Media Newspeak

Yesterday I discussed the GOP tendency to use Orwellian newspeak techniques to mask their radical right wing, corporate agenda. Today I wanted to briefly look at mainstream media and an example of their complicity in these language games (as reported in Salon).

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was the victim of a revolt by journalists over the language he was using in describing the shutdown. Speaking a couple hours before congressional Republican leaders were due at the White House for a meeting on the matter, Carney said it remained to be seen whether the opposition would "put the matches and gasoline aside when it comes to threatening default." He also said the proposed short-term extension of the debt ceiling, which would the government would hit next week without congressional action, was a way for Republicans to keep the "nuclear weapon" of undermining the economy in their "back pocket."

But it was the word “ransom,” one repeatedly used by Obama (and me, to be fair), that got the White House correspondents into a huff. "You see it as a ransom, but it's a metaphor that doesn't serve our purposes ... " NPR correspondent Ari Shapiro shouted back with broad support from other confused reporters. "You guys are just too literal then, right? Carney said.

"We just want to accurately report," Shapiro began before Carney interjected. "We're trying to be accurate in our description of what's going on."

Why would this term strike such a cord of dissent? Some argue that it was merely a plea for more detailed explanation of what would bring the Obama administration back to the table. Others see it as a more sinister turn, highlighting the conservative media bent that generally goes unreported outside of the Alterman/Chomsky set. But isn’t “ransom” an accurate description of what is happening? The Republican House has shut down the federal government unless their demands are met – essentially holding someone hostage (the American people). They will keep those people hostages until their demands are met. Isn’t this ransom? In fact, it seems like the perfect metaphor as federal employees are laid off, food stamp benefits dry up (and people thus go hungry) and national parks close across the country (among a host of other problems). The metaphor was sound, and substantially more accurate than much of the conservative rhetoric we’ve been getting for years. It’s yet another troubling example of the way the media frames the news, undermining criticality and truth in their disingenuous push for “objectivity” and “neutrality.”

And as an aside, I decided to look at my “My Yahoo” page and see what different media outlets are pushing as stories. For CNN, the list looks like this: 1. Democrats More Extreme than GOP? 2. College App Frenzy is Nuts, 3. London Zoo’s Tiger Cub Drowns, 4. Photo: Elusive Street Artist Banksy and 5. 77-lb. Weiner Dog Drops 50 pounds. Wow, what a riveting display of objectivity and having your pulse on what matters to Americans. The New York Times does a better job with: 11th-Hour Senate Fiscal Deal in Works, Viewing U.S. in Fear and Dismay, Debt Default Deadline Clear, but Implications Are Not, With G.O.P. Badly Divided, Boehner Is Left ‘Herding Cats’ and South Dakota Ranchers Face Storm’s Toll, but U.S.’ Helping Hands Are Tied. Then I looked across at Yahoo News, which did cover the crisis along with a few other news stories of questionable value: New House Republican plan dead before arrival as default looms, Wall Street ends lower, futures fall after Fitch rating move, Tiny Homes: Man Lives in Self-Built Hobbit Hole in Rural Oregon, Rielle Hunter apologizes for affair with John Edwards and Senate in spotlight as US on brink of possible default.