Links That Lead Astray
A deceptive tactic where websites link to authoritative sources to borrow credibility, even when the linked content contradicts the site's own claims, exploiting readers' tendency to trust prestigious citations without verifying the content.
THE IDEA
Links That Lead Astray
We’re known by our friends, the saying goes. On the internet, a site is known by who links to it, and who, in turn, it links to. A site linking to reputable sites may seem to be following best practice. But links, like looks, can be deceptive.
Shady sites will link to authoritative sites to bask in the glow of their authority. For example, the site minimumwage.com says it’s a part of a nonprofit research organization “dedicated to studying public policy issues surrounding employment growth.”
Minimumwage.com features an article comparing the price of a Big Mac in Denmark, where fast-food workers make twenty dollars an hour, to the United States, where a Big Mac costs less but half of all fast-food workers earn so little that they qualify for public assistance. The site claims that raising the minimum wage would “lead to higher prices and fewer job opportunities.” To support the claim, the site links to the Columbia Journalism Review, a prestigious magazine for journalists published by Columbia University’s School of Journalism.
Figure 2.7 Article appearing on the site minimumwage.com, October 30, 2014 (https://minimumwage.com/2014/10/denmarks-dollar-forty-one-menu/)
Even though there is a link to the article, minimumwage.com doesn’t really want you to read it—or, at least, not the whole thing. Because if you did, you’d learn that the author of the Columbia Journalism Review article labels minimumwage.com’s sponsor as a “restaurant-lobby front” posing as a neutral think tank.
Why in the world would a website link to a source that undermines its credibility? For the simple reason that its creators are betting that you’ll hover over the link just long enough—and not a second longer—to see that it takes you to the Columbia Journalism Review. If you actually visit the site, they’re counting on the journey ending with a fleeting glance. Minimumwage.com has more to gain by linking to a prestigious source than what it has to lose from the few diehards who read the linked article from beginning to end.
When to use it
Evaluating the credibility of online news articles and opinion pieces.
Fact-checking political advertisements or advocacy websites.
Teaching information literacy skills to students.
Analyzing media bias and propaganda techniques.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Minimumwage.com and the Columbia Journalism Review
The website minimumwage.com, which advocates against raising the minimum wage, linked to a Columbia Journalism Review article to support its claim. However, the article actually labeled minimumwage.com's sponsor as a 'restaurant-lobby front' posing as a neutral think tank, undermining the site's credibility. The site counted on readers not reading the linked article fully.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
When you see a link to a prestigious source, do you click through to read the full article or just rely on the snippet?
How can you verify whether a linked source actually supports the claim it is cited for?
What other deceptive linking strategies might websites use to manipulate credibility?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Verified How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online (Mike Caulfield, Sam Wineburg)