Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

The way Google marketing became the lifeblood for news sites has basically birthed this absolute monster of clickbait journalism we've been stuck with for the last decade or so, and honestly, I think that’s a massive reason why everything spiraled into such widespread panic. People's genuine fear regarding the virus got multiplied dozens of times over by these outlets, and well, we all saw how that played out. I'm telling you, there are going to be endless scientific studies on this exact phenomenon, probably enough doctoral theses to fill a library. Mark my words.

I was diving into some documentaries about the Great Depression back in '29 and '31 a few months ago, and it really hit me that if people hadn't gone into that frantic frenzy of rushing to the banks to pull their deposits, the crisis might never have reached the catastrophic levels it actually did. Panic is a wild thing, truly.

restlesssurfer97 said:The way Google marketing became the lifeblood for news sites has basically birthed this absolute monster of clickbait journalism we've been stuck with for the last decade or so, and honestly, I think that’s a massive reason why everything spiraled into such widespread panic. People's genuine fear regarding the virus got multiplied dozens of times over by these outlets, and well, we all saw how that played out. I'm telling you, there are going to be endless scientific studies on this exact phenomenon, probably enough doctoral theses to fill a library. Mark my words.

I was diving into some documentaries about the Great Depression back in '29 and '31 a few months ago, and it really hit me that if people hadn't gone into that frantic frenzy of rushing to the banks to pull their deposits, the crisis might never have reached the catastrophic levels it actually did. Panic is a wild thing, truly.

You really think it's all just a coincidence? Just simple clickbait?

Look, I’m just gonna say it: I absolutely do not buy into conspiracy theories, seriously. If you’re out here betting that someone intentionally manufactured this whole situation, then we’re on totally different pages. I mean, let’s just be real and agree that everything has been blown way out of proportion, but my take is that it’s just a massive chain reaction of random circumstances that caused the scale to blow up, rather than some shadowy "powerful interests" or any of those other wild conspiracy tropes.

Šuica shut down the show where they were coming for her 😍

The Vice President is the EC for democracy 🙏 🙏

brightpilot6 said:Đotardi was absolutely crushed under the weight of the pressure ☕

🤣🤣

wiredrider9 said:You really think it's all just a coincidence? Just simple clickbait?

Honestly, you’re clearly struggling with basic reading comprehension here.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Šuica shut down the show where they were coming for her 😍

The Vice President is the EC for democracy 🙏 🙏

Oh sure, like anyone can tell her how she earned her paycheck—rude little brat

restlesssurfer97 said:Look, I’m just gonna say it: I absolutely do not buy into conspiracy theories, seriously. If you’re out here betting that someone intentionally manufactured this whole situation, then we’re on totally different pages. I mean, let’s just be real and agree that everything has been blown way out of proportion, but my take is that it’s just a massive chain reaction of random circumstances that caused the scale to blow up, rather than some shadowy "powerful interests" or any of those other wild conspiracy tropes.

I'm with you on that. A massive wave of panic just took over, and when you factor in the fact that there aren't really any actual leaders left in Europe right now—like Queen mentioned recently—it makes sense. All we've got are mediocre politicians and bureaucrats. Nobody has the guts or the backbone to make any real, tough calls, so they just let inertia take over and started shutting everything down. One country starts moving, and then it's just a domino effect...

restlesssurfer97 said:The way Google marketing became the lifeblood for news sites has basically birthed this absolute monster of clickbait journalism we've been stuck with for the last decade or so, and honestly, I think that’s a massive reason why everything spiraled into such widespread panic. People's genuine fear regarding the virus got multiplied dozens of times over by these outlets, and well, we all saw how that played out. I'm telling you, there are going to be endless scientific studies on this exact phenomenon, probably enough doctoral theses to fill a library. Mark my words.

I was diving into some documentaries about the Great Depression back in '29 and '31 a few months ago, and it really hit me that if people hadn't gone into that frantic frenzy of rushing to the banks to pull their deposits, the crisis might never have reached the catastrophic levels it actually did. Panic is a wild thing, truly.

There's truth to this. Honestly, I can point to myself as the first idiot who fell for that clickbait hysteria about a month and a half ago, reading all that garbage online.

These portals churn out hundreds of these articles every single day just to keep the ad revenue rolling in, and Index is leading the pack 24/7.
They have an entire army of student "journalists" who dutifully Google Translate everything and pump it out exactly how the bosses order. 99% of the time, it's complete trash.

