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Blackboard Assignment Essay 1. I have recently engaged in a discussion with a couple of American soldiers who fought in Iraq. They talked about the deployment of their company in the divisions within the military zones in Iraq where they encountered several IEDs and AQI. Also, they said something about doing recon work with a bird and how they were lucky not to be a POW. All throughout the conversation, I remained clueless about the topic. I was not able to share any inputs. If only the speaker would explain the military jargons or better yet if they have opted to use terms that were of common knowledge, I would have comprehended the conversation. Instead of using bird, they could have used helicopter so as not to confuse the animal with an aircraft. On the other hand, I have also made this same mistake. During the time when I was applying for college, I unconsciously used some jargons to explain this activity to my younger sister. As a result, she kept on asking for the definition of the terms that I used which made the conversation awkward. After this incident, I realized that some terms are inappropriate to use especially when the listener is not well-informed about the subject. However, if it is inevitable to use jargons in conversations, make sure to explain the terms in the context that everyone can relate. By doing this, the probability of misunderstanding and misinterpretation will be greatly reduced. 2. I think that the use of ambiguous language is prevalent because people opt to generalize information for convenience leaving more room for different interpretations. However, it only becomes unethical when it is intended to mislead the audience. In the case of the coal mine explosion in West Virginia, CNN reported that there were 12 survivors but in reality only 1 got out alive. This false information was based on the statement of a rescuer that they have found the miners and said â€Å"that they are all ok, I guess, so† (English). Instead of journalists further investigating this event, they have reported it as they heard it which brought false hopes and even caused pain to the families of the miners. Works Cited English, Larry P. â€Å"Information Quality in Communication. † 11 January 2006. Beye Network. 18 November 2008 http://www. b-eye-network. co. uk/view-articles/2215.