Journalism 101: decimating the English lanuage
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Pedant; traditionalist; archaic; anal. These are some of the tamer insults you can expect to receive if you choose to point out that decimate isn't actually a synonym for annihilate, destroy, clusterfuck, or any of those other catch-all terms for lots of bad stuff. Yes, it's one of those seemingly trivial tidbits of information most people roll their eyes at; but the definition of decimate - to reduce by a factor of, or kill, one in ten - is something any good, bad or indifferent journalist learns when they reach the part of their degree that teaches using accurate, unambiguous language. So when I read in the Washington Post that a building was decimated by fire, I think to myself, "that's not so bad -- it could have been completely destroyed."
Maybe I'm out of touch with modern reporting trends and curriculum (the Ghost did finish his degree early in the millennium). I was, however, a little surprised at the lack of respect for nuance in the English language by some of the world's most respected papers. But, hey, I'm a pedant.
Maybe I'm out of touch with modern reporting trends and curriculum (the Ghost did finish his degree early in the millennium). I was, however, a little surprised at the lack of respect for nuance in the English language by some of the world's most respected papers. But, hey, I'm a pedant.
Bordeaux wine harvest decimated by severe hail storms
By John Lichfield in paris
Friday, 15 May 2009
A fifth of this year's Bordeaux wine harvest has been destroyed by two severe hail bombardments in three days.
The Independent
If [Gordon] Brown is replaced, "we'd [the British Labour Party] have to call an immediate election and be decimated", one cabinet minister told me yesterday.
The Guardian
NY barn burns decades after blaze hit same spot
The Associated Press
Saturday, May 23, 2009; 7:53 PM
ROME, N.Y. -- A fire has decimated an upstate New York barn more than 30 years after a blaze destroyed another barn on the same spot and killed two children.
Associated Press/Washington Post