[bmh_ca]

> What does Uber have to do with the story, other than to demonize the company?

There's a monetary incentive to put Uber in the headline.

Online media runs on advertising, advertising on hits. Uber is a curiosity right now, and a hot media item, so association ups hits.

Uber–association is particularly valuable if the headline generates emotion. There's innate curiosity about Uber as a new creature. There's emotion for murder. The melange is an often powerful cocktail of clicks.

The masses are not yet sure what to think of Uber, so many will eagerly click on this to help draw a conclusion about the safety of those using the company. People that would not otherwise click on either a murder or an Uber story. The mix ups the value; more people will see ads presented alongside the story.

Of course Taxi drivers have been mass murdering for generations. Of course the headline demonizes Uber. Those, while correct, are irrelevant. It is also irrelevant whether the media companies like or dislike Uber.

All that matters is that the media companies have a monetary incentive derived from the actions of the masses.