Letter from the Editors: Insurrectionists highlight dangers of poor word choice
The events that recently took place in our nation’s capital were a clear display of how elevated political discourse has been ripping through the fabric of our democracy. The fall of a peaceful transition of presidential power and what was once the model of democratic practice is not only embarrassing, but also incredibly alarming.
It’s important to note that a part of the crowd marching included citizens protesting on Capitol grounds without violence, utilizing their right to protest against what they believed was an unfair and rigged election. However, those who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 were neither part of a “protest” or “demonstration” but an unlawful, violent mob.
Compare these scenes to the Black Lives Matter protests last summer: The wrongful deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others resulted in many peaceful demonstrations, a few of which sadly turned violent due to either individuals taking advantage of the situation or an inappropriate and harmful police response.
So whichever crowd your political beliefs align with, it is undoubtedly clear that differences in law enforcement response and media coverage illustrate a terrifying disparity; sadly nothing new yet another example of the racial and social hierarchies which persist in this country.
When analyzing the rhetoric used by news organizations to report the siege, the lack of consistent wordage becomes starkly evident. Depending on the reporter and script writer, headlines and articles varied significantly on how they labeled the crowd. Some CNN articles cited them as “domestic terrorists,” while The Wall Street Journal referenced the same group as “extremists.” In great contrast, Fox News could barely admit the Capitol siege was a newsworthy story, giving the event no more than a title of a “march.”
As a publication reporting on these issues that directly affect the USC community, the Daily Trojan continues to prioritize awareness and empathy as we write on sensitive topics.
Reporting on both topics takes language, rhetoric and tone that remains unbiased and upholds accuracy. It is our responsibility to recognize and adapt to the evolving social landscape, regularly changing and updating our style guide to properly address every member within and affiliated with the USC community. Our writers perform lengths and strides beyond due diligence, making an effort to cover all of the bases with each and every article, speaking to individuals outside of the immediate USC community and researching counterarguments.
Being members of the Copy section, we are often the behind-the-scenes team with every article or piece of media you digest from the Daily Trojan. We’ve picked out subtle grammatical errors in the latest breaking-news piece, fact-checked every line of your favorite column, and painstakingly listened to interviews to confirm quotes. But most importantly, we’ve ensured the presence of the correct word choice when reporting stories.
We’ve made great strides this past semester copy-wise to properly cover Black and Indigenous people and people of color along with members of the LGBTQ+ community. We hope to continue this onset of diverse terminology in reporting on other sensitive issues such as mental health or disability.
It could simply be said that these subtle changes in word choice are meaningless — a product of “political-correctness” or the “snowflake” liberal culture that pervades college campuses. However, our responsibility as copy editors is not one rooted necessarily in such lighthearted, gleeful ideas but in upholding the respect and dignity of this institution and its members. It is our job to accurately and fairly represent and shine light on individuals, organizations and events referenced in articles.
That’s not to say we’ve been perfect either. There have been many times where our writers may feel their voices filtered out through what we may see as grammatical and word choice edits. Our lack of coverage on some events may too rightfully frustrate members of our USC community. Misprints and failures to properly account for inaccurate storytelling also plague the minds of editors and writers alike. These mistakes, along with many others, are inexcusable in the newsroom, and we have full intentions on improving our work into the spring semester.
As our nation too moves forward, we will continue to cover the events both at the national and community levels. Unpredictability and change will not phase us, and we are proud to welcome new and returning staff members to the copy team at our publication, ensuring accuracy and readability for articles on thought-provoking, current issues. Similarly, we plan to strive for unbiased publications that encompass all the issues within and outside of the USC community. Despite all the randomness of the world, we will continue to fact-check, edit and represent the news, as it’s not only our responsibility but also a privilege to serve as chiefs of the copy section.