Just a daily reminder that LANGUAGE MATTERS. It& #39;s unfortunate that the mayor, like the police, enlisted passive voice and jargon to blur reality. Journalists should avoid both. The correct way to write this: "A police officer shot and killed a 27-year-old man, Ricardo Munoz." https://twitter.com/cityoflancpa/status/1305344743736594437">https://twitter.com/cityoflan...

This isn& #39;t a commentary on whether the officer should have shot the man, or whether people should be protesting. It& #39;s a commentary on accuracy and how to depict reality. I always shudder when I see the opaque language of police press releases make it into our lexicon.

Additional words/ phrases we should never use

"Officer involved shooting" (just say what happened)

"subject" -- people are not subjects.

Same with "suspect, offender, etc. etc."

"Male / female."

Figure out what happened, and say it, in plain language.