Foxnews.com renames the shutdown a "slimdown"

The premiere conservative news channel's website gets Orwellian in its coverage of the latest Washington crisis

Published October 1, 2013 9:10PM (EDT)

    (foxnews.com)
(foxnews.com)

While most are calling the current government shutdown just that, some have opted for the more specific "partial government shutdown." Foxnews.com, on the other hand, has decided to take a more original approach, replacing all mentions of a "government shutdown" on its website with the comparatively anodyne phrase "government slimdown."

"A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?" blares one headline before continuing, "Not really — turns out it's more of a government SLIMDOWN." The accompanying article offers some further explanation of the rhetorical tic, with an opening paragraph that reads:

What the Obama administration is portraying as a "shutdown" of the federal government -- complete with signs posted at the entrances to government buildings, parks and monuments -- is turning out to be more of a "slimdown," as all but non-essential workers reported to their jobs Tuesday.

Yet whether it's called a government shutdown, a partial government shutdown, or a government slimdown, the consequences remain the same: a daily cost of $300 million and a negative shock to an economy already struggling under the weight of high unemployment and flatlining wages.


By Elias Isquith

Elias Isquith is a former Salon staff writer.

MORE FROM Elias Isquith


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