Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Premier Wheatley accuses local media of 'clickbait journalism'

Premier Wheatley accuses local media of 'clickbait journalism'

Known to be vocal about his opinion of the local media, Virgin Islands (VI) Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has said while he favours a strong media core in the VI he remains concerned about clickbait type articles.

The Premier’s response came during an October 28, 2022, press conference when he was asked whether there are efforts by his government to strengthen and have dialogue with the press in the VI.

“I think this press conference is an example of ensuring that the media have access to their elected representatives and their elected leaders. Certainly, of course, we favour a very strong media core and the media has a role in keeping the public informed.

The Premier, however, said that he is concerned about having more in-depth investigative stories that seek to illuminate the public on issues.

“I think we have to reflect as a society as to this brand of journalism, which is almost like clickbait journalism where persons are seeking just to get hits on stories as opposed to keeping the public properly informed on matters.”

Several media houses have reportedly expressed to the Chief Information Officer in the Department of Information and Public Relations, Desiree Smith, they will not be complying with the request to submit their questions ahead of the Premier’s press update on Friday, October 28, 2022.


Good brand of Journalism in VI - Premier Wheatley


While the Premier did not give examples of what he believed to be clickbait, he appeared to contradict his own statements when he commended the media core for having a good brand of journalism, “But certainly, I say in the Virgin Islands we have a very good brand of journalism, of course. I think it's always in every area we always have to push for excellence.”

He added that while the VI has different types of media outlets and stories, the public also has a responsibility to ensure that they do their research and seek out as much information as possible.

“But having more information to the public is something that can only strengthen the society, in my view, and I’m a very strong component of media freedom and media having access to information,” he added.

The Unity Government recently came under fire for asking reporters to submit questions in advance ahead of a press conference.

The Premier said while the policy will not be strictly adhered to, he would still prefer questions ahead of the press conference so he could have accurate information available for reporters.

What is clickbait journalism?


Headline writing has long been considered a skill but, in the digital age, a new word has become synonymous with online journalism- clickbait.

According to the BBC, put simply, it is a headline that tempts the reader to click on the link to the story. But the name is also used in a disparaging way to describe headlines that are sensationalised, turn out to be adverts or are simply misleading.

"Publishers increasingly use it for simple economics; the more clicks you get, the more people on your site, the more you can charge for advertising," the BBC stated in a September 2015 article on the subject.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×