[jsprogrammer]

Can you point to a word, or collection of words in the title that you think suggests malice? Or, is it the whole title that makes the suggestion?

As I am reading the title, no malice is suggested. It seems to just be a plain statement of fact.

[Johnny555]

"Bioterror research in the subway" brings to mind live virus or bacterial tests with "harmless" microbes like the tests over San Franciscon in the 1950's that may or may not have sickened (or possibly killed) residents sickened by the bacteria.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea-Spray

Though I wonder what testing was done to prove that the aerosol (made from wheat and corn starch, tagged with DNA) they they are spraying this time is harmless?

[ghaff]

I think it's the juxtaposition of "US government," "bioterror," and "NYC subway system" (i.e. place with lots of people) that collectively sort of create the expectation that the story is going to be about the government doing experiments that put a bunch of civilians at risk. I think there's also a certain expectation set by the fact that it is a news story that it's going to be a news story about something at least arguably bad that the government did.

I'm not sure that the headline is even clickbaity--don't know how I'd rewrite it. But I can easily see someone reading it to go to the story with an expectation of malice or at least stupidity.

[biot]

They conducted airflow tests in order to understand and model how airborne material would spread. They didn't conduct bioterror research.

[ghaff]

Well, they conducted airflow tests related to bioterror threats which is most of what makes the story newsworthy. But that's getting a bit long for a headline.

[dang]

Ok, we'll use that phrase in the title above.