Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

the language of war

A goodly number of news media reports these days refer to an “impending war” against Iraq. An interesting article in the Chicago Tribune points out that the rampant use of this phrase could undermine the media’s supposed objectivity, as well as contribute to the climate for war. (“Seeking neutrality in the media’s war of words” - 02/19/03)

The phrase’s permeation in news culture raises questions about the media’s word choice and objectivity, said Michael Josephson, president of the Josephson Institute of Ethics, a non-partisan, non-profit organization based in Marina del Rey, Calif.

“Used by politicians, [the phrase] may be part of the political negotiation that goes on…,” Josephson said. “But when the journalists do it, accepting it as a given, it creates the impression that, in fact, neutral or objective people are concluding that war is inevitable.”

…

There are two repercussions of using such language, Josephson said.

“One, the journalistic community all of a sudden becomes part of the political rhetoric, and the political system, which is always dangerous,” he said. “[Two,] it may literally change the climate and translate negotiating positions or tentative positions into much firmer positions, just by creating momentum.”

The article points out that the press began using the phrase “impending war” (or phrases similar to it) as early as September 2002. There are also quotes from copy editors at various major newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today. Some copy desks, such as the Post’s, seemed to have little problem with describing war with Iraq as “impending,” while others, such as the Times’, prefer that such terms be used only within a quote, attributed to someone.