Reply #8: Rather than just complain here..

[jbonkowski]

..I sent the following email to the MSNBC editor:

I wish to complain about the headline on MSNBC.com that accompanies the article by Mark Murray about the 2006 elections. The article is a serious analysis of the public’s discontent with the current state of affairs, and the challenges the Democrats face in taking advantage of that discontent. The article’s headline, however, is inappropriate in its use of the term “giddy” to describe the Democrats.

The word giddy can either mean “frivolous” or “dizzy”. Its usage in modern English is entirely associated with lightweight situations, and using it to describe Democrats in a headline of a story that is meant for serious political discourse can only be considered as a sign of disrespect.

If the editor cannot keep from injecting bias into the wording of the headlines, could he or she at least keep from contradicting the content of the article? The article specifically states that the Democrats are not “goofy” for being upbeat about their chances, and discusses the sobering realities of the way Democrats are perceived by the public. I find nothing in the article that would warrant the use of such a term as “giddy”.