Thursday 11 March 2010

Truth in headlining

I’ve seen a few quotes and headlines around the traps today that need to be rewritten to make them more accurate.  There used to be a move for “truth in sentencing.”  Here’s what “truth in headlining” might look like.

* * At the Sub-Standard the headline reads High unemployment helps Nats keep wages down , when if accuracy was important it would instead say:

_quoteHigh wages help keep unemployment up.”

* * Hone Kaa of the Maori child lobby organisation Te Kahui Mana Ririki told a select committee enquiry that "For the sake of our children we support the prohibition of tobacco."  When if accuracy was important what he should have said was:

 _quoteFor the sake of our own commitment to the the notion that nanny knows best, we want to show you what real bullying looks like.

After all, which is more dangerous: tobacco, or government force?

* * At Labour’s Red Alert blog, David “Silent T” Cunliffe opines, “There is a quiet revolution underway in macroeconomics,” when what he really should have said if he were accurate would be:

_quote Central bankers looking for excuses to let inflation rip.”

* * And in any number of places, John Key has been quoted as saying about Don Brash’s stolen emails, “"I think the computer system was hacked into, that's my view but I can't back that up."  When what he would really be saying if honesty were a virtue would be:

_quoteI know who stole them and passed them on to Nicky Hager--and anyone with even half a brain could work it out for themselves--but I’m still not telling, so there.”

And that’s just a few from an almost random sample.  What other examples can you find?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hotchin and Watson give up on mum and dad

Should be "Be careful what you wish for bitchez; this is just the start."