Liam O’Dell: “Nebulous”? It’s time journalists stopped overestimating lipreading’s accuracy

“What did you call me? You called me nebulous,” said Prime Minister Theresa May in a tense conversation with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker – at least, that’s what two lipreading experts think she said.

With the words uttered by the PM yet to be properly confirmed, the media’s desperate attempts to make sense of the bitter exchange have failed to provide anything substantial.

Lipreading is a guessing game, for it’s said that only around 30 to 40 per cent of spoken English  is able to be understood through lipreading.

Journalism as a practice is wedded to accuracy and facts, so why do reporters and news outlets continue to use an often inaccurate process to find out the context of secretive conversations?

It not only harms a skill relied on by many deaf people, but affects the integrity of a profession already facing scrutiny and criticism in our ‘post-truth’ climate, reducing reputable newspapers and TV stations to trashy gossip and tabloid journalism.

Fellow deaf journalist Josh Salisbury sums lipreading up well as “mouth astrology” which, in the context of whether or not May and Juncker were talking about the use of the word ‘nebulous’, is a fitting description. It’s about time that broadcasters recognise the difficulty that comes with lipreading.

Failing to do so runs the risk of over-estimating lipreading’s accuracy, and only channels the misconception that it is used to eavesdrop on other conversations. It dismisses a necessary skill as an elaborate party trick, something which we are currently seeing enter the discourse around deaf awareness and communication.

British Sign Language (BSL) has already been targeted by media sensationalism. While there is no denying that BSL is a beautiful and expressive language, mainstream popstars with no experience of deafness are quick to use it in their latest music video. Elsewhere, some hearing people are curious to know how to sign swear words as opposed to maintaining a meaningful conversation.

We cannot afford to let lipreading fall down this same path. If we are to protect the integrity of our communication methods, then we must call on outlets to realise the truth about lipreading and abandon this unnecessary practice.

Photo: Ollie Cole.

Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and blogger from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and makes the occasional video about deaf awareness on his YouTube channel. He can also be found talking about disability, politics, theatre, books and music on his Twitter, or on his blog, The Life of a Thinker.