Please fix the titles so I can learn something. Because I'm seeing nothing wrong with them. I would like to learn how to not be 'sensationalist'.
Look, don't take it personal, I don't even know who wrote the title nor I am questioning your choice of titles, I am not suggesting
you need to learn how to write titles.
In general I won't take the job of fixing other people titles, too much pain, but a general idea is not to write a title just to get people into the article, and then the article being about something else.
I don't know what was the content of the deleted threads, so I can't comment about them regarding how off-topic they are, regarding the thread that still exsits I already commented, it makes a very weak link to the title (as to pretend the title is significant) but then it start talking about "unquestioned taboos": that should have been then the title (unless you wanted to bait people into an article with a misleading title).
Regarding why I think the other posts have sensationalist titles when I haven't read the corresponding articles, it is because the titles are written in a way to raise visceral emotions instead of trying to raise a rational response. It tries to make the reader avoid reason and instead tries to make him react without thinking.
One of the posts has one reply (me, incidentally) and was very much on-topic.
The other posts in the thread are not really on OP tbh, if other posters within are insane the standard course of action is take action against them and if they've destroyed the thread sufficiently, either lock or clean up. I see it quite a bit here so... what's different about this case?
Well, your original post didn't give me any of this information, I only replied based on what you wrote. I couldn't have known this.
One of the posts has one reply (me, incidentally) and was very much on-topic.
Very interesting you have a stronger reaction to standard news stories than a thread which kicks off with LUL LIBRULS R CANNIBLZ.
Very interesting.
To be honest I think reading or replying to what some crazy person writes is a waste of time. It's the same as when you see all these chains of messages with misinformation in whatsapp, facebook or so. I identify their existence as a problem for society, but I see it a futile attempt to try myself to stop them, or to try making people notice that they are not doing themselves or anybody any good by just forwarding them without checking if they are real or thinking about them. It is bad, but I can't do anything about that but waste my time trying.