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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Samuel Lovett

Language used by ministers during Covid briefings was ‘slippery and ambiguous,’ study says

POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Language used by the government during its Covid-19 briefings throughout the pandemic was “vague, slippery and ambiguous” so as to reduce accountability, a new study has found.

Researchers from Nottingham Trent University found that ministers adopted “lexicogrammatical strategies” to share responsibility for policy decisions with the public.

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