Headline Normalization as Evidence Gap

Reporters routinely label political developments 'normal', 'unprecedented', or 'shocking' without laying out the empirical baseline readers would need to judge that claim. Readers and editors should treat such adjectives as testable hypotheses: ask what historical or quantitative evidence would prove the label and demand it before accepting the frame. — If adopted, this habit would push journalism toward accountable, evidence‑based framing and reduce reflexive narrative-setting that fuels polarization and mistrust in elections and other civic processes.