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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Dropping ‘F word’ Or ‘Curse Bombs’?

A Romenesko reader notes that the Associated Press story on Donald Trump‘s Las Vegas speech reports the real estate mogul “unleashed a tirade of profanity,” but doesn’t give any examples. (The AP described Trump’s profanities as “curse-bombs” while Reuters said he used the “F word.”) “Fortunately Reuters filled in the blanks this morning,” writes the reader, who sent both services’ dispatches for comparison/Jim Romenesko, Poynter. More here.

Question: How should the media describe the language of a speaker, like Trump, in this instance, who salts who talk with curse words? Should they media ever use the exact language uttered?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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