Words Matter

Finding—and using—the right words has never been more important.

It’s a time of heightened interest in everything political. It’s a time when accusations of false news and suggestions of alternative facts obfuscate an already complicated list of topics. And it’s a time when words could—quite literally—be a matter of life and death.

Words matter, and the job of choosing precise, accurate terms and using them correctly is no longer simply the concern of professional writers. Those whose job it is to communicate—whether by tweeting, by speaking, or by legislative initiative—must be diligent and deliver unambiguous information.

We all need to work harder to make sure that we mean what we say and we say what we mean. There’s really no excuse—unless of course, the message you’re trying to communicate is confusion.