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This was the headline: Insurgent Blasts Kill at Least 27 in Iraq
What's wrong with that you say? Let's look at the definition of the word "insurgent":
Insurgent
1. a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government; especially : a rebel not recognized as a belligerent
2. one who acts contrary to the policies and decisions of one's own political party
belligerent"
1. One that is hostile or aggressive, especially one that is engaged in war.
So, what the headline really says is:
"Non-hostile Rebel" Blasts Kill at Least 27 in Iraq
I'm glad that the media is so impartial that it uses words that don't mean what they represent. I think that Orwell was only off by a letter. Maybe he should have called it News-speak.
What's wrong with that you say? Let's look at the definition of the word "insurgent":
Insurgent
1. a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government; especially : a rebel not recognized as a belligerent
2. one who acts contrary to the policies and decisions of one's own political party
belligerent"
1. One that is hostile or aggressive, especially one that is engaged in war.
So, what the headline really says is:
"Non-hostile Rebel" Blasts Kill at Least 27 in Iraq
I'm glad that the media is so impartial that it uses words that don't mean what they represent. I think that Orwell was only off by a letter. Maybe he should have called it News-speak.
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Date: 2006-06-19 12:15 am (UTC)From:I think the media tend to believe they need a greater variety of words to convey the same meaning so that the viewers aren't quite so aware they're saying the same things over and over and over and calling it 'news'. So they co-opt a few new words every month by using them slightly off-label until Webster gives in and just adds the definition to the dictionary.