Grabbing Headlines With Headlines

Headlines- We all know what they are, and, generally speaking, we were all taught to make headlines as catchy as possible while still conveying the main point of the article that accompanies the headline. But, as I spend time reading different news articles on the web, I have noticed a trend.

It seems like some (if not the majority) of headlines accompanying news articles, have some sort of fear or scare tactic in them. And I thought to myself "why is this?". Is it because fear and negativity are the things that get our attention and make use pause for a second? I'd guess so. But, here is my question... is that fair?

There is no question; the media has figured out how to keep our attention. But should fear really be used in titles (as well as stories, for that matter) to keep us captivated? I do not pretend to be a psychologist, but even I know... after overexposure to a certain feeling or emotion in a given situation, the brain tends to become desensitized. So, are using titles such as "The Germ That Could Kill us All" for a story about the common cold really a good idea? Sure, you're likely to get hits on that story, but what happens when there really is the germ that could kill us all?

By using titles that skew toward overhyped, I feel journalist run the risk of losing impact of a truly important story, as people will no doubt, become immune. And, it was always my impression that a journalist job was to provide a fair, and balanced take on the news. But, maybe, in these times when everyone can be a journalist in one sense or another, you have to do anything you can to hold peoples' attention.

What are your thoughts?