Profanity may be common, but not here
Paper sticks to standards when it comes to printing certain words
One doesn’t have to make much effort to hear profanity.
Prime-time television is full of swear words, from family-promoted sitcoms to more gritty dramas. It’s most common to hear what could be classified as “more mild” swear words, and the “more spicy” words are left to HBO and Showtime, but nonetheless, those words aren’t hard to find.
And without question, there has been a sliding of what’s acceptable to say/hear, and what’s not. Once upon a time, any swear word was guaranteed to get a kid in trouble. Somewhere around the age of 5, I heard a swear word on “Diff’rent Strokes.” It was a “medium spicy” word, and it got a reaction on the show — but right then, I had to leave to go to my grandma’s.
In the car, I decided to test out my new word on my mom … which was a tragic mistake. Had I watched the rest of the episode, I would have learned that after Arnold’s friends laughed, Arnold got in massive trouble — as did I.
My mom’s point was that yes, people swear, as did she from time to time. But there were appropriate times to swear, and childhood was not one of them. She also pointed out that swearing was not the classiest of actions, although it might feel satisfying or prove a point at the time.
As the editor of this newspaper, I keep that lesson in the front of my mind, and I hold the paper to a higher standard when it comes to word selection. Some words make me wince less than others, but the general operating principle is simple — just because someone said the word, doesn’t mean we need to repeat it. Do some words get printed? Yes — but rarely, and every time, it has been questioned and weighed beforehand.
President Trump’s comment this week brought the conversation back in the newsroom again. Do we print it, or do we stand by our newspaper standard, and replace some letters with asterisks? Ultimately, we decided to stand by our standards. Just because it was said — by the president of the United States, no less — does not mean we need to alter or lower our standards. The asterisks get the point across — one can tell what was said.
It is troubling that we even had to have the conversation, however. As the president of the United States, Trump should hold himself to the highest of standards in every way, shape and form, and set the example for other Americans.
I’m curious about your thoughts, readers. Would you print the word Trump used, or would you use asterisks? Let me know. Share your thoughts online, or send me a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com.
Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.