"Censorship", you said?

[a_garvey]

Do you remember recent scandal about Trump administration banning words like "science-based", "transgender", and "fetus"? Now it looks to be another fake news.

The Times confirmed some details of the report with several officials, although a few suggested that the proposal was not so much a ban on words but recommendations to avoid some language

Comments

[sereshka]

Actually, the original report said just that: CDC staff were told at a meeting not to use those words in budget documents. As I understand, this story is still true. The "ban" was extrapolated by the press. Not using words in budget documents, however, leads to things not being funded.

Or worse, some things become impossible to discuss. In my own field, I was told (orally, there is no paper trail) by a funding manager not to use the words 'climate change'. Now, I don't study climate and I am not interested in any way of promoting any messages about climate -- I want to study the stressors on fish in a lake that have caused a decline in catches. One of those stressors happens to be increased temperature, and the best way to predict future temperatures is to consult climate models. How the hell am I supposed to explain the investigative plan without using the word 'climate'? Now imagine what won't get funded if the word 'fetus' is "recommended" to be excluded from budget documents.