PG&E and your Average Clod (me)

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Every day I encounter at least one additional example in the lack of detail and background of a news story where its writer or editor assumes your Average Clod (me for instance) is already familiar with forgoing reports regarding the subject at issue. This is not necessarily a criticism of our Friendly Victorville, Ca. Daily Press but of news organizations in general, AP included. First one striking me this morning (March 16) was "Feds settle with PG&E over 2004 forest fires": "California's largest utility and two tree-trimming subcontractors have agreed to pay…" my immediate reaction upon perusing the item was, how do the activities of a utility or the trimming of a tree cause forestfires?

And maybe it's a technicality but nowhere in the body of the story is that utility identified. Of course it's named in the title but in Journ School we were taught that an understanding of the clip shouldn't depend upon the heading, while the next Average Clod might not know who PG&E is.

Finally same date, "English 'preferred' for Puerto Rico. Santorum says," "…..that his views on the official language…had been mischaracterized…." we also learn, "El Vocero posted a crackling…Santorum said: 'I have said repeatedly that…..people….could speak both languages—but have to speak English…a requirement…important to "have common ties." ' "

Well your Typical Bonehead (me again) might not know first of all what a "crackling" is and second of all, that the latter quotation was not cited in Santorum's defense but to characterize his thinking. This would have been abundantly clear to any reasonably intelligent 12-year-old had the reporter written "Santorum had said" instead of "Santorum said."

As an erstwhile journ student and later a writer for several magazines but presently addicted to writing Letters to the Editor, am I being excessively cirtical of the modernday reporter?

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Type: Question • Score: 2 • Views: 1,483 • Replies: 31

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View best answer, chosen by dalehileman

@dalehileman,

What annoys me more is the use of unintroduced abbreviations. You could read that the IRA is seriously underfunded. Now, should you be making more contributions to your Individual Retirement Account, or is the Irish Republican Army in need of more money?

As a matter of fact, I believe some reporters are making up abbreviations on the fly.

1 Reply

@roger,

This business of the appearance of undescribed abbreviations/acronyms, happens to me at least once a day. I read a lot of news about varied subjects fairly speedily. I often have to halt to say what? re the assumption I will know the firm or condition or the baseball term the abbreviation signals. This all has been a long time coming, though, as the medical field I used to work in decades ago was a minefield of abbreviations. People assume others will understand the jargon of their own particular field, which I understand if one is writing, say, for a business news site. It's a put off for the people trying to learn. Either the website should have an abbreviations list or the writer should clarify the meaning when first mentioning it.

So, depending on the context, I might google the abbreviation, or check Urban Dictionary, make an educated guess, or give up. Ptui!

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@ossobuco,

Thank you guys for your refreshing support in this punic conflation of miasmic redoubt

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@ossobuco,

Speaking of jargon, I've finally figured out there is useful jargon within a specific field, and what I'm going to call exclusionary jargon. Notice that in cycling, the thing you sit upon is called a saddle, not a seat. The things that drive or are driven by the chain are not called sprockets, which they very well are. The ones in front are called chain rings; in the rear they are either cogs, or collectively, the cassette. The only purpose seems to be to make someone look dumb, so someone else can look smart. How noble and admirable.

By the way, the saddle is attached to the seat post. Go figure.

Dale, you're welcome.

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@roger,

Quote:

Dale, you're welcome./quote]Thanks Rog but for what

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Looking up the meanings of abbreviations takes up more of my time than reading the article.

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@RABEL222,

Yes Rabel it’s very time-consuming as reading it over and over before realizing that Santorum didn’t try to amend his previous statements by repeating them

In one case for an article in the newspaper named above when I couldn’t make heads nor tails of an article I wrote a Let to the Ed detailing all the misconstrusion whereupon they edited it into a more acceptable form printing it next day for some reason white on black

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@RABEL222,

Looking up the meanings of abbreviations takes up more of my time than reading the article.>>

Here's the complete list...

http://www.mob1le.com/sms.html

1 Reply

@Rickoshay75,

Complete list? Those are just some common usage abbreviations. Explore specific fields of interest and you will run into thousandfold multiples more. Most of us don't mind that those exist, as they are useful in a given field, but that in news articles, they aren't explained at the start.

1 Reply

@roger,

I remember sprockets on my Motobecane..
(better I remember taking it from San Diego past and through Tijuana tied to my fiat convertible. Of course I was a fool, but I was also right. No one tried to accost me or it. Also I'd been there before and wasn't all ascared.)

Edit - it wasn't a convertible, it was my first Fiat, also a spyder, and that one new.
Nuts, who does anyone know who ever bought two fiats?

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@ossobuco,

Yea like “crackling” for instance

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@dalehileman,

crackling?

PG & E is a power company in northern california, but I suppose you know that by now.

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@dalehileman,

He said 'you're welcome' after you said 'thank you'.

I think you might reread from time to time.

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Roger - attention - I just edited, re the Fiats, after Dale posted. It's all about time.

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@dalehileman,

I agree with most of what you've said, but in regard to the word "crackling" in your quote, "El Vocero posted a crackling..." that wasn't the entire sentence. The entire sentence as found in the Los Angeles Times article reads, "El Vocero posted a crackling, sometimes difficult to hear, excerpt of the interview with Santorum on its website." The word "crackling" is being used as an adjective to modify the noun "exerpt" in the sense of "making a succession of slight sharp snapping noises," and not as a noun.

In regard to the later quotation, it was cited in reference to Santorum's apparent discussion about the prospect of Puerto Rican statehood: "While apparently discussing the prospect of Puerto Rican statehood, Santorum said: 'I have said repeatedly that, as a condition for admission, that people would – would and could speak both languages – but have to speak English.'” Read in context, I don't see how it may have lead you to believe that Santorum was defending his stance.

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@ossobuco,

Quote:

crackling?

Yes

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@InfraBlue,

Quote:

I don't see how it may have lead you to believe that Santorum was defending his stance.

The Vocero quote was intended to contradict Santorum’s later claim that he was misunderstood

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@InfraBlue,

Thanks.

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@ossobuco,

As a matter of fact, no, I don't know anyone who has owned a second Fiat. Should we be reassured that they acquired about half of Chrysler, with their contribution being their engineering and designs?

3 Replies

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