Skepticism

On Bostonist: Boobies, Psychics & The Art of Making Up Headlines

Psychic helps police in case of missing Hingham man with dog, or so reads the headline of this article from Norwood’s Daily News Transcript. The only problem? The first two words of the headline are obviously wrong, possibly meant to cap another article entirely.

Here’s the story in a nutshell: a mysterious man with a St. Bernard is seen around Hingham, and one day only the dog appears, soaking wet and staring soulfully at a lake. Suspecting that the man has gone missing, the police investigate. Since no one knows who the man is, they check a local pet-friendly motel. A woman staying there says she had two visions involving the mysterious man’s demise: one in which the cops should check the city of Quincy (near a shamrock!) and one in which they should check the woods near the lake.

The cops do not check Quincy or its shamrocks since the city is 27 square miles and a third of the population is Irish. They do check the woods using cadaver-seeking dogs. They find absolutely nothing.

Continue reading on Bostonist…

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

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10 Comments

  1. Even though I knew there wouldn’t be enormous boobies, I couldn’t NOT click on that link. Being a male has its disadvantages, the smallest possibility of boobies is enough to make us irrational. You owe us!

  2. Having learned from your Bostonist column, I would like to use my new skills to suggest a different headline for this post:

    “Rebecca’s Boobies: see below”

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