The use of poor language and slang in news articles and advertising is inexcusable, but I believe what exacerbates the situation is the shocking way in which the news (in all languages), is so often presented.

And before you accuse me of being politically incorrect in my criticism, I am the first to admit that I would not be comfortable presenting anything in a language other than English, but surely the point is that no-one in their right minds would employ me to do so.

For me, when considering a career path to follow, becoming a radio or television news reporter did not appear to be an easy option (I was still in the UK). It involved voice training, elocution lessons and a substantial understanding of journalism. A great deal of preparation was required regarding the pronunciation of words and names. Granted, these are often live reports so time is clearly an issue but news presenters would at least take a few minutes to read their scripts, ensure that they understood what they were saying and be aware of the flow of the information. 

Why is it then that nowadays we have so many poorly prepared presenters, whose pronunciation is atrocious and who are clearly unfamiliar with the script or, in some cases, the words rolling on the autocue?

In the broadcast industry, surely these people are their front-line ‘brand ambassadors’ and as such are in fact delivering the company’s ‘service’ (dissemination of the news). It therefore stands to reason that whilst listeners and viewers probably assess the worth of the broadcaster mainly on the quality of the content of the news report, they are also likely to evaluate the brand on the presenter’s voice and appearance.

Grubby anoraks, the inability to pronounce names and words, the failure to string sentences together without stopping in all the wrong places and reading a news report in the sing song style and tone of a limerick is to damaging to the broadcaster’s brand.

News24 is a case in point!