Don’t mention the real words

This one should be Euphemism of the Day: You know how the lazy media likes to adopt the euphemisms by corporate or political BS artists. Popular right now is “green.” Anything the reporter or editors like, and have any connection to the environment or climate, is automatically labelled “green” even though the thing may not save energy or clean up the air or water. If the corporation or politicians say it’s green, don’t ask questions.

What brings this up is a Boston Globe story Dec 16, 2019, about developers of an $80 million dollar building project giving the city $1 million in “linkage.” The story does say the $1 million wasn’t voluntary: Developers had to hand over the dough to get an OK for the project from the BRA, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (which now uses a euphemistic name, BPDA, Boston Planning and Development Agency). The “linkage will help make up $10 million the BPDA is raising for a low and medium income housing project. The rest of the “linkage” is coming from Boston businesses and developers.

Back in the good old days, when Boston had some feisty reporters and editors, “linkage” would have been called what it is: a shakedown. Or payoff, payola, squeeze, shake, smear. But no, today it’s “linkage.”

File under: Political BS in the guise of reporting.