Again, it's how you say it

"Until now", the news presenter tells us, "The Red Arrows have never had a female pilot. But now all that has changed. . . "

And what, please, is 'all that' ? Has there, perhaps, been a long-standing quarrel between those who fought for the right of women to become pilots and those who stubbornly resisted, determined to keep RAF aerobatics as a male preserve ? A lot of fuss, back-biting, treachery and sabotage, pilots resigning, politicians getting involved in the dispute, that sort of thing ? All that ?

No. It's just that up till now there have been no female pilots in the Red Arrows, and now there is one. All that.

This is not exactly dumbing down, but it's souping up, which is another aspect of the popular communications scene. In case the News (with a capital initial) should become boring, let's have it exaggerated and dramatised, even in the choice of words and phrases: and let it also, of course, include plenty of shocks and scandals. We don't want mere information, thank you; we'd rather have titillation, drama and stimulus.

Also today (November 12th) we have watched a politician addressing the House of Commons: "We are reviewing the situation on a daily basis". It somehow seems a weightier statement than the no less meaningful "We review the situation daily".

A high syllable count is felt to be an indicator of earnestness, managerial competence and intellectual depth .

Again, it's how you say it