• dovah@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    When I man snatches a child off the street with no intention of giving it back, everyone calls that kidnapping.

    • Jerkface (any/all)@lemmy.ca
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      20 days ago

      Okay but journalists are not “everyone”. They don’t say “not gonna lie” in the headlines and they don’t use the name of a specific crime (ie “kidnapping”) to refer to things that are not that specific crime.

      • TownhouseGloryHole@lemmy.world
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        20 days ago

        You’re absolutely right. It may seem like semantics to some, however it is an important distinction for journalists. Using colloquial language contributes to ambiguity when readers expect accuracy.