In our world of over-information and news saturation, it can feel easy, maybe even necessary, to rely on headlines to give us the high-level stories we need to remain informed in our daily lives. According to Statista, Americans spend roughly 470 minutes (nearly 8 hours!) engaging with media in a given day. In that time, the average person is seeing upwards of 10,000 advertisements. With all of that information coming into our minds, not to mention the information we process through work, family time, reading, and other daily activities, it’s no wonder that headlines serve an important role in keeping us informed about key news. In fact, nearly 80% of people read ONLY the headlines–meaning the majority of news consumers are not reading beyond the headlines for important news information. 

While this may seem like a productivity hack, the reality is that when we don’t read the stories or dive into the details, we miss critical pieces of information. This is true for both regular news stories that we scroll past on our phones to more important, and arguably, more impactful scenarios such as understanding legislation that is passed in Washington, DC. Take, for instance, the recently passed “TikTok legislation” that had news media, and the popular social platform’s users, swirling. The news cycle covered the legislation with diligence, and for good reason: it’s rare that legislation targets specific companies rather than general practices, and it was the first bill to shut down a social media platform. 

What may surprise most readers who are relying on headlines to get their news is that the ban on TikTok was actually part of a much larger $95 billion bill that funded aid to Ukraine and Israel. Similarly, the legislation includes additional language about expanded search warrants. This is a common practice on Capitol Hill. Sometimes, certain provisions are added to existing legislation that is going up for a vote. It is sometimes used strategically and politically, and other times it’s used out of necessity. These riders move seemingly unrelated provisions through Congress in a bundled solution. 

But what does all of this have to do with risk? It’s a good question with a good answer: if we know that most Americans are not reading the full story behind the headlines, it’s logical to assume that there are some other “efficiency” practices in place in other areas of our lives. For instance, how often are organizations accepting the Terms of Service on a new platform without diligently reading them? How often are employees reading every contract in detail with a full understanding of the implications to the business before signing the contract into place? 

Risk takes on a lot of forms, including these sneaky ways in which agreements, contracts, and “details” open up our organizations to threats. This is why organizations with great risk mitigation and risk management programs often have dedicated legal teams or, even better, risk-management teams whose job is to make sure that the details of every agreement are in the best interest of the organization. 

With RiskVersity, you can be sure that an experienced risk-management professional is paying attention to the details. Don’t let your organization get by on just the headlines–make sure you have the full story with RiskVersity.