Index is pure garbage. That site was built on a different set of values entirely. After the scandal involving Madonna and her business dealings, Babic got drunk on cash and turned it into the leading clickbait machine in the country. It’s basically a way for Babic and his sponsors to fund his constant trips to the Bahamas and his expensive wine habit.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:There's truth to this. Honestly, I can point to myself as the first idiot who fell for that clickbait hysteria about a month and a half ago, reading all that garbage online.

These portals churn out hundreds of these articles every single day just to keep the ad revenue rolling in, and Index is leading the pack 24/7.
They have an entire army of student "journalists" who dutifully Google Translate everything and pump it out exactly how the bosses order. 99% of the time, it's complete trash.

Index is pure garbage. That site was built on a different set of values entirely. After the scandal involving Madonna and her business dealings, Babic got drunk on cash and turned it into the leading clickbait machine in the country. It’s basically a way for Babic and his sponsors to fund his constant trips to the Bahamas and his expensive wine habit.

Index is far, like way far, from being the best mainstream portal in America. Not even close.

Everyone out there has huge amounts of clickbait trash, so nobody really stands out for being bad. Maybe the only way to survive is to just mentally tune it all out? But, I don't know, Index seems willing to write stuff without any filters, regardless of what's happening or the context. In that specific way, they really stand apart from everyone else, except maybe some smaller outlet like Telegram.

Honestly, Telegram is way higher quality than Index if you ask me. It’s just like how Index handles all those massive scandals—they don't hold anything back, they aren't drowning in clickbait garbage either, and they have a super clear left-center ideological lean, if you want to get technical about it 🤣

I’d say Telegram is basically tailored exactly to Brankov’s tastes.

Babić is always such a flip-flopper, one minute he’s acting liberal and leaning left, then suddenly he’s pivoting toward being an autocrat because he’d probably love nothing more than banning conservatives from even having a thought. And he does.
That’s just how the whole portal operates. You kind of just have to deal with it because they actually do uncover real scandals, which is really the only redeeming quality of that site. Plus, they’re incredibly fast at tracking what's happening across the World and getting everything translated immediately 🤣

Anthony Jackson2 said:Šuica shut down the show where they were coming for her 😍

The Vice President is the EC for democracy 🙏 🙏

To make matters worse, she wasn't even challenged by the host. It was some random viewer calling in live, and the host’s real crime? Letting that guy go on and "spread" total lies about her net worth...

restlesssurfer97 said:Honestly, Telegram is way higher quality than Index if you ask me. It’s just like how Index handles all those massive scandals—they don't hold anything back, they aren't drowning in clickbait garbage either, and they have a super clear left-center ideological lean, if you want to get technical about it 🤣

I’d say Telegram is basically tailored exactly to Brankov’s tastes.

Babić is always such a flip-flopper, one minute he’s acting liberal and leaning left, then suddenly he’s pivoting toward being an autocrat because he’d probably love nothing more than banning conservatives from even having a thought. And he does.
That’s just how the whole portal operates. You kind of just have to deal with it because they actually do uncover real scandals, which is really the only redeeming quality of that site. Plus, they’re incredibly fast at tracking what's happening across the World and getting everything translated immediately 🤣

I totally agree, though I don't really count it as one of those "mainstream" news sites. It’s kind of weird, but I can't even bring myself to visit the big mainstream outlets because they just pump out so much trash. I guess that's just how it is.

Index sits somewhere in the middle—Telegram might win on quality, but Index wins on pure volume and speed, just like someone pointed out recently. Whatever goes down, regardless of the hour, it hits Index first.

As for their investigative reporting, I get the feeling a lot of those "exposés" are actually handed to them by certain circles within the Republican Party to clear out anyone who's become a liability. My guess? Babic probably made a deal with the devil just to dodge those tax evasion charges.

steelharbor9 said:Index is far, like way far, from being the best mainstream portal in America. Not even close.

Everyone out there has huge amounts of clickbait trash, so nobody really stands out for being bad. Maybe the only way to survive is to just mentally tune it all out? But, I don't know, Index seems willing to write stuff without any filters, regardless of what's happening or the context. In that specific way, they really stand apart from everyone else, except maybe some smaller outlet like Telegram.

That site just blows whichever way the wind is blowing. They chase whatever is pulling the most clicks at that exact moment. Sure, they dig up a story here and there, but you have to wonder how much of that is actual investigative work and how much is just getting tips from people playing both sides of the fence.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:That site just blows whichever way the wind is blowing. They chase whatever is pulling the most clicks at that exact moment. Sure, they dig up a story here and there, but you have to wonder how much of that is actual investigative work and how much is just getting tips from people playing both sides of the fence.

