A radio station owner recently banned a list 119 of words.
They are mostly jargon, something we all try to avoid in our writing. It can be hard to keep that stuff out. I imagine it's an even harder habit to break for radio hosts.
The news director explained in his memo:
“The real goal here is to avoid using words that make you sound like you’re reading, instead of talking — that shatter the image you’re speaking knowledgeably to one person. By not using ‘newsspeak,’ you enhance your reputation as a communicator.”
In good fun, the folks at NPR put together a sentence using all 119.
I'm not sure that banning words is a good thing, but I see the point attempting to stop using words stuff like "close proximity" and "senseless murder." What's your most-hated phrase or word that you hear in the news?
"As you can see ..."
ReplyDeleteIt's either obvious (if you can see) or wrong (if you're blind).
1. Very unique
ReplyDelete2. Completely destroyed
I thought it was interesting that the station manager thought all that jargon made it sounds like they were reading, rather than talking. Reading what?