MMMM #435 -- Cliche-land, USA

   Writing for a daily newspaper or frequent broadcast newscasts is not easy. 
   One of the constant challenges it writing news stories without using cliches.


     On Saturday The Washington Post published a growing list of journalistic cliches, including these as an example:

1-Needless to say (then don’t say it)
2-Suffice it to say (if it suffices, then just say it)
3-This is not your father’s [anything]
4-[Anything] 2.0 (or 3.0, or 4.0…)
5-At a crossroads (unless referring to an actual intersection)
6-The powers that be

     All cliches started as some writer's new way to express something, and then over the years, decades, and even centuries, they became tired, overused phrases.
     Some of those I see and heard frequently:

     (doing anything) "for a good cause"
     The police need your help.
     Bad news (or good news) for anybody..as in Bad news for motorists! Gas prices are up (if  the price is up just a few cents, I doubt most people will notice much!)

The simplest way to avoid using cliches is to simply write what has happened without trying to be creative. It's a news story, not a novel.

CLICHE:
COMMUNITY MEMBERS LACED UP THEIR RUNNING SHOES FOR A GOOD CAUSE ON SATURDAY
BETTER:     
SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE TOOK PART IN A WALK DOWNTOWN TO RAISE MONEY FOR......

CLICHE:
THE ELMORE COUNTY SHERIFF NEEDS YOUR HELP IN FINDING A ROBBER!
BETTER:
ELMORE COUNTY AUTHORITIES ARE LOOKING FOR A ROBBER.

[ALSO: A Montgomery TalkRadio station has cancelled an experiment in liberalism, or at least progressive talk. Montgomery Advertiser columnist Josh Moon's brief stint on-air ended after a dozen shows. Too many complaints, they said, numbering them about 70.]

[The Monday Morning Media Memo is a regular feature of TimLennox.com]