Honestly, you only had to look at what happened with Tatta to see how that works.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:That site just blows whichever way the wind is blowing. They chase whatever is pulling the most clicks at that exact moment. Sure, they dig up a story here and there, but you have to wonder how much of that is actual investigative work and how much is just getting tips from people playing both sides of the fence.

I mean, what you said applies to pretty much every major mainstream news site out there, without exception. It’s like, their whole primary way of making money is just churning out whatever gets the most clicks. I guess that's just how it works now, right? I don't really see what else there is to say about it!

The thing that really makes Index stand out from the pack is how they handle scandals. They just dive right in. Whether it’s some local drama or a massive scandal involving the highest levels of society, they write about it without hitting the brakes at all. It's exactly what restlesssurfer9 was talking about, I guess. Maybe that's just their style!

Also, something I’ve happened to hear—and read, actually—in a few different places is pretty telling. A ton of journalists, including some really seasoned veterans, have pointed out that Index might be the only newsroom they've ever worked for where they never ran into those walls. You know, like being told they couldn't publish a specific story, or having to rewrite something just because they were afraid of stepping on the wrong person's toes. It's wild, I guess! Maybe it's just their thing, but it seems pretty unique.

The bottom line is this—if you use Index for what it’s actually best at—which is those killer columns and deep-dive investigative pieces that nobody else has the guts to touch—you can get some seriously massive value for your clicks. I mean, obviously, you’d have to just tune out all the absolute nonsense over at Rouge, like those constant articles about masks and the Headquarters, but honestly? That seems like a pretty small price to pay.

Nancy Sanchez31 said:Honestly, you only had to look at what happened with Tatta to see how that works.

Wait, what exactly? I might have missed that specific part of the conversation, but it seems like they’ve always been pretty convincingly against Tatta, I guess. 🤷

I pretty much exclusively stick to libertarian news sites and blogs.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Index sits somewhere in the middle—Telegram might win on quality, but Index wins on pure volume and speed, just like someone pointed out recently. Whatever goes down, regardless of the hour, it hits Index first.

As for their investigative reporting, I get the feeling a lot of those "exposés" are actually handed to them by certain circles within the Republican Party to clear out anyone who's become a liability. My guess? Babic probably made a deal with the devil just to dodge those tax evasion charges.

Since Index was pretty much running wild under Linić, I don't really get how some kind of pact with the Republican Party would actually help him?

And honestly, it wouldn't even make sense in the real world, plus nobody mocks them more than Kolinda. I follow them enough to say for sure there isn't any positive bias toward the Criminal 😁

steelharbor9 said:I mean, what you said applies to pretty much every major mainstream news site out there, without exception. It’s like, their whole primary way of making money is just churning out whatever gets the most clicks. I guess that's just how it works now, right? I don't really see what else there is to say about it!

The thing that really makes Index stand out from the pack is how they handle scandals. They just dive right in. Whether it’s some local drama or a massive scandal involving the highest levels of society, they write about it without hitting the brakes at all. It's exactly what restlesssurfer9 was talking about, I guess. Maybe that's just their style!

Also, something I’ve happened to hear—and read, actually—in a few different places is pretty telling. A ton of journalists, including some really seasoned veterans, have pointed out that Index might be the only newsroom they've ever worked for where they never ran into those walls. You know, like being told they couldn't publish a specific story, or having to rewrite something just because they were afraid of stepping on the wrong person's toes. It's wild, I guess! Maybe it's just their thing, but it seems pretty unique.

The bottom line is this—if you use Index for what it’s actually best at—which is those killer columns and deep-dive investigative pieces that nobody else has the guts to touch—you can get some seriously massive value for your clicks. I mean, obviously, you’d have to just tune out all the absolute nonsense over at Rouge, like those constant articles about masks and the Headquarters, but honestly? That seems like a pretty small price to pay.

Wait, what exactly? I might have missed that specific part of the conversation, but it seems like they’ve always been pretty convincingly against Tatta, I guess. 🤷

Nah, this isn't even like that. This is enough to make you want to vomit. One day they say one thing, the next day they flip-flop completely without an ounce of shame.

I was especially disgusted by them during the World Cup. They were practically calling for everyone to boycott the national team, dragging up all these scandals, and then suddenly, the very next day, they’re acting like the biggest patriots on the planet.