 60%. The UK-based data analysis journal SQ reports high levels of AI in all areas of online use. For instance, the editors claim that “more than 80% of social media recommendations rely on AI” and also that users spent an average of “2 hours 24 minutes per day on social platforms in 2025,” the most recent year studied, a 5% increase over 2024.

May we hope to derail this abuse of the airwaves and cyberspace? Yes. We can change the trends by knowing how they work and not playing by the stink bomber’s rules.