I'm reading between the lines just a tad, but I think a more generous interpretation is that they noticed they have an unfortunately strong mental association b

I'm reading between the lines just a tad, but I think a more generous interpretation is that they noticed they have an unfortunately strong mental association between the following 2 things: 1. Online headline containing prominent usage of the word "fact" while also hinting at some sort of controversy 2. Misleading article, deceptive spin, bullshit, etc. I don't think I have quite as strong an association, but I can definitely sympathize with this.