Chris Pash's Blog, page 12

Cliche of the Week 23 – Broad Daylight

Robberies, assaults, murders and other atrocities committed in the glare of broad daylight add a chill to already scary events.

That the crime occurred in daylight, and not under the cover of guilty darkness, tells the reader those responsible don't care if they are seen.

Used 500 times a week in mainstream journalism, "broad daylight" sits high on the crime reporter's must-have cliche sheet, along with "fled the scene", "getaway car" and "shallow grave".

"An elderly woman was robbed of her lifesavings in broad daylight" (East London and West Essex Guardian, October 26).

"American public opinion, already flagging badly regarding the war, will be further strained: US combat fatalities are running at the rate of two a day, while graft and treachery chugs along virtually in broad daylight" (New York Post, October 26).

"They have consistently claimed that they were innocent of the charges and accused the arresting policemen of torturing them into admitting that they shot dead Abadilla in broad daylight on Katipunan Avenue on June 13, 1996″ (Philippine Daily Inquirer, October 10).

"Residents of the neighbourhood where Laura Szendrei was murdered in broad daylight believe the killer may be living amongst them" (The Canadian Press, October 9).

Cliche of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays.

Cliche of the Week 22 – High Level

The Subjects applying to 'high-level'

With many thanks to Malcolm Colless who suggested this one saying: "Maybe it's my imagination but  do our politicians, and  particularly cabinet ministers, no longer attend regular or ordinary meetings? Are these are now  exclusively high level or top level meetings? This certainly seems to be the case with Australia's  globetrotting Foreign Affairs Minister and former PM,  Kevin Rudd. Is this political spin or journalistic exuberance?"

Cliche of the Week

When it comes to high-level talks on issues of multilateral importance, few summits of any kind are ordinary or low level.

Meetings reported in the mainstream media, around 800 of them each week, are mostly high level and sometimes top level.

Perhaps regular meetings are without news value?

About public toilets: "At a high-level meeting on Monday, chief minister Ashok Chavan issued directives to the public works department." (The Times of India, October 19)

"Some industry observers said a relaxation of the restrictions is likely to follow the October 18 conclusion of a top-level meeting in Beijing in which top Chinese officials discuss priorities for the country's next Five Year Plan, which will be unveiled in 2011." (The Wall Street Journal, October 19)

"(Australian Foreign Minister Kevin) Rudd yesterday briefed a high-level meeting at the United Nations." (The Sydney Morning Herald, September 20)

"According to a recent study, the high-level meeting (Bill Clinton's Global Initiative on poverty) was the most popular summit for chief executives last year." (Toronto Star, September 21)

Cliche of the Week appears in the Media section of The Australian newspaper Mondays.

Cliche of the Week 21 – Headwinds

Resistance is futile against the cruel headwinds suppressing the green shoots of economic recovery.

"Headwinds" is a current favourite of reporters describing the stop-start, sluggish crawl from the sick bed of the global financial crisis.

The word appears more than 500 times a week in newspapers, magazines and newswires.

"The new fiscal package is recognition of the economic headwinds Japan faces, but it also highlights the likely limitations of any stimulus." Economist Intelligence Unit, October 8

"Still, Alcoa's business faces headwinds. Increased costs for foreign exchange and energy, as well as other expenses, helped push the company's net income lower year over year." Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, October 8

"Still Nokia faces headwinds in its effort to turn its market share losses into gains." The Wall Street Journal, October 8

"The market looks range bound for some time to come due to severe structural macro headwinds." Financial Times , October 10

"But the real ascent in the share price has occurred since the beginning of July . . . Indeed, the stock is up 17 per cent since the start of September, when the headwinds of the Irish sovereign debt crisis were at their strongest." The Sunday Times, October 10

Cliche of the Week appears Mondays in the Media section of The Australian newspaper.

Cliche of the Week 20 – Stakeholders

People are no longer investors, community groups, families, the sick, the well, students, teachers, parents or landholders. They are also no longer workers, bosses or traditional landowners.

Instead, they are stakeholders.

