Use Your Words. Wisely.

I had an editor -- my mentor in the news business -- who would set fire to my desk any time the word "arguably" appeared in my copy. As in: "Jody Candlewax is arguably the smartest artist in New York". My editor would tell me Candlewax is or he isn't -- but to grow a set and make up my mind. And that I was being sloppy.

I hear his voice every time I peruse today's news product, and see the sloppy phrasing showing up.

For example: "The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard proceeding, that some are calling the trial of the century...." Really? Who? The ghost of Ruth Bader Ginsburg? The deans of Yale and Harvard law schools? Or some wingnut who has his own YouTube channel? It just takes one maroon to toss that phrase out and it grows exponentially. Like fungus.

Another shaggy dog is when someone's arrested and "could be facing 50 years in prison". Sentences are tricky. What's the charge? Does the person have a criminal record and/or previous prison time? Have they actually been charged in court? Because most offenses have a range of punishments -- from probation to hard time. Of course, that doesn't translate into clicks.

Or elements that "blew up the internet", that "everybody's talking about", etc.

We can't change how the news business does (or doesn't do) it's job. We can be careful how we consume it.

[Jim Osterman is a freelance writer. You can find him at [email protected] or https://wordsbyjimosterman.blogspot.com/]

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