title: no String-argument constructor/factory method to deserialize from String value
body: <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>