weirdHeadline from the Lexington Herald-Leader this morning:
China announces surge in SARS cases
Um, wouldn't it be more accurate to sayChina reports surge in SARS cases?
The details in the article mention that the announcement also included the removal of the minister of health and Beijing's mayor. Now, I'd see that information as announcements, but really, doesn't one report things like disease cases?
I feel like using the word announcement implies some sort of volition or causality by the announcer. Universities announce newly appointed coaches, or contract signings, that sort of thing. WHO reports on the latest death toll from whatever communicable disease they're monitoring.
Sometimes I'm just picky; that headline jumped out at me.
A "report" on the other hand, is something more "dry" than an announcement, more facts-n-figures, less frou-frou.
Either word is probably technically correct; maybe the paper was just wanting a longer word to better fit their layout or something. ;)