word matters

The armed individuals occupying part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon include Ryan Bundy. On Thursday, he had a gun and a tape measure on his side. Bundy is the son of Cliven Bundy, whose 2014 armed standoff with the federal Bureau of Lan

Those Men In Oregon: Troublemakers, Terrorists Or Something Else?

4:02pm January 09, 2016

by Mark Memmott

Fans and foes want the news media to label the armed individuals who are occupying part of a national wildlife refuge. NPR is trying to describe, rather than characterize. Here's our thinking.

On Wednesday in Yangon, Myanmar, two police officers read about the elections that saw opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party win a majority of seats in parliament.

Myanmar Is Also Known As Burma, But We Won't Keep Repeating That

7:14am November 14, 2015

by Mark Memmott

For years, it's been NPR's style to say that Myanmar is "also known as Burma" at the start of reports about that nation. We don't think that's necessary anymore.

On Thursday, balloons and flowers were in front of the Roanoke, Va., studios of WDBJ-TV. A day before, WDBJ reporter Alison Parker and WDBJ photojournalist Adam Ward were killed during a live broadcast.

The Sounds Of A Murder: News Or Not?

10:37am August 29, 2015

by Mark Memmott

Here's how NPR thought through whether the gunshots that killed two TV journalists should be replayed on the radio and online.

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3 Things To Know About NPR's Policy Regarding Offensive Language

10:55am July 25, 2015

by Mark Memmott

There are times when obscene words are heard, but they are rare. Editors balance respect for listeners against the news value of the language.

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Artist John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence. It can be seen in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

Just A Few Important Words About The Declaration Of Independence

2:37pm July 06, 2015

by Mark Memmott

Along with the words and phrases that still ring out 239 years later are less noticed turns of phrase. They say a lot about the messages Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers wanted to send.

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Near Valletta, Malta, on Thursday there was a funeral service for 24 of the hundreds of migrants who died earlier in the week when the ship they were on capsized and sank.

There's A Sad Reason 'Migrants,' Not 'Immigrants,' Is The Word Being Used

2:55pm April 26, 2015

by Mark Memmott

Hundreds of people died this month when an overloaded ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea. They were on the move, but never reached their destinations.

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A stone memorial, surrounded by flowers, has been placed near the site in the French Alps where a Germanwings passenger jet crashed on Tuesday (March 24, 2015). Investigators believe the jet's co-pilot brought it down deliberately.

World News

Germanwings Crash: 'Suicide' Doesn't Seem To Tell The Story

2:54pm March 28, 2015

by Mark Memmott

Though investigators say it looks like the co-pilot deliberately brought down the jet, killing himself and 149 others, there are reasons not to use that word.

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Fighters from the self-declared Islamic State parade through Raqqa, Syria, in June 2014.

There's A Reason We Say 'Self-Declared Islamic State'

2:14pm February 23, 2015

by Mark Memmott

When NPR correspondents report about that group, they try to make it clear that it is not a "state" in the standard sense of that word. This month's "Word Matters" conversation explains why.

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In Paris late Wednesday, a woman held a pen in the air during a memorial. Hundreds gathered to show solidarity with the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo, where gunmen killed 12 people.

Why You're Not Seeing Those 'Charlie Hebdo' Cartoons

11:14am January 13, 2015

by Mark Memmott

News organizations, including NPR, support the satirical magazine's right to be offensive. But mainstream news outlets also avoid publishing such material.

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Does it bother you if the sign says "or less?" Or do you think the fans of "or fewer" are fussbudgets?

'Fewer' Or 'Less?' The Express Lane Language Debate

7:29pm December 06, 2014

by Mark Memmott

It's a divisive topic. Were you taught that it should be "10 items or fewer?" That would make "10 items or less" a glaring grammatical error.

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