Journalism's Euphemism Succubus Strikes Again

I would like to imagine that a heated, principles debate over the importance of precision and accuracy in journalism took place in the newsroom of my local, dying newspaper when they decided to run with this headline:

Racially charged video from Auburn emerges on social media

Because the video in question is not "racially charged" or "racially tinged" or "controversial" or any of the other soft-language euphemisms that America's most timorous profession seems to roll out every day in order to protect the delicate sensibilities of their fence-straddling Centrist subscribers and/or to avoid pissing off their racist Republican subscribers.

Because that's what this video is. 

Racist. 

Period.  This is an observable fact --

TW racist violence

"We hate Ni**ers cause they smell they don't work, so we should bring back slavery to whip them ni**ers. Bring back the KKK.”

Racism infects out entire nation. This is Auburn, IL.

Not the Deep South. Blue Illinois. We must do better.pic.twitter.com/gQeykvaVQj

— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) August 13, 2019

--  just like the current temperature in Springfield is a measurable fact, and yesterday's box scores are knowable facts.

Just like it is an observable fact that Donald Trump is racist.

Just like it is an observable fact that he Republican party is racist.

As I said, I would like to imagine that there was some principled back-and-forth over how this story was headlined, but given that GateHouse media has already stripped the place for parts and pared the staff down to barely a dozen warm bodies, I very much doubt it.

Behold, a Tip Jar!