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| S. Hayakawa, famous language expert |
These are important questions answered by research. The problem of how words are used to affect thinking is a frequent public criticism and journalist debate and valuable to discourse, experts say. This is more and more true because the public often asserts how the media is not trusted.
How the media impacts behavior is being examined by ongoing research on these issues, particularly the effects of media's emotionally-laden words and how these can actually negatively impact human behavior Rutgers' research established, for example, that we are what we watch, that the more aggressive material we see and hear, the more aggressive we become.
The recent riots following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Ohio offered an opportunity for the public to see both in words and pictures the level of anger expressed by the African American community after the shooting of what was reported to be an unarmed man. Yet even as there were journalist "boots on the ground" in the town of Ferguson, many people maintained the media got it wrong in their reporting of the events surrounding the incident that touched off days of rioting that continue in some ways to the present time. The problem, however, is how many of the media rely on reports of authorities, who themselves may not be transparent in their accounting of events, according to the ACLU
Issues concerning public dialogue, political opinions, decisions and the press are now being debated in every corner of the globe as journalism shifts and changes. Years ago S. I. Hayakawa wrote a book called "Language in Thought and Action." The book discussed how words frame our behavior.
This is what one writer by the name of Charles Notes observes in reflecting on the issues of journalism and how it affects human behavior for good or ill in reference to Hayakawa's work. He declares we need to get beyond what he terms "two valued logic" and reach a balance in how we accept or reject material. The book has been considered by linguistics and language instructors to be classic.
Notes says, in his discussion, "I believe that every High School senior should read and understand the contents before graduating. Too many writers on current affairs discuss the polarization in our society, yet do not mention the ideas in this book as an important contributor to problems of polarization in our society. He says we need to get beyond the concrete definitions of what news is and means to higher levels of abstraction that will allow us to respond on multiple levels of abstraction. "
Hayakawa addressed the ethical issues involved in language. He observed how writers must be aware of how their words affect their readers and how they might influence racial bias, cultural stereotyping and political divisions, he wrote. The following site outlines a course on his material. Hayakawa was considered by political theoreticians to be conservative; yet his classic book is said to represent the neutral ground for understanding the impact of words on behaviors. Less is known about its impact on journalism in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Canada and other areas of the world such as South Africa or Japan, where journalism issues are discussed; but the classic remains a key resource in discussions about language.
Hayakawa's is still considered a good read by those who work with and want to understand the use of language and how language interacts with behaviors. Years ago, in the 1960's, in the United States, it was commonly assigned reading for journalism and special writing classes. Yet it remains among those favored by individuals seeking to understand how critically language impacts what happens in the culture and how journalists phrase things impacts what the public believes and how it responds to events.
One reader said this about it how the media effects human behavior in reference to the work of Hayakawa. "A classic in the field of modern linguistics. Hayakawa was, among many things, President of San Francisco State University, United States Senator from California, and President of the Institute of General Semantics. I first read it in a journalism class in college. I was already familiar with most of the main ideas in GS but reading Hayakawa's book in my early 20s really influenced my thinking. The idea that language shapes the way we think and react is not exclusive to GS, but it is an exceptionally valuable idea. Please read this book and any other ones you can find like it."
Hayakawa's work is often cited by experts, as Hayakawa was interested not just in the conveyance of language but the relationship between words and how people behave and used this knowledge himself as politician, writer, researcher and educator.
Those who want to understand whether the public creates the news or how writers may affect what people do and think and what the responsibilities are can find within the pages of Language in Thought and Action some of what is being discussed with respect to journalist - public discourse, as it remains what many declare fundamental material for understanding language and its impact on behavior.
Can journalists create a different atmosphere for moderate political and social discourse? Media experts maintain it's possible and should be accorded value by journalists, who are both consumers and conveyors of news. Rutgers research underlines how words create behaviors and the media's responsibility in presenting material has everything to do with how people will behave in a given situation. Media, the research reminds us, is a critical factor in the creation of aggression. It means that to be trusted, the media must present accurate information in a fashion that does not facilitate anger but instead uses rhetoric that promotes thoughtful reading and response.
