Lohmiller 1 Maggie Lohmiller Professor Griffin Communications, Media and Society April 11, 2011 Influences of Language Use

in Journalism on Society Trends in word choice in journalism have a direct correlation to how the public perceive the news. Many news outlets share buzz words that find their way into main stream colloquial speech. These words have a much greater impact on society than it may appear at face value and can either enhance or discredit a news story. The words journalists select can skew the accuracy or how balanced a story is and can distort the facts. Language choices can have underlying tones that can be construed as discriminatory and accusatory, as well as cavalier or a host of other feelings and notions. Most often in news it is found that these tones are received by news followers on the subconscious level. There are indeed occasions that statements are more overt in nature and can be easily recognizable by viewers. But it is repeated exposure to language choices that can develop strong viewpoints in people. This sensitivity to language occurs in all types of news topics, including political coverage, breaking news, and world events. This ethical issue is universally present throughout all news mediums worldwide. It is vital that journalists evaluate their phrasing, to remove any bias or subtextual content, intentional or otherwise, to promote factual and accurate reporting in their work. The words we use in every day speech as news consumers are often selected from what we hear used in the media. Influences in our own speech patterns and outlooks on society can

Lohmiller 2 easily be linked with the news outlets we choose, and how those outlets represent world events, the political landscape, and perceptions of social groups. It is imperative for media executives and journalists alike to be aware of how words play an integral part in how news is interpreted by their audience. Furthermore, news organizations must accept responsibility to uphold a strong ethical code to represent the news free of bias, and keep themselves educated on the everevolving language adaptations. Language on Political News Coverage Peter Hart, Activism Director of FAIR Magazine, in a recent address to Quinnipiac University students explained how language choices adopted by media outlets can influence how the public identifies with the political landscape. Hart gave the example of how the media is presenting current initiative of democrats seeking educational reform. Republicans are in opposition to components of the democrats plan, but not opposed to change in the nations educational policies. News outlets have stated that republicans are against reform, which has a negative connotation, when in fact they simply have a contrasting view on how to implement changes to the educational platform. This is a superb example of how citizens that may not be familiar with the intricacies of the stances on education of both parties could perceive republican policy negatively. If republicans are pegged as anti-reformists by trusted media outlets then the public may interpret the stance differently than if another word choice was selected. In cases such as this it is questionable that fair, balanced, and accurate news is being covered. The evident subtext can be misleading to news followers since the word choice suggests a prejudiced message. A journalist may present both sides of the story; however any facts presenting the republican perspective could be discredited by the title of anti-reformist. The

Lohmiller 3 prefix anti, in nature, implicates an opposition. Such words as antisocial, antithesis, and antichrist, although not similar in the context of this particular scenario, can be associated subconsciously by news consumers. Violations of media objectivity can be found in many other forms of political predispositions. Politicians themselves are innately partial to the beliefs of their party, so covering politics requires careful representation of events. It is of vital importance that journalists remain bipartisan and remove themselves from any relationship to the political landscape. In a perfect world this would be the case, however on some level a journalist, or editor, does identify with a particular philosophy. Sometimes this can be subtly reflected in their work. Coverage of politics in an unbalanced representation does a grave disservice to citizens seeking truth about government when leaders themselves are dedicated to their own partys agendas. Many people identify the major media outlets in an overly simplistic vision of being either conservative or liberal. This makes it appear as if news venues are representatives of political agendas. Most media outlets do not take a strict stance in the political arena, as this would prove to be unfair news coverage and a poor branding image. It is difficult to gage a true political philosophy as a news organization is made up of many people and ideologies that collectively work together. War on Words and Other Panic Evoking Terms Journalists who use buzz words are not inherently wrong in their reporting. Buzz words that are adopted by media outlets may be used repeatedly throughout the news outlet arena. The public identifies news stories that receive regular coverage by commonly used vernacular that has stemmed from their news outlet of choice. People intrinsically seek familiarity when turning

Lohmiller 4 to a trusted source for the news, and language is one way that people identify with a particular outlet. Particular wording trends have made their way into the media culture. The phrase war on terror was frequently used in media, and by politicians, from 2001 to 2008. The term war on terror has strong inferences, and was habitually used throughout the Bush administration to describe a broad military action. People identified this general term with everything they understood to be true about the post 9/11 events because of the overabundance of exposure to the phrase in numerous contexts. Because it lacked specificity, many conclusions could be drawn from stories that used that terminology. War terminology used outside of its literal context is something journalists have used continually in recent years. Story headlines such as the fight against obesity or war on drugs have worked their way into many headlines. The trend in media vernacular has been used in a wide variety of contexts and story types. These terms evoke immediacy, struggle, and demand attention from news consumers. This is inherently true in these story headlines, as they are serious topics, but they take on a softer meaning when used repeatedly in this fashion. The cyclical exposure to war terms builds immunity to the masses, and the immediacy these terms once evoked lose their efficacy. Megan Garber of the Columbia Journalism Review noted how various news outlets covered the US Airways Flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson River in January, 2009. This news story was widely covered, but each news outlet chose their wording for the story differently. Some news outlets used the word crash, which means a violent collision which implies there were casualties or injured people. This implication is not only false, but historically

