4 ms·
Not sure, but I think it's a journalistic convention. Since the person was not generally well known, the quotes indicate that it's something others who do know
by Scriptor 16y ago
Not sure, but I think it's a journalistic convention. Since the person was not generally well known, the quotes indicate that it's something others who do know him say. They're not being sarcastic.
- chc 16y agoYep. Newspapers have developed a kind of shorthand to deal with the tight space constraints on headlines. Putting a description of a person in quotes is short for "who has been called…".
- Tycho 16y agoBut also, using quotation marks purely for emphasis/sarcasm is an informal practice, it doesn't belong in something like a news article (or an essay, legal document, etc. ).
- sliverstorm 16y agoYes, but whether someone is brilliant or not is usually an opinion, and as such should not be stated as fact in news to the general public with almost no exceptions. People like Einstein are the only ones who get the exceptions, and I don't mean any disrespect but this guy was simply not Einstein.