The blog entry entitled, “Careful Wording” by Jennifer Prex was a great example of how important words are when writing a news article. She specifically pointed out the word accident and incident which are extremely important depending on the event. Imagine if someone used the word incident, but the event was an accident. I never thought about this until I read Jennifer’s blog, but it really makes the author of the article look bad and it will make the readers, with emotion connection, feel bad. If there was an accident and the news writer wrote that it was an incident, then the alleged person in the accident could be set free because it was called an incident.
Jenn also mentioned the word “tone” and how a writer does not want to use words that do not fit the context or setting. If someone is writing about the G20 Summit, which occurred in Pittsburgh, then the words should be bright and positive because of how much tourism and coverage the city received. On the other hand, if a writer is talking about the protestors in Pittsburgh, during the G20, then the words should not be as bright and happy, but solemn and carefully chosen. Overall, it is important to use correct words based on the event, but if you’re on a tight schedule, then sometimes mistakes can occur.
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