Skip to main content
Sojourners
faith in action for social justice
Sojourners
About
About SojournersEventsOur TeamWork With UsMediaWays to GiveInvite a SpeakerContact Us
SojoAction
OverviewTake ActionIssue AreasResourcesFaith-Rooted AdvocatesChurch Engagement
Magazine
Current IssueArchivesManage My SubscriptionWrite for Sojourners
Sections
LatestPoliticsColumnsLiving FaithArts & CultureGlobalPodcastsVideoPreaching The Word
Subscribe
MagazineRenewPreaching the WordCustomer ServiceNewsletters
Donate
Login / Register

Mike Daisey’s #Fauxpology and other Media-Survival Hashtags

By Elizabeth Palmberg
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
NPR building Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Mar 19, 2012
Share

I’ve been thinking about the media and the truth after listening to This American Life's show this week, which is devoted to thorough and heartfelt repentance for inadvertently broadcasting a story in which monologist Mike Daisey said things that weren’t true. In contrast to the makers of This American Life, Daisey was, shall we say, non-thorough in his apology. And, as we all know, Daisey is just the latest link in a long chain of non-apologizers.

Such a long chain, in fact, that I think it deserves its own Twitter hashtag:                   

#circumpentance: Giving a vague approximation of repentance while sidestepping the real issue, often by misusing the word “if” or other rhetorical footwork. For example, Daisey’s statement: "the audience of This American Life … if they feel misled or betrayed, I regret to them as well." (Related term, already in use: #fauxpology.)

Once I got started thinking about this, the media-survival hashtags just started bubbling up. For example:

#confrontationull: The vacuity of facts produced when arguing talking heads crowd out actual reporting on tv news channels. Examples: too numerous to mention. (And see this Columbia Journalism Review articleabout how talking heads are crowding out actual on-the-ground news coverage on cable).

#reportranscript  or #repuntage: The practice of news stories giving “balance” by reporting political opponents’ assertions about reality, without also checking in with reality. (The justifiably irate Dean Baker repeatedly mentions examples of this on his Beat the Press blog).

#beyaddafication: When a nontruth is repeated so often by media talking heads that it is accepted as fact. (i.e., the fiction that increased U.S. oil drilling would affect gas prices more than 2 percent).

#idntimwytim: A few people are already using this acronym for Inigo Montoya’s famous line in The Princess Bride: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Example: Rick Santorum’s statement that his climate change denial is “real science.”

But I bet that’s just the tip of the iceberg on media phenomena that need a name. What hashtags do you see a need for?

Elizabeth Palmberg is an associate editor of Sojourners. She tweets @zabpalmberg.

Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!

Tell Us What You Think!

We value your feedback on the articles we post. Please fill out the form below, and a member of our online publication team will receive your message. By submitting this form, you consent to your comment being featured in our Letters section. 

Please do not include any non-text characters, such as emojis or other non-standard content, into your submission.  It may cause errors in submitting the form.  Thanks!

Don't Miss a Story!

Sojourners is committed to faith and justice even in polarized times. Will you join us on the journey?
Confirm Your Email Address.
By entering your email we'll send you our newsletter each Thursday. You can unsubscribe anytime.
NPR building Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Search Sojourners

Subscribe

Magazine Newsletters Preaching The Word
Follow on Facebook Follow on Bluesky Follow on Instagram Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Sojourners
Donate Products Editorial Policies Privacy Policy

Media

Advertising Press

Opportunities

Careers Fellowship Program

Contact

Office
408 C St. NE
Washington DC, 20002
Phone 202-328-8842
Fax 202-328-8757
Email sojourners@sojo.net
Unless otherwise noted, all material © Sojourners 2025