The Fact
Yes. Experimental research shows that semantically related labels can change judgments of the same underlying action. In a 2021 series of studies involving 1,906 U.S. participants, euphemistic wording made actions seem more favorable even when the underlying action being described was held constant.
What This Means
Literal factual accuracy and accurate interpretation are not identical problems. Framing can alter meaning without requiring the underlying event to be invented.
Sources
- Walker, A. C., Turpin, M. H., Meyers, E. A., Stolz, J. A., & Koehler, D. J. (2021). Cognition 211:104633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104633
- Native Americans – Context for Spiritual and Therapeutic Settings, “Narrative Architecture and Institutional Framing.”