On every job listing I’ve ever read, there is a simple requirement: “must be able to communicate effectively”. I am finding that journalists must not have that requirement as part of their jobs. For the last couple of months, since a certain election, every single headline seems to be over reaching in terms of what has happened. For example: “Ethics Board Literally Gutted” or “Repealed Act 3192 Which Defends All Your Rights”. While those are fictitious examples, you would assume that something horrible has happened, that the actual act has taken place and the ethics board no longer has anyone one it (because they were disemboweled (unless they meant figuratively in their headline)) or that the act was repealed.
Yet, when you go into research mode, because you can’t believe you missed something so important happening under your nose, you find that nothing of the sort happened. In fact, you learn the initial steps have been taken to move towards the eventual gutting of an ethics board and that they meant figuratively. However, if you are like most people, you become despondent because your anger was so high and now you learn nothing bad has actually transpired. So you close the tabs and move onto something more pressing.
The problem arises when you eventually do see a true headline and the ethics board ends up gutted, you don’t react with anger or hatred. You have already done that, and you go about your day disgruntled that the world is falling apart. This is because you have been desensitized to the gutting already, so you don’t take it nearly as drastically. In your mind, you’ve seen this headline before so you browse right past it.
So… journalists… please use the proper wording and words when describing things in your headlines. Otherwise, we as a species will stop caring altogether… leave the sensationalism at home.