In 2017, a media reference to the Ravens’s “pursuit” of Kaepernick was intended to prove that Kaepernick could still play and was being blackballed for his protests. Yet the Ravens did not sign him. “Nothing” was once again the order of the day. But a casual observer would conclude from the headline that Kaepernick was in demand and that a signing was imminent. By the time it became clear that no signing would occur, the headline would be forgotten and the media’s credibility would remain intact (so they believed).
The media person should have been told “we don’t tell you how to fill the slurpee cup at 7-11 so we’ll do it our way”. The headline would NOThane been forgotten.
*In 2022, USA Today went so far as to list seven teams that should invite Kaepernick to training camp. By that point, they were no longer trying to create a fait accompli with a hyped headline. They were simply finger-pointing at specific teams and imploring them to comply. Once again, nothing happened.*
See ‘slurpee cup’.