Media people saying "booms" instead of "explosions."

[betsuni]

It's been going on for awhile. This irritates me! Am I the only one?

[hlthe2b]

1. Desensitizing to horror and the child-like vocabulary that entices some viewers, I guess.

[Judi Lynn]

2. It trivializes deadly war actions, meant to murder. You are not alone, betsuni.

[betsuni]

5. Thank you!

[2naSalit]

3. But are all booms explosions?

I can imagine, since I live in a rail town, that there are other things that make such sounds that are not explosions. I'm not saying that seeing the flash from a bomb blast in the background while a reporter is standing in the foreground talking about bombings and calling them booms, that is just weird unless they simply lack vocabulary for whatever reasons.

[betsuni]

4. "Boom" is a child's description of a loud noise.

[Ford_Prefect]

6. EXACTLY!!!!!

They seem afraid of the really grown up words for many things these days. I wonder why?

[2naSalit]

7. Agreed.

I can imagine that some of these reporters have not been in a war zone or near one before and are a little rattled which might explain reverting to use of that word. In times of duress, adults will revert to less sophisticated terminology.

Not absolving them just trying to reason out why reporters would say that rather than something more accurately descriptive.



I need to drink more coffee!

[Effete Snob]

8. So?

If a supersonic jet goes by, it is a loud noise which is not an explosion.

If a building collapses, it is a loud noise and not an explosion.

Not of those things, and many others, will go “boom”.

“Explosion” does not describe a sound. An “explosion” is one of possible causes of a loud sound.

However, to say that every loud sound is an “explosion” without knowing what caused the sound, is to draw an inappropriate inference, instead of reporting a fact.

[SoonerPride]

9. "Boom" describes a sound. "Explosion" isn't a sound.

Not all sounds are explosions.

[betsuni]

10. When describing an explosion "boom" isn't correct.

These news programs are describing explosions. War.

[SoonerPride]

12. If it is unseen then they don't know what caused the sound.

Describing the sound is correct reportage.

Sonic booms are "booms"

Train crashes are "booms"

Plane crashes go "boom."

Bombs go "boom."

If they don't have video evidence or see the cause of the sound then reporting a "boom" was an explosion is erroneous reporting.

Report what actually was observed, which in many cases is just the sound itself.

Which is a boom.

[Tommy Carcetti]

11. Reminds me of this old Conan O'Brien bit from 2003 featuring "Geraldo Rivera"

At the 8:20 mark: