OPINION: In newspapers, plain speak is best

She felt that my vocabulary was too limited and my style was too simplistic. From her point of view, as a well-educated person, she was probably right. Most of my essays are written to a tenth grade reading level and in a style that the “common” reader will find more comfortable. You seldom find my references to be complicated or obscure. The idea is to make my ideas available to as many readers as possible.

Local newspapers are produced for the widest possible audience. We want everyone to have a chance to understand what we are saying.
Now, if I were writing for a special audience on a more specific topic, I would use a style and vocabulary designed to provide the audience with a more detailed and comprehensive image of the subject in question. But that would not be published in a general-circulation publication. It would be oriented to the special audience. So, if you want me to address some exotic subject, then let me know the topic to be addressed and the publication to which I should submit it. I will write to that audience without attempting to reduce it to a more general level.
I like to use a story from the rural South to illustrate this: Grandmother finally finished a new quilt top. She obtained backing and some cotton for the quilt, stretched it on her quilting frame and began to stitch it all together. Junior came rushing in with some kind of news, tripped on the doorjam and fell into the frame. It broke in several places.

After grandma settled down she told Junior to go get the pick up and drive her to the department store to buy a new one.

The economy was as bad then as it is now. The local college had to lay off some of it professors, including the professor of English. He found a temporary job at the department store to help pay his bills until things improve and he could get back in the classroom.

Grandmother told him what had happened and asked him to find her a new quilting frame. He looked in the store’s product list and found nothing. So he checked all the catalogs hoping to order it for her. Still no luck. Finally in frustration he turned to grandmother and said, “Madam, it has become exceedingly difficult to ascertain the whereabouts of such items.”

Grandmother turned to Junior and asked, “Son, what did he just say?” “Well grandma,” Junior answered. I think he is trying to say that you can’t hardly find those anymore!”

Writing style needs to be targeted to the audience you expect to read it. It is just as improper to talk “over their heads” as it is to fail to use style and language that fails to provide your audience with the most possible information in a style they can understand.

Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County Journal. His e-mail address is frank@frankgillispie.com. His website can be accessed at http://www.frankgillispie.com/gillispieonline.