Re: Linguistic Overreaching
I said:
If the journalist really does mean "epicenter" then it's a metaphor.
If the journalist really means "center" then it's a mistake.
Then Michael West said:
Say what?
If the journalist really does mean "epicenter", and writes "epicenter",
then it's a literalism, not a metaphor.
As a former journalist (broadcast and print), I can only assume you are referring to the end product, i.e., the material that gets broadcast or ends up in the newspaper. In every case, what the journalist (reporter) submits is edited before the final product (the news story) is released to the public. In the case of broadcast journalism, the medium is some camera friendly news reader, who may or may not have a journalism degree and who's primary goal is to increase market share. In the case of print, the journalist is edited by the copy editor (or city desk editor), who also writes the headlines. The city editor's job is to ensure accuracy, but also to make sure the front page sells newspapers. The whole goal here is to make sure more people read the material so you can charge more for advertising. The person with the least control over the verbiage is the original journalist. If you want to make a blanket accusation against a profession, blame the news media, not the news messenger. To make matters worse, most journalists are paid dirt for doing all the work, blamed for all the errors and threatened by everyone (especially politicians) when they do get things right, while the news editors and news readers (in the broadcast arena) get the glory. If you think technical writing is frustrating, try being a beat reporter for a daily newspaper for six months, or worse, a freelance stringer charged with supplying text and photographs. Take your vow of poverty first.
Al
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RE: Linguistic Overreaching: From: Stuart Burnfield
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