[LINK] Fwd: MR 113/07: Australians have a voracious appetite for telecommunications [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[David Goldstein]

Given a news release is about getting the attention of editors to write a story, why shouldn't a term such as "voracious" be used? "Australians use technology" aint gonna get anyone's attention. And of course a headline is going to include value-laden terms, either in the press or in a news release.

David

----- Original Message ----
From: Stilgherrian <stil at stilgherrian.com>
To: The Link Institute <link at anu.edu.au>
Sent: Monday, 24 September, 2007 10:23:57 AM
Subject: Re: [LINK] Fwd: MR 113/07: Australians have a voracious appetite for telecommunications [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

>> From: "Australian Communications & Media Authority"
>> <media at acma.gov.au>
>> Date: 21 September 2007 11:02:05 AM
>> To: <tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au>
>> Subject: MR 113/07: Australians have a voracious appetite for
>> telecommunications [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

"Voracious"? Isn't that a value judgement?

For me, "voracious" has a flavour of excess about it, or at least implying
that we're somehow greedy or big consumers. Are we? Really?

I guess compared with Namibia we are. But to use the much-loved OECD
comparisons, I thought we were pretty tame.

Certainly a figure like...

>> [snip] and 80 per cent of households having
>> access to the Internet, mostly through broadband.

... doesn't seem "voracious" to me.

When I see someone adding a value-judgement word to a headline, it tells me
that want me to think a certain way before I've seen the numbers for myself.
In this, case, is ACMA wanting me to think we're greedy, heavy comms users?
If so, why? Is it to provide an excuse for the growth of broadband lagging
so much, that our poor over-worked comms companies can't keep up with our
voracious appetites?

Stil


-- 
Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/
Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia
mobile +61 407 623 600
fax +61 2 9516 5630
ABN 25 231 641 421





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