New Jersey Newspaper’s ‘We’re All Gonna Die’ Headline Stirs Up Existential Dread: ‘Democracy Dies in…Death’

Breaking news, Tuesday, from the Trentonian — a daily newspaper which serves the state capital of New Jersey:

Breaking news from Trenton, New Jersey— pic.twitter.com/FZcgL17Xcm

— Matt Katz (@mattkatz00) December 18, 2018

Yep. Apparently, we’re all goners. Says so right on the front page. Sorry to have to be the one to break it to you — amid the glee of the holiday season. But it seems there’s no getting around it.

The Trentonian’s headline was linked to an Associated Press report which chronicled declining U.S. life expectancy. Since 2014, life expectancy has dropped in the U.S. — with suicide, drug overdoses, and obesity all contributing causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Nonetheless, the Trentonian‘s headline set off a round of existential dread on Twitter Tuesday morning. Here’s a sampling:

Fact check: true https://t.co/ZRlQOrSgcG

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 18, 2018

TRENTON MAKES (Existential Dread), THE WORLD TAKES (Existential Dread) https://t.co/dUMg3WzRum

— David A. Graham (@GrahamDavidA) December 18, 2018

Narrator: And they weren’t wrong… https://t.co/0aE7eGXtiM

— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) December 18, 2018

“Democracy dies in…death.” https://t.co/Pln1L2BzCG

— WilliamThornton (@billineastala) December 18, 2018

I wonder how that dental advertiser feels about being under that headline… https://t.co/AOkKhKGTwJ

— Vicki Chen (@vchen24) December 18, 2018

True, but dying is worse in New Jersey. https://t.co/YYvyTrQ91p

— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) December 18, 2018

I knew it

— David Gambacorta (@dgambacorta) December 18, 2018

Mortal if true

— Spenser Hickey (@SpenserHickey) December 18, 2018

News you can use!

— Michael Steel (@michael_steel) December 18, 2018

There’s no way around it. You could run that headline every day.

— Ray Suarez (@RaySuarezNews) December 18, 2018

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