What's up with this "escalating violence" meme?

On CNN, NPR, and in the MSM in general, you hear it nearly every time there is violence in Iraq--in other words, every day--"the death toll increases as..."; "in escalating violence,..."; and so forth.

So I have a simple, modest question--how could a death toll ever decrease? Short of discovering that they'd previously counted wrong, that is?

Note to the MSM: death tolls can't decrease. They will always increase. And the word "escalating" ought to be reserved for a change in the rate of the killings. I've never seen this sort of analysis done by the MSM, although Belmont Club did something similar a while back for American forces and discovered that, at the time, the unrest wasn't "spreading" (which was the meme of the day).

Now, it's possible the death rate has gone up recently in terms of attacks on Iraqi civilians prior to elections--after all, that's been a stated goal of the terrorists (I refuse to call them "insurgents") who are out to terrorize Iraqis into staying away from the polls. The MSM, as usual, are playing right along by this "escalating" business, but why should I expect anything different, at this point?

And yes, of course, I deplore and detest the violence that is going on there, and one death at the hands of these murderers is far too many. But I'd like the media to put it in the proper perspective, historical and otherwise (well, I can dream, can't I?)