Arizona Daily Star creative headline writer: doublethink from ‘1984’

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Blog for Arizona frequently criticizes the creative headline writer(s) at the Arizona Daily Star for misprepesenting and distorting the substance of the story that follows below. (This is important because many readers only scan the headlines and maybe read the first paragraph).

Doublethink is a term made famous in George Orwell's novel "1984." According to the novel, "doublethink" is:

"The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them….To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth."

Today's creative headline in the Star is a classic example of Orwell's "doublethink": AZ Senate eases way for ballot eligibility (report by Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services). The report is about the "birther bill," HB 2177. Reading the headline alone, one would take away the view that the Arizona Legislature just made qualifying for the ballot in Arizona easier than under existing law. It does not.

This is the "up is down, black is white, war is peace" doublethink from "1984." The "birther bill" does not make qualifying for the ballot easier. It provides a laundry list of documents of which one document must be produced as proof of citizenship and/or residency.

There was an amendment to the original bill to delete the requirement for a "long form birth certificate" which has no legal meaning as every state has its own requirements for issuance of a birth certificate. There are variations between states, and over a period of years. The "long form birth certificate" is the stuff of wild-eyed conspiracy theories at World Net Daily which claims Barack Obama is a secret Muslim Marxist born in Kenya. (Obama admits that "I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-el, to save the planet Earth." It's a joke, wingnuts. Barack Obama jokes he is Superman).

The Star's "doublethink" headline has been picked up by numerous news feeds around the country (just do a Google search).

Oddly enough, the Star also has an alternative headline for this story found in a Google search. Senate OKs proof of citizenship requirements to be on ballot. Now this is the accurate headline.

Here is the headline for the same story in the East Valley Tribune. Arizona lawmakers OK 'birther' bill requiring documents to get on ballot.

And the Yuma Sun. Ariz. Senate approves candidate citizenship legislation.

I don't know if this creative writing is due to an overworked employee under the pressure of a deadline, or laziness, or incompetence, or deliberate misrepresentation and distortion. But this headline writer(s) has got to go. Enough is enough.