Nuclear weapons aren't possible with this technology, and to those of us in the HN community, that is obvious. But it's not obvious to the average American reader, and that's what troubles me about the headline.

Writing is an exercise in human psychology, whether intentional or unintentional. And the phrase "selling nuclear technology to China" carries heavy emotional connotations. Psychologically speaking, it's scary. The typical, quasi-informed, American reader will infer nuclear weapons, even if it's neither stated nor implied.

This is why I hate sensationalist headlines, and why I give journalists no quarter in my critiquing them. I get that it's all about pageviews, and sensation drives pageviews. But somewhere along the way, responsibility and integrity should enter into the calculus.