Last week, BuzzFeed published an article titled "19 Reasons Not To Go To The Beach This Summer." In reality, the article contained only one reason—and as they hinted, it "rhymes with shmarks."
Annnnd @BuzzFeed publishes a shark scare-mongering piece that has GIFs but no intelligence http://t.co/u5LQme36dO Ugh. cc @BuzzFeedBen — Kyle Hill (@Sci_Phile) June 20, 2014
Not surprisingly, the article—which BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith claimed was meant as a "parody"—upset a lot of shark scientists, science communicators, and BuzzFeed readers. Yet BuzzFeed stuck to their guns, saying that clearly, those who find the article distasteful lack a sense of humor and simply don't get the joke.
Shark fearmongering - et tu, @BuzzFeed? Any comment on this, @BuzzFeedBen? http://t.co/Y2ofE0yL0E — Christie Wilcox (@NerdyChristie) June 19, 2014
@NerdyChristie@WhySharksMatter so you read this as a column advising Americans to avoid beaches? — Ben Smith (@BuzzFeedBen) June 20, 2014
