Apr 19 2009
BBC dumbs down
Normally we hear of ‘dumbing down’ as a means of connecting with those whose education leaves something to desired but not in this case. In this case it’s the BBC themselves who appear to have a less than acceptable command of English.
I’ve heard numerous reports of the Police being ‘systematically racist’. Now that could be very alarming, or it could be very encouraging. We should be told!
Systematically is used where there is some kind of procedure i.e. ‘The Police are becoming systematically more/less racist’. One good, the other bad.
I think the reporter really meant ‘systemically’, as in the Police, as an organisation, are inherently racist.
There’s no point in listening to a news report if it doesn’t actually say anything and confusing ‘systemic’ and ‘systematically’ leaves us all confused about what is, or is not, the case.
Except, of course, for those who are confused about the difference anyway!
One response so far
Yet another example in the last few days on BBC News 24. Referring to the Xmas Day attempted bombing on a trans-Atlantic flight the (probably trainee) presenter mentioned ‘systematic failures’ when ‘systemic failures’ was the phrase he was searching for…