Headlines Generalize, generally

Feb 05, 2009

Headlines Generalize, generally

Headlines that generalize irritate me, like this one from Reuters writer Melanie Lee:

Nine-year old whiz-kid writes iPhone application

(Or maybe we should blame Reuters editor Bill Tarrant.) Generalized headlines make rare events seem regular, such as the one above and the others that appeared today. I've added qualifiers to each one, to turn them back into rare events:

[A very few] Teens who `sext' racy photos charged with porn (AP)

[One or two] Experts question fallout from new Monster hack (AP)

Maliki Allies See [Some Specific] Gains in Iraq (WSJ)

[Certain] Stocks Fall on Retail, Jobs Data (WSJ)

Drought Affects Millions in [one part of] China

Posted at 07:45 AM in Media and/or Spin | Permalink

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WorldCAD Access

talking about computers and design by Ralph Grabowski

Feb 05, 2009