“Weasel words; Johnson.” Ideas Arena: The Future of News. The Economist, 26 May 2018, vol. 427, no. 9093, p. 76.
This article addresses a problem I noticed at least a decade ago and have seen worsen: media presenting political bias as objective news.
Media language is rarely objective. The words we choose and their connotations reveal our internal beliefs and motives, as does our use of active or passive voice. “Weasel Words; Johnson” acknowledges that news organizations have turned word choice into a weapon, and it uses a May 14, 2018 New York Times’ (NYT) headline as an example.
In a Tweet, the NYT declared “Dozens of Palestinians have died in protests . . .” Twitter uses objected to the headline's passive voice and obscure language, noting that Israeli soldiers shot and killed the protestors. In the headline's wake, the hashtag “HaveDied” hovered near the top of Twitter's "trending" list.
The Economist analyzes how syntax and semantics impact meaning. Unfortunately, the analysis is more detailed and technical than average readers need or want, but its point and the conclusion it leads to are important: headline editors use large font, emotional appeals, and loaded language in their decisions, putting attention-grabbing ahead of conveying information accurately.
While this article offers an example useful for in-class discussion of headlines, it is too dependent on reader understanding of grammar and mechanics to be appropriate for assigning to undergraduate students. However, it could be replaced by or paired with educator materials for Jeffrey Kuiken's "Effective Headlines of Newspaper Articles in Digital Environment."
Educators who seek to introduce the topic to undergraduate students could provide a brief lecture that summarizes the article's main ideas and then use the activities below.
Lesson Plan: "Weasel Word Headlines" Activity
Part I. For additional information on this topic, read Maria Konnikova's "How Headlines Change the Way We Think" in The New Yorker. Give a brief lecture covering these main ideas, which are also presented in the "Weasel Words Johnson" article:
Language shapes perception, especially for cause-effect.
Example: phrases used by media to describe events following George Floyd's death while detained by Minneapolis police
protests vs. riots
Floyd died vs. Floyd murdered
civil unrest vs. looting and arson
Facts are objective; how facts are conveyed is not. Narratives shape reality. Language shapes narratives.
Writers shape facts and narratives in many ways.
#1: Sentence Structure: Active or Passive Voice
Active Voice: sentence structure that clearly identifies who did what to whom.
subject + predicate (+ direct object)
Example: Neveah threw the ball.
Example: The ball hit Noor.
Example: Noor blamed Jerry for the accident.
Passive Voice: sentence structure that obscures who did what.
direct object + state of being verb + verb (+ subject)
Emphasizes the recipient of the action
Can misdirect blame or create victim narratives
Example: The ball was thrown by Neveah.
Example: Noor was hit by the ball.
Example: Jerry was blamed for the accident. (Who blamed him?)Example from the New York Times: "Dozens of Palestinians Have Died in Protests."
direct object + state of being verb + verb
Who was protesting?
How did they die? heart attack? heat exhaustion? violence that erupted? shooting? who shot?
Facts revealed that Israeli soldiers shot Palestinian protestors. (subject + predicate + direct object)
The headline seems to have a pro-Israeli bias
#2 Word Choice: Connotation
Connotation: emotional associations carried by a word or context in which it's used
Example: curious vs. nosy
curious implies innocent or well-intentioned interest; nosy implies selfish or ulterior motives for seeking information
Example: two headlines covering same event: "Freedom Fighters Gunned Down in Pro-Democracy Protest" and "Rebels Neutralized for Illegal Gathering"
Note active voice in first headline and passive in second
"freedom fighter" = positive connotation (heroes speaking truth to power); "rebel" = negative connotation (villains using antisocial behavior)
"gunned down" = implies victims; "neutralized" = implies threat
"protest" = positive connotation (eliminating wrong); "illegal gathering" = negative connotation (breaking the law)
#3: Skewed Perspective or Sensationalism (Clickbait)
Example: Headline reads "Take It to the Bank: Sen. Warren Wants to Raise Minimum Wage to $22 Per Hour"
Story indicates Warren gave a lecture in which she said that if worker productivity and wages had risen by the same amount from 1960 to now, minimum wage would be $22/hour.
#4: Weasel Words
Phrases that emphasize desired perspective or information
Examples:
up to, as much as: a product is up to 99% effective (how effective is it?)
nearly, almost, virtually, upwards of: the Supreme Court has virtually no limits on its authority (some checks do exist)
works, helps, fights, combats: universal healthcare helps prevent disease (what is the difference between helping prevent and preventing?)
Part II. Bring in headlines from various publications and lead students through analyzing them for connotation (weasel words), skewed perspective, and bias.
Part III. Use Educator Materials for "Effective Headlines of Newspaper Articles in Digital Environment" to have students practice analyzing media as small-group work in class or as individual homework.
Evaluation of Activity Participation
Use the Synchronous Activity Rubric to evaluate students' contributions.
Use the Written Assignment Rubric for headline analysis completed as homework.