I’d like to begin by saying that I’m a big fan of the BBC, hence my nicking the title of Mitch Benn‘s last single for this post. A good chunk of what I watch, listen to or read is generated by, or at least broadcast by, the British Broadcasting Corporation. Unlike others, I don’t begrudge the licence fee because I honestly believe I get excellent value for money from it. I’m not going to go through the whole list of content I enjoy lest I infringe Mitch’s copyright even more.

That said, I’ve been known to level some criticism at the Corporation, or at least certain employees, before now. And now I have another gripe: I’m aware of a spreading ‘malignance’ across the news pages of the BBC website, that of ‘inverted commas’ in headlines!

Right now, of the fourteen stories on the BBC News homepage, six have statements, phrases or words between this ‘unnecessary punctuations’. For example, there is apparently a ‘refugee crisis’ at the Libyan-Tunisian border, which sounds quite serious. So serious that I’m pretty sure George Alagiah or Huw Edwards won’t be making the ‘bunny ears’ gestures with both hands when they report it in their respective bulletins later tonight.

I think I know why it’s happening. I may be wrong but I have always assumed that ‘inverted commas’ were used to highlight some unsubtantiated or wild quote or claim, at worst it can convey a sense of sarcasm. Not, as it appears to be on the BBC News site, to obviate every possible libel claim against the Corporation. It is in fact lazy reporting: if there is indeed a refugee crisis on the Libyan border then report it as such. If there’s a claimed or alleged or possible or reported crisis then use those words! That’s what they’re for!

It’s as bad as using the phrase “so-called” when describing something that is pretty well universally known and correctly named; E.g. My favourite, the so-called Large Hadron Collider! It’s not so-called at all! There’s absolutely no doubt or debate as to what other name it should be known by. It’s a large gizmo on the French-Swiss border that causes hadrons to collide.

You wouldn’t call a tea bag a so-called tea bag because, oddly enough, the phrase tea bag describes mostly what it’s all about! A bag with tea in it!

You may of course use both so-called and ‘inverted commas’ in certain circumstances: for example when describing a so-called ‘honest politician’, a concept so fantastical it needs all the caveat and qualification you can throw at it.

And one more thing, again concerning the BBC website: the homepage has an item about actress Joanna Lumley and her comments concerning the morals of British children. Fine, but the side bar summary refers to her as Ab Fab’s Patsy. It’s not as if that’s all she’s known for. It’s not as if she’s some screeching, mundane, talentless, one-audition X-Factor reject. She’s Joanna ‘bloody’ Lumley! You can use her full name, BBC webmaster! We know who she is!

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