This is a classic example of how the public are deceived by totally misleading headlines, although I must say I believe it says more about the intellect of the general public - their readership - than it does about the newspapers themselves.
This dramatic headline from the Daily Express rests on two statements:
"Professor Anand Menon, Director of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative, said the European Union has already conceded there will not be an extension to the transition period beyond December 31 and will begin preparations for a no deal outcome."
and:
“I think the EU is already assuming there will be no extension and starting to prepare for no deal.”
Regarding the first: the EU is still arguing for an extension, and of course at the same time it is preparing for a "no deal outcome". Regarding the second, the words "I think" and "assuming" are deliberately vague enough for the Express to build any headline it wants around them.
I monitor very closely how people interact with social media postings on EUtoday. I know exactly how to provoke reaction with a headline: with the right keywords, on any one article I can attract praise/bile from Brexiteers/remainers. Social media users more often than not respond by commenting on the headline alone without even opening the article.
They use the same criteria when deciding who to vote for at a general election, which might explain why the country is in such a mess!
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