Trailers, leaks, and sources (no not about Meghan!)

Yes it’s irritating Lexisgranny. I think it’s because news is now a 24 hour rolling affair and someone has to think up ways to fill the time! ‘Go out and talk to your sources - see what you can find out’ comes to mind.

I think you are right Urmstongran but wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a Utopian world where you could believe everything you read in the newspapers.

It is to bump up the viewing figures, and to support spurious claims.

It’s the same with tv programmes. ‘Still to come’. “Next time on...”

I think that some of it is done very deliberately in order to prepare us/soften the blow for when things are actually announced (I particularly mean news around Covid and lockdowns/gradual lifting and also the budget). At other times, I think it's an attempt to draw us in, which I agree, is irritating, for example, the very much publicised H & M interview (yawn).
It's certainly much more common than it used to be, I think.

I'll add that the strategy for the latter tends to have the opposite effect on me! ?

It`s the repetition that bugs me.
And when you start to watch a programme you`ve already seen a good five minutes of it.
Spot on Lucca.

Lucca I especially hate the trailers at the cinema. Why do they insist on showing virtually the whole plot in advance? While I may know something of the story behind the film I would like to have some surprises. I still remember watching the first Star Wars film and wondering all the way through when we'd get to the exciting battle scene, which of course was very near the end!
But more in keeping with the original post, it seems to me that sometimes "trailers" are released to suggest something unpleasant, which in reality isn't and there's a collective sigh of relief. One example, I remember there'd be budget rumours of a huge increase in fuel tax for example, but the actual announcement would be for less and people were pleased instead of annoyed at the increase. Clumsily expressed but I hope you get my meaning.