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At the risk of having a label stuck on me, I’m going to maintain that words mean something. Let’s take an example that’s less trivial than media, since the example I chose doesn’t lose the original meaning when misused — it just irritates. But how about “begging the question”? This is a rhetorical device in which you deliberately assume the truth of an unproven statement and then proceed to argue from that erroneous assumption. It’s an effective strategy in arguments. But lately I see “begging the question” or “begs the question” used to mean, simply, “asks the question.” Fine, I understand what you’re trying to say, but you are butchering a valuable phrase — a tool frequently used in arguments and debates. Once we defer to the “ask the question” interpretation, the original meaning will be lost...as will that tool. Reading an argument in which one writer accuses another of begging the question will baffle a future generation of readers once the shift in meaning has become commonplace. Language will have generated confusion and befuddlement.
Why there is more at stake than mere cringeworthiness: let’s take the word “unique.” It used to mean “one of a kind.” Not any more. Its customary usage has become simply “unusual.” Now when I see it, I’m not sure which interpretation to apply. Again, confusion results because some things are truly unique — but there is no way to tell, any more, which ones those are. Precision has been lost. The language has become poorer.
I love the richness and precision of the English language. I love its playfulness. I hate to see it lose some of the attributes that make it so powerful. That is all.
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