Foremost among the efforts to stay informed about current events is the regular practice of news media viewing. In our case, it is MSNBC, largely, because we see the reportage as objective, but also because of its personally appealing center-liberal context. It is our view that, unlike entertainment choices, such sources of information should maintain an appropriate atmosphere of trust.
As our readers know, our penchant has eternally been for using language most reflective of the speaker’s or writer’s intended meaning. This principle is crucial in aesthetic composition, viz., poetry, and essays. As a matter of civic importance, news reporting should employ appropriate and clear vocabulary. vital to the moral responsibility of empirical accuracy, and resulting in confident acceptance. While we find ourselves satisfied with the quality of professionalism and resulting confidence, nevertheless, in the programmatic venue of news presentations, we find the arbitrary use of certain poorly chosen phrases, irksome and inappropriate to its responsible purpose.
We have also found that in such a trusted and responsible atmosphere, there exist certain unbecoming commercials that may tend to suggest that, like the news reportage, has, reliable verisimilitude. We are dismayed to note that many of such irresponsible commercials, shamefully, seem to be targeted at money-strapped senior citizens,
[Bizarre or misleading phraseology]: The remark, “I just can’t wrap my head around it.” instead of, “I cannot understand or comprehend the concept; ” “Take a listen,” instead of “Listen to this, “the observation, “There is no there, there,” rather than there is no basis for it,” the phrase, “We will return on the other side,” instead off we will resume after the commercial, or the station break,” the observation that, “These are “table-top” issues,” in place of, relate to matters of practical living,” or the euphemism, “communities of color,” instead of black or brown Americans, in the context of the delivery of the news detracts from the reality of the message and may be better reserved for more casual programs.
There is, notably, one truly mystifying ubiquitous verbal phenomenon, not especially limited to the media news, and, unlike the above, one while unaccountable and while, perhaps, not harmful, nevertheless, is entirely inexplicable and inappropriate. This matter refers to the simple, too often used and misused word, “so.” The word’s appropriate utility is ubiquitously utilized used in an explanatory context as in, “It was raining [so] we, took the umbrella,” or, They did not show up [so] we left without them,” Nevertheless, the word has somehow been transmogrified to a mandatory use as prefatory to the response to questions, regardless of the subject, For example, an environmental expert may be questioned about the rate of global warming. His response predictably, and unexplainably, will be preceded by the word, “so.'” An eye witness may be asked about the facts of an auto accident and will, predictably precede her specific response with the seemingly mandatory word, “so.”We find the inappropriate use of the word, “so,” misleading, and its misuse be discouraged.
(b) [ Advertising] Misleading commercials, usually, deceitful to the elderly, should be eliminated, especially from news programs that contextually exist to communicate the truth./ The advertisements seeking the redemption of insurance policies and equity home mortgages are misleading and should not be accepted by news programs, Life insurance for which premiums were paid for decades, calculated on actuarial tables concerning life expectancy should not, beneficially, be sold back to the insured (unless desperate) for a price which affords the insurer a windfall by avoiding the contractual payment of its ultimate financial benefit, notably more empirically imminent in the elderly, Moreover, the intended and designated beneficiary will be deprived of the policy benefits.
Equity loan mortgage solicitations intentionally fail to include significant details such as, the taxes and upkeep of the realty nevertheless, is payable by the owner, and, many ramifications of the transaction; such as, if, as often is the case, an elderly sibling or other relative of the owner is a resident, he must vacate if the title owner dies. It is also exasperatingly deceitful to advertise that the monies saved are “not taxable” when their source is the owner’s own earned equity,
Casual patois and deceitful commercials are inappropriate, in the dedicated media news, where trust and accuracy are preeminent,; incidentally, including, the oxymoronic and deceitful phrase, “free gift; ” the universal definition of the noun, “gift,” describes a free transaction.
-p.
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