Why is "can" so often preferred over "could" in hypothetical questions in media headlines?
As always what the media does is sell, not stop, night and day. The best way to arrest the attention of anyone is to ask a question. It invites engagement. Am I wrong?
To this end the questions or statements must be in the immediate present case. Could invites contemplation and not urgent action. They could. They might. Maybe the should consider it.
In addition the habit of headline writers is to choose the words with the fewest letters to make room for more or else a larger font.