Speaking strictly from my own point of view as a semi-evolved simian, I do think that in the context I saw it used, a non-technical newsletter designed for lay consumption, some consideration ought to have been given to linguistic aesthetics.

Yes, I often get the feeling that when this stuff is re-hashed for the mass media, the reporters spout stuff back form news releases that they don't understand...they can't easily replace words because they're not sure what the heck they mean! That's too bad, because a good science reporter would be able to rephrase things so that everyone could understand. And there are good science reporters out there!