This article assesses language as a key component in the development of media linguistics. Given that the main purpose of “language criticism” is to identify and correct shortcomings, it is im-portant to critically assess both incorrect and correct options when dealing with language pro-ducts. The paper puts special emphasis on the language of the media which needs to be normative. The author explores the development of newspaper language in terms of lexical norm vio la tion in the 1920s and 1930s. This article discusses equivalents to non-normative use of words in the daily all-Ukrainian newspaper The Day, one of the most popular publications in the ranking of national media. On the basis of various monolingual dictionaries of Standard Ukrainian and bilingual Russian-Ukrainian dictionaries, the author analyzes the use of tokens/lexemes napruha ‘voltage’, vidbyvaty‘to reflect’, pizniše ‘later’ in newspaper publications. Thus, the word napruha ‘voltage’ should be used only as a technical, physical term; in other cases it is napružennia ‘tension’. When it comes to expression, reproduction, an embodiment in images, it is correct to use vidobražaty ‘to reflect, re-mind of’, viddzerkaluvaty ‘to mirror’ but not vidbyvaty ‘to reflect’. As for pizniše ‘later’, it indicates a period after the time mentioned. It differs in its lexical meaning from zhodom ‘afterwards’ (some time after something) and potim ‘later’ (happening after something, following in time or space, no clear indication of time). Keywords: non-normative use, lexeme, dictionaries, newspaper publications.