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Why does an unanswered headline make you want to click?

A headline can make an omission feel like a question you need answered. Words such as “this” point toward missing information, inviting the reader to fill the gap by opening the story. Getting a click still leaves a separate question: was the answer worth the reader’s time?

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • When does withholding a detail create curiosity, and when does it leave too little to care about?

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Your topic carries over. Record up to 2½ minutes, depending on your plan.

Media and information

What makes a historical source primary?

A diary and a history book stand in different relationships to the past, but neither is automatically beyond question. What counts as a primary source also depends on what you are trying to find out.

3–5 min
Media and information

Following a web claim back to its source

Five webpages repeating the same claim may lead back to one original report. Lateral reading looks beyond an unfamiliar page to investigate its publisher; following links upstream helps reveal where the evidence began.

8–10 min
Media and information

What can a photo’s metadata actually prove?

An image file may carry a date, camera information, or a caption alongside its pixels. Those details can be useful clues, but some can be changed or removed as a file is edited and shared.

4–5 min
Why does an unanswered headline make you want to click? | Speech Topic | speaking.app