Journalists are trained to think and to write. Well, that's the theory anyway. So when they commit logical fallacies, misspell words or use terms incorrectly, they damage their credibility and the credibility of the entire profession. After all, they are trained to write. They claim that their analytical and writing skills are better than those of bloggers. However, if they can't get the basics right, why should I believe their analysis on topics on which they aren't trained?
That means that if a columnist has strong opinions but misspells "judgment" by adding an extra "e" and calling it "judgement", I'm not likely to consider him credible on more complex issues like school choice or immigration.
Check out this sentence from today's Republic.
But the Sun Devils haven’t returned since 1983, begging the question what do these guys have to do to get back?
First, let me concede that the quality of sports writing is much higher than the quality of political writing. I'm serious. When was the last time that you saw a team win a major tournament and instead of covering the game, the reporter decided to write a three-part series about an assistant coach who has 20 parking tickets? That happens in political coverage all the time.
So it would be great if the rest of the Republic reporters could try to cover their issues as well as the sports reporters.
That's being said, even the sports reporters make mistakes. So what's wrong with then sentence?
But the Sun Devils haven’t returned since 1983, begging the question what do these guys have to do to get back?
"Begging the Question" is the formal name of a logical fallacy. The term does not mean "makes me want to ask this question." Begging the question is when you assume your conclusion as part of your argument. "God exists because the Bible says so and the Bible is the word of God." It works the other way too. "The miracles in the Bible didn't occur because miracles aren't real."
When a reporter sees a fact that makes him really want to ask a question, he needs to say "which invites the question." Sure, this seems picky, but they are professionals and if they want me to agree with their analysis they need to show that they understand the basics of logic and reasoning.