Dan Gillmor

"Officer-involved shooting" is a euphemism for "officer shot someone" -- and it's used, by police and journalist, to make reality fuzzy.

If all journalism organizations agreed to, as this commentary advises, abolish the "Exonerative Tense” in headlines (and I'd add, articles as well), journalism would be much improved.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/emersonmalone/police-traffic-safety-headline-language-exoneration

​​The 'Past Exonerative Tense' In Stories About Police Killings, Traffic Violence

The passive voice makes the people at the heart of a crime curiously exempt from blame.

BuzzFeed News
May 9, 2023 at 4:31pmWeb
Show threadBill SeitzMay 9, 2023
@dangillmor mistakes were made
(heh that was already in the article)
Show threadNihl L'AmasMay 9, 2023
@dangillmor Shots fired in shot-involved shooting
Show threadTankFoxMay 9, 2023
@dangillmor I like it how when a cop does something to get themselves fired, the news says 'ex-officer does crime!' even if they were _absolutely_ an officer when the crime was comitted
Show threadMattMay 9, 2023

@dangillmor

McSweeneys shows this in their usual way:

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/an-interactive-guide-to-ambiguous-grammar

Facepalm Pilot: Where Technology Meets Stupidity: An Interactive Guide to Ambiguous Grammar

Depending on whom you ask, the use of the active voice over the passive is arguably the most fundamental writer’s maxim, thought to lend we...

McSweeney's Internet Tendency
Show threadMagpie!May 9, 2023

@dangillmor good writing is about clarity; anyone who needs to obscure their words like this either has nothing to say, or is actively trying to write worse

most journalists that do this are writing worse, probably on purpose, in order to obscure the truth - which is against the spirit of journalism

Show threadMaraAlis76May 9, 2023
@dangillmor I’m tired of euphemisms in general. I wish we could get more plainspeak.
Show threadStephen CrosbyMay 10, 2023
@dangillmor for the authoritative take https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/an-interactive-guide-to-ambiguous-grammar
Facepalm Pilot: Where Technology Meets Stupidity: An Interactive Guide to Ambiguous Grammar

Depending on whom you ask, the use of the active voice over the passive is arguably the most fundamental writer’s maxim, thought to lend we...

McSweeney's Internet Tendency
Show threadStephen CollinsMay 10, 2023
@dangillmor copspeak everywhere is a huge impediment to the rightful seeking of justice. Even when the cops have managed to apprehend someone doing bad things, their language is impenetrable to normal people.
Show threadUrsidinoj/The BjornsdottirsMay 10, 2023
@dangillmor RIP buzzfeed
Show threaddeilann v -0.2.1.  May 10, 2023

@dangillmor oh i like that they've done a series on a lot of style fails and why they matter

also the piece starts off strong: “Is dick-picking ok as a verb?” Our answer: “For the act of sending dick pics (we know, we know), we went with dick-pic-ing — awkward, yes, but dick-picking is another activity entirely.”

this is definitely worth a read even for those who are aware of the issue here, thank you for sharing