It begs the question:

The writer of "City awash in cheap UFC tix" in today's 24H Vancouver apparently doesn't know what begs the question actually means.

Which begs the question:

Which begs the question: Is this kid for real? And according to Tom McMillan, the [Pittsburgh] Penguins vice-president of communications and at one time a decent sports writer himself, what you see with [Sidney] Crosby is what you get. He's not an actor, not a phony, not a pitchman. He is what he is, born to do this, franchise saviour, face of hockey.
-- "Crosby's a media darling" in 24 Hours Vancouver, Tuesday May 27 2008

I've posted several errors that involve this misuse of begs the question. It does not mean what the writer above thinks it means.

It begs the question

While the Harold & Kumar flicks are indebted to the zany Bob Hope/Bing Crosby road movies of yore, the time-honoured Odd Couple dynamic is also an essential part of their appeal. It begs the question of whether the onscreen characterizations of uptight Harold and carefree Kumar are at all representative of Cho and Penn in reality. “It’s actually the opposite,” confesses Cho. “On set, I keep relaxed by making jokes. [Penn]’s the guy in the corner preparing because he’s such a good actor. I’m a hack, really. I’m just goofing off. As a result, I needle him even more on set.”
-- 'Harold & Kumar' takes on an uptight world in Westender, Thursday April 24th 2008

The writer needs to check out this website: http://begthequestion.info

The Vancouver Courier's kudos & kvetches: "begs the question"

I was hesitant to do so, but the error I posted about in my last post compelled me to email The Vancouver Courier with some kudos & kvetches. In their subsequent issue, the writers of kudos & kvetches address the begs the question issue using my email as a springboard. To read today's kudos & kvetches, click here.

which begs the question...

All of which begs the question, just who has been demanding McDonald's bring back the McRib and dethaw it from the greasy vaults of yesteryear?
-- "Ribbed for pleasure (kudos & kvetches)" in The Vancouver Courier, Friday March 28th 2008

See http://begthequestion.info.

Which begs the question:

Which begs the question: just how loudly does a protest movement have to scream to get the attention of government?
-- "Government ignores wage protest" The Georgia Straight, Thursday February 28th 2008

See http://begthequestion.info and this similar post.

Which begs the question...

Which begs the question, what is the sound of the internet without a computer?
-- Telus radio ad, February 2008

This misuse of "begs the question", to my chagrin, is spreading and can be heard quite often on newscasts and sportscasts. I've also read the misuse in many online forums. It's everywhere. D'oh.

From http://begthequestion.info:
"Begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which an argument is assumed to be true without evidence other than the argument itself. When one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true in the first place. A simple example would be "I think he is unattractive because he is ugly." The adjective "ugly" does not explain why the subject is "unattractive" -- they virtually amount to the same subjective meaning, and the proof is merely a restatement of the premise. The sentence has begged the question.

To beg the question does not mean "to raise the question." (e.g. "It begs the question, why is he so dumb?") This is a common error of usage made by those who mistake the word "question" in the phrase to refer to a literal question. Sadly, the error has grown more and more common with time, such that even journalists, advertisers, and major mass media entities have fallen prey to "BTQ Abuse."