Lohmiller 5 reminiscent to the American people of the events of 9/11 when coupled with the words plane and New York City. Most print media outlets cautiously wrote their headlines, evading any suggestion that there were any fatalities. However cable news networks were mixed in how they broadcasted the story. MSNBC, Fox, and CNN all used the word crash to describe the event. During television coverage certain anchors commented on how crash was an inappropriate word, yet the word was continued to be used. The word does work well for broadcast writing rather than waterlanding, however the term crash evokes panic. How Words are Used in Crime News Stories Words have the power to both sensationalize and trivialize events. The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a resource center for journalists who cover violence, discovered that this held true in many cases in reporting on violent crimes. Summer Nelson, a staff writer for the Dart Center, wrote how when covering sexual violence word choice is imperative. Sexual violence is a subject that requires great sensitivity when reporting, and there are numerous examples. A recent study at the University of Massachusetts showed that when a focus group was given articles written from a variety of major news sources about sexual violence, they detected underlying insinuations. Upon reading them, the participants identified how the reporters either dramatized the event, included unnecessary graphic detail, or used language that subtly blamed the victim. The main components of the articles were indeed accurate; however the subtext interfered with providing the news fairly. These inferences can not only make suggestions about the particular article, but also certain attitudes on the subject in more general terms. Nelson references news stories that used

Lohmiller 6 phrases such as lovers quarrels or arguments when describing sexual violence. This choice of words trivializes the event when discussing something as solemn as violent crimes. On the contrary, if a journalist were to write using language that dramatized the situation, it would be doing a critical disfavor to not only the truth, but also to the victims story. Crime is an area of journalism that should be approached with particular sensitivity when writing about the event. When discussing a victim, a chief concern should be how they are being represented during a sensitive moment in their life. This is especially true when children are involved. Diversity in Media Language used to describe racial groups, religious organizations, ethnicities, sexual orientation, or societal class is also a prevalent issue in media. The differences in describing someone as gay or homosexual, or Latino or Hispanic, or Mormons or members of the Church of Latter Day Saints are significant. Groups of people identify themselves in very specific ways that journalists should not infringe upon. Denying these groups their rightful identity is a principal offense. Addressing people or groups properly is a sign of respect and tolerant of other ethnic and social group. Although these may by no means be derogatory terms, these terms must be appropriately used in order to assure fair receptivity of a story and to avoid accidental prejudicial remarks. There are changes in what is an appropriate term to identify cultural groups. At one time it was appropriate to call people of African descent, African-American, whereas now the preferred term is black. The media is charged to abide by these language changes so as to not alienate news consumers, and distract from the original intent of the story in which they are

Lohmiller 7 presenting. The media is responsible for honoring cultural trends as they are often times the example for the public to follow in what is suitable phrasing. Recently, there has been a move from using the word Hispanic, to Latino. The trend has become adopted by many news organizations throughout North America, but is still in a transitional period. As time progresses, this trend is anticipated to be adopted universally as the correct term. Differences Among News Mediums Language choices can deter certain consumers from certain news organizations and develop preferences of how they receive the news. People who view a broadcast or read an article that has word choices that make suggestions contrary to what a viewer is comfortable with may turn away from that source in the future. Similarly, they could feel that their viewpoints are in line with what a certain news outlet is representative. In both cases, a journalist has provided news that is marked with some sort of bias. Cable news networks have dedicated a large portion of their programming to editorial style broadcasts that tend to be more overt in their word choices. These programs carry a voice about the network as a whole. The strictly news-based programming is thought of as one entity coupled with the editorial shows. The network is then branded as one. News consumers identify with outlets based on their personal preferences to certain ideologies represented by their branding model. Cable news networks are aware of how they represent themselves. They feed a target demographic, and use the language in their news casts to serve their own marketing strategy.

Lohmiller 8 Final Comments Use of language is a responsibility that dependable journalists take very seriously. Proper use allows for viewers to receive the news void of opinion and bias. The subtle nuances that can distract viewers from stories and even dissuade them from drawing their own opinions are ever present. For journalists to be able to serve their communities fruitfully they must be aware of how their words are impacting audiences. Once awareness is developed, addressing those influential language choices are fundamental in order to provide the best news coverage to the public.

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Works Cited: Garber, Megan. "Crash : CJR." Columbia Journalism Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/crash.php>. Nelson, Summer. "Word Choice Crucial When Reporting Sexual Violence | Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma." Main | Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://dartcenter.org/content/when-reporting-sexual-violence-words-canhurt>. Hart, Peter. "Peter Hart." Fair and Balanced Media. Journalism and Political Science Departments. Quinnipiac University, Hamden. 30 Mar. 2011. Lecture. Cotter, Colleen. News Talk: Investigating the Language of Journalism. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge UP, 2010. Print. "Media." Rhetorica: Press-Politics Journal. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://rhetorica.net/bias.htm>.