Journalism in the Digital Age

 

6 Journalism language

‘Two thousand words from Boot, ’ sold Mr. Solter. ‘Any good?’ asked the general editor. ‘Look at it. ’ The general editor looked. He saw ‘Russian plot… coup d’état… overthrow constitutional government… real dictatorship … goat butts head of police … imprisoned blonde … vital British interest jeopardised’. It was enough; it was news.

Evelyn Waugh

Scoop, 1938

Language has evolved throughout civilization according to the way the message has been transmitted. Language changed when ancient civilizations learnt to write their spoken thoughts, and again when the written word was printed. As will be seen later in this chapter, it changed further when the printed word was transmitted to vast numbers of people by means of broadcasting ...