As part of the Glacier Media Group MOOSEJAWTODAY.com, and its print brother Moose Jaw Express, offers information for intelligent decisions. As you scan the Moose Jaw Express you will find articles written by local reporters about community, local people, issues and events. MOOSEJAWTODAY.com provides synopses of local articles, plus some national news and international news. If you desire elucidation on the non-local items, you will have to explore other venues (something I do often). Sadly, it is not easy to discover factual articles that elucidate the news. Many media outlets have become propaganda machines rather than objective reporting. The difference between pieces on different media sources such as CNN and Fox News makes that apparent.
Elucidate means to give a clarifying explanation. There are some online and print venues that provide elucidation on the news of the day, but it seems they are harder and harder to discover. If, as Glacier Media promotes, to offer information for intelligent decisions, then we need good news sources that elucidate the brief news articles.
Elucidate comes from the Latin lucidus, meaning clear to the understanding. We get the word “lucid” from this root. Lucidus derives from the Latin lucere, which means to shine. Thus, when English developed the word elucidate, it’s root meaning is to shine a light on something to make it more visible or understandable. When I read about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I would like to find news articles that elucidate the news information for my own understanding and clarity for making intelligent decisions and discussions. Elucidation of the news of the day is important for understanding our world and our place in it.
Synonyms of elucidate include explain, expound, explicate, and elaborate, but each with their own nuance. Explain indicates making plain what is not immediately obvious or entirely known. Sometimes I must have someone explain a particular golf regulation to me to properly follow the rules. Expound implies a careful explanation, as when an expert will expound or expand a scientific theory, which can still be unclear to the layman. The presentation of detailed analysis is explication. Elaborate expands the details. An example would be when someone says, “What do you mean you didn’t come home last night. Would you care to elaborate?” Whereas elucidate stresses clarity by offering details or motives that are unclear or only implicit in the original piece.
The government’s new health care offer is explained, expounded, explicated, and elaborated in many news items but it would be beneficial to have good quality elucidation on the subject. It is not always easy to elucidate rather than give commentary or opinion about things. But when it comes to election time elucidation is crucial for decision making, especially since other political parties and leaders have pledged to honour the promised funding.
Whenever I go to work on my computer and fiddle with the cords at the back of the desktop, I need more light to have my eyes see correctly so that I can plug in the cords properly. We need good quality reports elucidating the news of the day so we can live our lives to the fullest.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected] . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
