Due to digital modes of communication, we communicate through written correspondence more than ever before. I am curious about how this heavy usage has forced written language to expand to include more obvious signifiers of tone and intent though creative punctuation, capitalization, spacing/format, and emojis.
Also, what are new symbols and images that have entered the vernacular because of screens and the internet?
Language is constantly shifting, and news organizations should shift too. But one of the ways propagandists and advocates try to steer coverage to advance their agendas is to win the battle over terminology. For this reason we generally try to use the everyday language of the public, what we call idiomatic English, rather than the specialized language embraced by academics, activists, and marketers. That means typically waiting until specific terms have gained broad societal acceptance (generally using the widely recognized terms “Latino” or “Hispanic” over the little-used “Latinx”) and trying to avoid market-tested phrases that have been designed specifically to shift public opinion (generally avoiding terms like “pro life” or “pro choice” and instead describing such views as for or against abortion rights). This can be contentious—when a Palestinian carries out an attack in Israel, the Times generally calls this person a “militant” and often hears protests from one side that considers the attacker a “freedom fighter” and another that considers the attacker a “terrorist.”
— A.G. Sulzberger (publisher of The New York Times), in his piece Journalism's Essential Value