The headlines midway through today's The World This Weekend ran as follows:
The party leaders are pushing their key general election pledges with the Conservatives focusing on plans to reduce low skilled migration. Boris Johnson has once again insisted there won't be checks for goods travelling between Northern Ireland and Great Britain under his Brexit deal. Labour is highlighting its promise of free personal social care in people's homes, while the Liberal Democrats are concentrating on their plan to spend £50 billion on infrastructure projects outside London.
My ears always prick up at the BBC's use of the word "insisted" as (to me) it usually implies 'over-defensive pleading by someone the BBC thinks is wrong'.
But the BBC went even one better than that today.
"Boris Johnson has insisted" evidently wasn't enough for them, so they gave us an added, world-weary-sounding "once again" in addition.
The result: "Boris Johnson has once again insisted".
It's language that's carefully chosen. And it's chosen (I think) to project the BBC's view that Boris is wrong - and, possibly, a wrong 'un.
Craig, yes I also heard that. As you say, this language is very very carefully chosen.
ReplyDeleteAnd contrast also Boris "insisting" with Labour's "highlighting" and Lib Dems's "concentrating". A double whammy - a) "Boris" is alone, unsupported by a Party, and b) more positive activities for Labour and Lib Dems.
We must never underestimate the honed propaganda techniques that the BBC deploys.