# Media style question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896 "2015-03-24T21:18:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/1 "2015-03-24T21:18:48Z")
I’ve notice the media always writes this way: Output increased to 100 from 50. Where I would write Output increased from 50 to 100. Is there any reason for this style of writing? Are they Yoda fans? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/2 "2015-03-24T21:54:40Z")
I hadn’t noticed that but (speculating here) it might be so that the essential information is given first. They might think that the important number is what output is today, not what it was during the previous period, so the first fact given is the current number? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/3 "2015-03-24T22:00:55Z")
possible, that is ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/4 "2015-03-24T22:13:03Z")
That too I’ve noticed. Also used that construct is when something that moved _to_ one location _from_ another location one is describing. Perhaps right about putting first the “most important” fact **Dewey Finn** is. But harder to follow I find it, because in counter-chronological order the facts it gives. Or in chrono-illogical disorder. Re-read and re-parse sentences that do that I always must. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/5 "2015-03-24T22:18:19Z")
the dark side is strong with the media? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/6 "2015-03-24T22:25:01Z")
I write for websites and marketing materials, and sometimes you do need to reorder items of this type to make it clear what the current or most important point is. It’s amazing how quickly people’s attention trails off when reading, and which information they retain. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/7 "2015-03-24T22:31:20Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I hadn’t noticed that but (speculating here) it might be so that the essential information is given first. They might think that the important number is what output is today, not what it was during the previous period, so the first fact given is the current number? This would be my reasoning, as well. I don’t remember ever being explicitly taught to phrase it this way in my journalism classes, but it would make sense to me, because that’s the important point, and the traditional news journalism story structure is to front-load the news/new information. (Of course, for feature writing and other expanded forms, you can take liberties with this.) ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/8 "2015-03-24T22:50:40Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I write for websites and marketing materials, and sometimes you do need to reorder items of this type to make it clear what the current or most important point is. It’s amazing how quickly people’s attention trails off when reading, and which information they retain. Which is no wonder with such awkward prose. I think we can still assume a five-word attention span. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/9 "2015-03-25T00:04:34Z")
Our local sensationalism-based news station does this with time. “8:04 is now the time.” I never hear it the other way around on that station. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/10 "2015-03-25T00:08:51Z")
A lot of journalistic quirks date from the days of telegraphs and hand-set type when messages easily got garbled or dropped out entirely. For example, it was long the custom to say a defendant had been found innocent, rather that the legally correct “not guilty” because the word “not” could possibly disappear. Similarly “Output increased” at least delivers a point, if not as complete as “Output increased to 100” or “Output increased to 100 from 50.” ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-style-question/715896/11 "2015-03-25T00:10:59Z")
sort of like how the dateline no longer includes the date?