Anyone who has an interest in anything is a stakeholder. This umbrella tag appears in the global media, including newsletters and magazines, 8000 times a week.

" . . . taxpayers and governments have become some of the biggest stakeholders in key segments of the economy such as banks and the automotive sector, widening the circle of stakeholders." (The Calgary Herald, October 6)

" 'We can never underestimate the different views of the stakeholders and individuals,' he said, adding that the government would be irresponsible if it did nothing on healthcare reform." (The Hong Kong Standard, October 7)

"The year before, the three stakeholders shared the burden equally." (India's Financial Express October 7, 2010)

"… The former BHP Billiton chairman said the global financial crisis had led directors around the world to search for ways to improve quality amid higher expectations from stakeholders." (The Australian, October 7).

Cliche of the Week 19 – Dug Deep

Athletes dig deep inside themselves to find the right stuff to get across the line.

Dug deep, a key phrase in the sports writers' playbook, is used about 300 templated times a week in the media.

Rugby: "We got under pressure and we dug deep, but because you're digging deep all the time, you're wearing yourself down." (Tasman coach Kieran Keane in The Nelson Mail, September 27)

Soccer: "A depleted Thornbury Town Falcons dug deep to earn a 3-3 aggregate draw at Brislington Juniors in the same division." (Bristol Evening Post, September 22)

American Football: "Warren dug deep to fend off the Giants last week in overtime." (Chicago Daily Herald, September 10)

Golf: "Gordon (Munro) had an opportunity to win the match but came up short and David (Anderson) dug deep to hole out to halve the hole in bogey fives." (Aberdeen Evening Express, Sept 6)

Tennis: "When (Andy) Murray served to love at 4-2, he had genuine hopes of getting back into the match but (Rafael) Nadal dug deep." (The Guardian, July 3)

Local News: "Urbandale High School students dug deep into their closets Monday for the first homecoming week dress-up day." (The Des Moines Register, September 23)

Cliche of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper on Mondays.

Cliche of the Week 18 – Emotionally Charged

Particles in the air become emotionally charged when the potential to say the wrong word may push a person over the edge.

A hint of injustice perceived or to come will also emotionally charge the atmosphere. This curious atmospheric phenomenon is reported in the world's mainstream media 400 times a month.

Usage of 'emotionally charged' by subject in the world's media over the last three months

 

"Families have already been advised to keep letters upbeat, as even the smallest piece of bad n...

Cliche of the Week 17 – Multitasking

Multitasking is a corporate curse that has infected the real world. But can anyone concentrate long enough to finish a single job well?

The term, originally from the computer world, has come to mean anything with more than one purpose and anyone who has more than one task.

Multitasking appears in the mainstream media 100 times a week. In the blog and web world it's more like 2500.

"The younger you are, it seems, the more your media consumption finds you multitasking." (The Guardian, August 20)

"I...

We are pleased to announce the world's top cliches

Geoff Elliott, Media Editor of The Australian newspaper, and Cliche of the Week columnist Chris Pash discuss the world's most used cliches in press releases

Watch the clip here at http://player.video.news.com.au/theaustralian/#1589788637

Cliche of the Week 16 – Unputdownable

One way to cut through the hype of book descriptions is to look at the use by reviewers of the non-word unputdownable.

While the marketing departments at publishers love to see unputdownable in a review, it doesn't feel right to the editors who worry over words as a calling. Unputdownable, while conveying instant meaning, isn't considered a word by purists.

So far reviewers have been using this sparingly, mostly about thrillers, about once every second day by mainstream media somewhere in the w...

Cliche of the Week 15 – Knife Edge

The government, the economy and almost any sports championship are all on a knife edge.

And the fabric of the world is so frail that water supplies in wetter climates wobble on the sharp side.

"Knife edge" appears in the mainstream media about 120 times a week. Add blogs and web news and it's more like 1400.

"Being free of living on a knife edge where any slip could cut you to pieces." (Former British PM Tony Blair in his memoirs, September 2)

"The water supply to the country's largest urban...