This is quite a simple one, but so often misused.

The word reform means to improve or remove fault, as any good dictionary will tell you. It is not a synonym for change. Yet it is far too often used as one.

The worst culprits appear to be politicians and journalists; the latter should certainly know better, as words are their currency. It's particularly prevalent in this era of slash-and-burn cuts to the state, and it's not uncommon to hear reporters speaking of "the government's NHS reforms" or "reforms to the welfare state".

This is worrying because it gives implicit approval to the government's actions, saying that they will improve the system. Whether or not they will remains a matter of opinion, but (non-partisan) journalists should adopt a neutral tone wherever possible. If they are changes, say so, but don't suggest that they are a good thing.

I wrote last week about words' meanings changing over time, and that this is often due to ignorance of proper meaning. Sometimes you just can't fight it; definitions genuinely do alter because the people decided it should mean something new ('decimate' is a good example of this). I fear I may have lost the battle over 'reform'; it's been changed, but certainly not reformed.