Journalese is a language we use in place of real words when we are too rushed or too tired to care. These stock, off-the-shelf words and phrases bring a sameness to even the most dramatic of stories and stultify the minds of readers and listeners. Spend an extra second or two thinking of the right word, the honest phrase, instead of dipping into the cliché-pot. A whole dictionary of journalese could be compiled, featuring words and expressions beloved of reporters but seldom heard in actual conversation. A few examples (feel free to add your own below):
Tragic incident (any incident, really - just say what happened)
Amid (especially, amid speculation)
Dawn-to-dusk (as in curfew)
Was in collision with
Bottom line
Going forward
Currently (now). (Favoured in police ‘plod-speak’: “There was an incident and at least one person is currently dead.”
Issue/issues (as in ‘He has an issue about that’)
Voiced concern
Spawned (other than tadpoles)
In the wake of (after)
Oil-rich
Gale-lashed/storm-tossed
Price hike (rise/increase)
The list can go on and on. Much better to tell the story in real language, as though you were telling it to a friend.
(Credit for some of the above is due to John Rains, writing coach at The Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina, USA)
0 responses to "Tired words for tired minds... "
Please note that comments should not be regarded as the views of Reuters.
Leave a Reply
When you submit a comment to us we request your name, e-mail address and optionally a link to a website. Please note where you submit a website address, we may link to it via your name. By sending us a comment, you accept that we have the right to show the comment and your name to users. Although we require your email address, this will not be published on the site, and is only required to enable us to check facts with you, e.g. if you are making a claim we can not confirm easily. Additionally, if you would like your comment removed at anytime, you'll have to use this e-mail address when you contact us. To remove a comment at any time please e-mail us at blogs-(at)-reuters-(dot)-com (address obscured to avoid spam) specifying who you are and what you would like removed. We moderate all comments and will publish everything that advances the post directly or with relevant tangential information. We reserve the right to edit comments in order to maintain the quality of the comments, and may not include links to irrelevant material. We try not to publish comments that we think are offensive or appear to pass you off as another person, and we will be conservative if comments may be considered libelous. Reuters will use your data in accordance with Reuters privacy policy. Reuters Group is primarily responsible for managing your data. As Reuters is a global company your data will be transferred and available internationally, including in countries which do not have privacy laws but Reuters seeks to comply with its privacy policy.
