This NBC story on tariffs President Trump set on certain Chinese goods is fine -- it's balanced, accurate as far as I can tell and seems like a pretty straightforward account of a presidential action.
The headline, on the other hand...
There will be dozens, if not hundreds of versions of this story in different online, print and broadcast media outlets in the next several days. If more than 15 percent of them avoid some form of the word "slap" I shall be shocked to the very core and fibre of my being. Nearly every story or headline about tariffs always suggests that someone "slaps" one on. It's clichéd and boring.
It'd be one thing if the same half-dozen lazy writers were responsible for all of it, but the problem is widespread. The symptoms also manifest in stories about hurricanes, which invariably "roar ashore," "packing xx mile-per-hour winds," and so on. Conservative-leaning websites note how often those headlines and news reports show Republicans or conservatives "pouncing" on one news event or comment or something or another.
This has been a test of the middle-aged grumpy news consumer griping system. We now return you to your regular programming.
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