• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / News / Loebsack hails ‘Plain Language’ gains in government, but more work to do

Loebsack hails ‘Plain Language’ gains in government, but more work to do

November 17, 2015 By O. Kay Henderson

Congressman Dave Loebsack.

Congressman Dave Loebsack.

Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack and a non-profit group called the “Center for Plain Language” are releasing a report card giving federal agencies “improving” grades for the way public documents are written. None of the 23 agencies evaluated got a “D” or an “F” this year, but none got an “A+” for writing either.

“I believe that clear communication from the government is critical,” Loebsack says. “Things are confusing enough for the average person as it is. The last thing we need is confusing language out of the government.”

The Center for Plain Language used a computer program to search federal government documents for grammatical errors and poor word choices. Humans read through stacks of federal documents. Annetta Cheek of the Center for Plain Language says the “government culture” has encouraged federal employees to write to impress the boss.

“If you write something that’s too short, somebody will say: ‘Oops, this isn’t long enough, you know,'” Cheek says. “‘It’s not impressive enough. Write more,’ so you go back and add more words.”

Cheek is a former government employee who became a better-writing crusader in the 1990s.

“You can’t have a democracy if the public does not understand what the government is doing,” she says.

This the fourth year this “Plain Language” a report card for federal agencies has been issued. Loebsack helped pass a 2010 federal law that directs federal agencies to use “clear” language “that the public can understand.”

Some “Plain Language” advocates trace their movement back to a man called Stuart Chase. He wrote a book called “The Power of Words” and used the word “gobbledygook” to criticize the rampant use of meaningless gibberish in government, the law and academia.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: News, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Dave Loebsack

Featured Stories

Jury returns guilty verdict in shooting death of State Trooper

Summit has easements for 20% of carbon pipeline route through Iowa

Morel mushroom hunters on hold without warmer conditions

Trinity Health aquiring all MercyOne health properties

Field of Dreams site developer wants to bid on state baseball, softball tournaments

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa Special Olympics Summer games set to open in Ames

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 5/16/22

Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw to retire

Northern Iowa prepares for Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament

T.J. Otzelberger announces staff changes at Iowa State

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC