The big reason why it was OK for Paxman to say the f-word
Even if you didn’t hear Jeremy Paxman say “f*****g” on Newsnight recently, you’ve probably heard about it. If you don’t know what I’m talking about look here.
I think it was OK for him to say it. Why? For the same 2 reasons quite a lot of people have given, plus one more that I think is really important:
1. He was quoting someone else (so he didn’t really say it, someone else did).
2. It was after the watershed.
3. (And for me, this is the big one) his audience didn’t give a…
Paxman was apparently told to apologise by his editor. Judging by the subsequent backlash, it was the apology that got up the nose of Newsnight viewers, not the language.
Paxman knew his swearing wasn’t a problem. He knows his audience.
And that’s an important lesson for us all. Know your audience.
It’s an important thing to think about, whenever you’re writing.
What you say, how you say it, which words you use, what style you choose and so on, should always depend on who it is you’re writing for.
Know your audience and write for them. That way, you won’t ****-up!
I’ll let you fill in the blanks.
