no String-argument constructor/factory method to deserialize from String value
<p>I am trying to make use of an external NYtimes API. Here is an sample example data output : </p>

<pre><code>{
    "status": "OK",
    "copyright": "Copyright (c) 2016 The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.",
    "section": "home",
    "last_updated": "2016-10-20T19:57:45-04:00",
    "num_results": 30,
    "results": [{
            "section": "Briefing",
            "subsection": "",
            "title": "Election, Dodgers, Duterte: Your Thursday Evening Briefing",
            "abstract": "Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.",
            "url": "abc.co",
            "byline": "By KAREN ZRAICK and MERRILL D. OLIVER",
            "item_type": "Article",
            "updated_date": "2016-10-20T18:32:41-04:00",
            "created_date": "2016-10-20T17:58:30-04:00",
            "published_date": "2016-10-20T17:58:30-04:00",
            "material_type_facet": "",
            "kicker": "",
            "des_facet": [],
            "org_facet": [],
            "per_facet": [],
            "geo_facet": [],
            "multimedia": [{
                "url": "abc.co",
                "format": "Standard Thumbnail",
                "height": 75,
                "width": 75,
                "type": "image",
                "subtype": "photo",
                "caption": "",
                "copyright": "Damon Winter/The New York Times"
            }, {
                "url": "abc.co",
                "format": "thumbLarge",
                "height": 150,
                "width": 150,
                "type": "image",
                "subtype": "photo",
                "caption": "",
                "copyright": "Damon Winter/The New York Times"
            }, {
                "url": "abc.co",
                "format": "Normal",
                "height": 127,
                "width": 190,
                "type": "image",
                "subtype": "photo",
                "caption": "",
                "copyright": "Damon Winter/The New York Times"
            }, {
                "url": "abc.co",
                "format": "mediumThreeByTwo210",
                "height": 140,
                "width": 210,
                "type": "image",
                "subtype": "photo",
                "caption": "",
                "copyright": "Damon Winter/The New York Times"
            }, {
                "url": "abc.co",
                "format": "superJumbo",
                "height": 1365,
                "width": 2048,
                "type": "image",
                "subtype": "photo",
                "caption": "",
                "copyright": "Damon Winter/The New York Times"
            }],
            "short_url": "http://abc.co"
        }

    ]
}
</code></pre>

<p>Here is the bean definition</p>

<pre><code>//Headline.class
public class Headline {

@JsonProperty("status")
String status;
@JsonProperty("copyright")
String copyright;
@JsonProperty("section")
String section;
@JsonProperty("last_updated")
String last_updated;
@JsonProperty("num_results")
int num_results;
@JsonProperty("results")
List&lt;Story&gt; results;
</code></pre>

<p>`</p>

<pre><code>//Story.class
    @JsonProperty("section")
        String section;
        @JsonProperty("subsection")
        String subsection;
        @JsonProperty("title")
        String title;
        @JsonProperty("abstract")
        String storyAbstract;
        @JsonProperty("url")
        String url;
        @JsonProperty("byline")
        String byline;
        @JsonProperty("item_type")
        String item_type;
        @JsonProperty("updated_date")
        String updated_date;
        @JsonProperty("created_date")
        String created_date;
        @JsonProperty("published_date")
        String published_date;
        @JsonProperty("material_type_facet")
        String material_type_facet;
        @JsonProperty("kicker")
        String kicker;
        /*@JsonProperty("des_facet")
        List des_facet;
        @JsonProperty("org_facet")
        List org_facet;
        @JsonProperty("per_facet")
        List per_facet;
        @JsonProperty("geo_facet")
        List geo_facet;*/
        @JsonProperty("multimedia")
        List&lt;Media&gt; multimedia;
        @JsonProperty("short_url")
        String short_url;

//Media.class
        @JsonProperty("url")
        String url;
        @JsonProperty("format")
        String format;
        @JsonProperty("height")
        int height;
        @JsonProperty("width")
        int width;
        @JsonProperty("type")
        String type;
        @JsonProperty("subtype")
        String subtype;
        @JsonProperty("caption")
        String caption;
        @JsonProperty("copyright")
        String copyright;
</code></pre>

<p>Here is my caller : </p>

<pre><code>RestTemplate restTemplate = new RestTemplate();
        MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter jsonConverter = new MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter();
        jsonConverter.setSupportedMediaTypes(Arrays.asList(new MediaType("text","json",MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter.DEFAULT_CHARSET)));
        restTemplate.getMessageConverters().add(jsonConverter);
        Headline headline =  restTemplate.getForObject("http://abc/svc/topstories/v1/home.json?api-key=key",Headline.class);
        logger.info("Headline"+headline.toString());
</code></pre>

<p>The exception now that I get when I make the call is : </p>

<pre><code>Exception in thread "main" org.springframework.http.converter.HttpMessageNotReadableException: Could not read JSON: Can not construct instance of java.util.ArrayList: no String-argument constructor/factory method to deserialize from String value ('')
 at [Source: java.io.PushbackInputStream@22d9d; line: 1, column: 1185] (through reference chain: NYTimes.Payload.Headline["results"]-&gt;java.util.ArrayList[0]-&gt;NYTimes.Story.Story["multimedia"]); nested exception is com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonMappingException: Can not construct instance of java.util.ArrayList: no String-argument constructor/factory method to deserialize from String value ('')
 at [Source: java.io.PushbackInputStream@22d9d; line: 1, column: 1185] (through reference chain: NYTimes.Payload.Headline["results"]-&gt;java.util.ArrayList[0]-&gt;NYTimes.Story.Story["multimedia"])
</code></pre>

<p>I've been trying to understand why it doesn't de-serialize. if the string value is empty - then it should result in an null list?</p>