User:Gryllida/Common words to avoid

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Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing[edit]

Similarly to this resource (from gnu.org), at Wikinews we avoid some words commonly used by mainstream media.

"Terrorism"[edit]

This is an attention catching word meant to incite panic and invite attention of the reader to the headline.

Mainstream media often uses this word

  • without clearly specifying the motive or
  • without specifying the evidence behind it - often mainstream media uses the word at a whim, even if motivation is unknown.

It is better to

  • say what was done (a murder or a traffic accident or other attack type) and how many people injured, and
  • list the evidence about motivations, specifically, with attribution.