This week in lecture, we talked about language that newspapers tend to avoid. I am here to tell the publishers to take a chance.
Language is our way of communication. Sometimes, “bad words” are needed to tell a story. Here are two examples.
Let’s say a man was just arrested for killing his wife. The local media got the arrest on tape and some quotes on their recorders. While the police were taking him away, he said to the media, “I killed her because it was my fucking right to kill her.” Now, despite the fact that this quote is crazy, it adds color to the story. Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t reporters supposed to quote color? I realize that papers have to look out for their entire audience, but realistically, who would be reading this story who hasn’t heard the word “fuck” before?
My second example deals with sports. This really bothers me. We see coaches go off on TV swearing every other word. This intensity is what makes sports so great. Why take that away? If a coach says, “We need to beat those cross-town bitches,” it adds flavor to the story. It shows how much these teams despise each other. It creates a better atmosphere at the park. It builds up the rivalry.
This is my call to publishers to take a chance with their language. A good newspaper is careful. A great newspaper takes chances. Anyone agree?
I agree ... to an extent. Newspapers should be a little edgy and take some chances, but at the same time, I think there is a fine line between responsibility to the community and pushing the envelope. Much like the photos we looked at in lecture, I would have to evaluate each use of profanity on a case-by-case basis.
ReplyDeleteIn a major metropolitan daily, I would print your first example, but as "f---ing." Readers get the impression of this man's character, but don't have to see "fuck" in print.
The second seems a bit more vulgar to me and I really wouldn't feel comfortable printing it. But again, a lot of it would have to do with the newspaper's audience, the level of the team (major league or high school?) and the context of the quote - does the team need to win because this is their last chance to get into the playoffs or is it the third game of the season and they just want to win for bragging rights? It would have to be a pretty rare situation for me to print that one.
Quoting color. I like that idea, it's an interesting way to put it. And it is a good point that most people have heard the full gamut of swears by a pretty young age, middle school I would guess. But another thing to consider is the main demographics of the print newspaper audience. In Naperville, where I interned last summer, at least, the editors realize that many older citizens of the area are subscribers to the paper, so printing words like "fuck" and "bitches" is probably not the right choice, considering their tastes.
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