I often read CNN's Five Things, Google News, Numlock News. All of that is written and all of it is read using the Firefox browser. Browsing the internet, I see many headlines. I have not counted but I think half or more are written in sensational language. I am not trying to earn my living writing news articles or headlines but I think telling everything with excitement makes for an impoverished language eventually.
Many of the events happening in the world are shocking and simply relating them creates shocking news. Sometimes, the shock is best conveyed with a photo, as with a Ukrainian house or apartment building smoost to smithereens. Sometimes, words will suffice, as with the news that a six year old boy brought a loaded pistol to school from home and shot his 25 year old teacher.
I don't tune into Fox News or any other source that I feel is purposely employing shocking or shocked language in relating an incident or event. I appreciate the opportunity to make my own judgment about an event without being prompted by the tone of the words used. With news as with living, I try to maintain an even keel and not inflate nor deflate the importance nor the implications of what happened. I guess if I am trying to make a living or a reputation, this is the time of year that I might try to review last year or predict things to come in the next months. I am impressed with the number of predictions I find in all sorts of places and sources.
I was the chair at one time of a special interest group focusing on the future and my friends and I taught a college course on futures and possible futures. I learned that from the old testament times to now, a common action is to imagine or deduce or dream some horrible, frightening event and annouce to all that it will occur in a few days or weeks or months. Even when I am more or less fishing for exciting news or words to alarm (that may be in high demand), I recommend explaining the story as I understand it with plodding information and leave the faster pulse to the recipients.
For some unusual aspects of news reporting, see this:
