The pen is mightier than the sword – and it can hurt too

The pen is mightier than the sword – and it can hurt too…

Many journalists, myself included, are suspicious of people who try to tell us how to write.

Twisting straightforward language in the name of so-called political correctness, or trendy jargon, rightly goes against all our professional instincts.

Some language, though, can be unnecessarily hurtful or insensitive and we have learned to use more accurate and less pejorative terms: just think of how people used to refer to Down’s Syndrome and some forms of mental illness.

It is in that spirit that I ask you to read the following guidelines prepared by the charity, Epilepsy Scotland. I do not think there is anything here that should make our jobs any more difficult, even for tabloid sub-editors – as I was for 13 years – struggling to fit a decent headline into a tight character count.

I also recommend the Epilepsy Scotland Journalist of the Year Award to you. This charity is not trying to belabor journalists but to encourage them.

Source: © Epilepsy Scotland