I have been through a few transformations in my life. In the biblical sense and in the way the word is commonly used, a transformation means that a person or a situation has improved in a significant way. When we want to convey that something has changed in a negative way, words like degrade or deteriorate are commonly used. The Greenfield Recorder on June 28 included the following title from the AP, “Supreme Court rejects GOP argument in North Carolina case that could have transformed U.S. elections.”

The article was not about how the court turned down a desirable change in the election process in a case that had the potential to delight everyone and change our lives for the better, it was about the court denying a state’s request to exert total control over how much our voices matter at the voting booth. I can’t stress enough how important it is that headlines accurately reflect a situation. And because the word choice in a headline influences our understanding of the news, we readers need to read beyond the headline to make sure we grasp the article’s meaning. In the case of this Supreme Court ruling, a headline indicating that the case had the potential and the intent to demolish our democracy would have conveyed the truth of the matter.

Susan Anderson

South Deerfield

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