Feb 272010
 

Which would be a more appropriate headline if such an accusation were made:

  • Congressman Winger says Obama’s great-grandmother was Karl Marx’s love child.
  • Obama’s great-grandmother is said to be love child of Karl Mark.

Quiz questions:

  1. If you wanted to give a bit of credence to the accusation, which of the above two would be more accurate?
  2. On the other hand, if you wanted to point out that a lone kook was making wild accusations, which would you use?
  3. What would be the effect of leaving out the name of the Congressman?

So what about the following headline:

Toyota Accused of Withholding Records.

What if you read the article under the headline, and find out that it’s just one Congressman who is making these claims?