The Context
Words matter.
It matters how #RenishaMcBride is depicted by media. It matters that we value her life as much as others.
— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) August 7, 2014
James Earl Ray arrested on charges of shooting suspicious man outside the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis. #APHeadlines pic.twitter.com/hamggJXrWP
— Deer Mouse (@leecrowe) August 8, 2014
Famous Southern cook loses show and endorsements because of race baiting liberal media #APHeadlines
— YvonneMarie (@Eyeambeautiful) August 8, 2014
BREAKING: @AP Attacked By Online Mob For Headline That Our Good Friend DaShawn Told Us Was Totally Cool But Now Y’all Mad. #APheadlines
— Elon James White (@elonjames) August 7, 2014
At the root of it, is the same problem that many have with Twitter – brevity and being succinct while conveying the message. But the word choice here infers a lot of what matters and what doesn’t. And as seen in the first snapshot of this post – it’s possible to do it without bias.
If we break down AP’s poor choice of wording:
To quote Marlo from The Wire – my name is my name. Why isn’t she worthy of hers in death at least?
On the porch:
This is an actual example of @AP reporting. Retweet to fight journailistic racism. #APheadlines pic.twitter.com/1jMn0LxfXV
— Nostradeptus (@adept2u) August 7, 2014