by Tolu O.

There’s something the Senate probably did not know about local newspaper, The Vanguard.

Quick note to @ngrsenate: the online news site has a history of running stories that hardly correlate with the click bait headlines.

We understand that the competition for page clicks is stiff and news sites are struggling to make an impact online, but to have a reputation for misleading your audience, then you may just be on a dangerous path.

Earlier today, Vanguard Newspaper reported proceedings from the Senate’s plenary session. The lawmakers deliberated the Federal Government’s request for their approval of a $5.8 billion loan from China Exim Bank.

Abia South senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe raised a motion that the FG’s request should be suspended as its rail project for which the loan was needed did not include the South East.

As Vanguard’s report says, “Meanwhile, the Senate okayed the motion to invite the minister of transportation to explain why the Eastern line was excluded from the plan“.

However, its headline makes a contrary claim. It expressly states that the senate will decline the loan request. The false information caught the Senate’s attention and it responded accordingly, with the correct version of the information.

What the Senate must have missed is that Vanguard’s story contains the correct piece of information but it just has become accustomed to using misleading headlines. And it’s not the first time.

[Read also: Are Vanguard and Punch trying to be funny?]

We remember this time even former Ekiti governor, Kayode Fayemi had to question Vanguard’s headline:

The Senate’s Twitter handle may have ignored if it understood this was common practice for Vanguard, if it knew what this Twitter user knows.