Here (above) is a classic example of a bad headline that can be interpreted two ways. This is a result of a poor use of pronouns resulting in confusion. Let’s look at two interpretations of the headline by adding the pronoun references in bracket for you.
Interpretation one: Joe Biden attacks Donald Trump for [Biden’s] ‘shameful’ claim he [Trump] is ‘against God.’
Interpretation two: Joe Biden attacks Donald Trump for [Trump’s] ‘shameful’ claim he [Biden] is ‘against God.’
Number two is correct as it is explained in the article.
The headline should have read this way. (To make it fit the allotted space you remove the unnecessary first names.)
Biden attacks Trump for his ‘shameful’ claim that Biden is ‘against God.’
How hard is that? I won't even get into the editorializing and slanted nature of using "shameful" in the headline. Shameful to who? Who arbitrates this judgement? These newspapers have lost their way. |