If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s opening a can of worms.
Last month, I listed some of my least favorite TV news clichés, and offered readers a chance to send in even more. Mission accomplished. Let’s open the inbox.
A Facebook friend told me and my fellow TV talking heads to stop “sounding the alarm.” You know, about potential scams or road detours. “Just warn people,” he said. “I don’t want to hear sirens going off.” Noted.
A reader named Randall in Cleveland, TN caught me saying that our news team had “reached out” to some evasive politician. “Did you try calling him? Or contacting him via text or email? Just say that,” Randall said.
I totally agree with Sammi in Albany, GA who wrote, “Tell the news writers to stop saying that two people got arrested after a fight that began with a ‘verbal altercation.’ I’ve never used those words in my life. Isn’t that the same thing as an argument?” Why yes, I believe it is.
Ron from Boaz, AL asked why we call it the ‘avian bird flu.’ He said, “Isn’t that like saying “canine dogs?” Good point, Ron. I’ll spread the word to stop including “bird” in that particular disease.
A Facebook friend wonders why we newsreaders talk about neighbors who are “up in arms” over a proposed new housing development. “Are they carrying weapons?” he asked. Thankfully, no. Not yet anyway.
Gina in Sewanee, TN says she is tired of the weather forecasters calling for the ‘white stuff.’ She asks, “I mean, it’s just snow.” I will put up a sign in our weather office, reading “Just say snow.” Hopefully they will comply.
Loyal reader Jenny in Woodstock, GA wonders why we report that someone ‘is actively involved in running the company.’ As she astutely points out, “Can someone passively run a business?” I’d say, not successfully.
From Cobb County, GA, David writes that we should not tell you that the robbery happened “at 3 a.m. in the morning.” After all, it would be hard to pull off a heist at 3 a.m. in the afternoon. He also expressed dismay with reporters who tell us the scene “looks like a bomb went off.” He wonders, as do I, how many of them have actually been at a bomb site. Or maybe they have seen one in the movies.
My friend Thomas in Marietta, GA rolls his eyes when he hears a reporter reading an obituary, remarking, “She will be terribly missed.” In the strictest definition of the word, that can be interpreted as “missed very much.” But there’s probably a better way to put it. Like, for instance, she will be missed very much.
A Facebook friend gets tired of anchors saying, “Our cameras were rolling when the governor arrived.” He said, “Now be honest. How many cameras did you have there?” (Uh, one.) “And back in the old days, cameras used film which actually rolled. What does your camera use now, and does it still roll?” (Welp, it’s a digital video card, and it just sort of fits inside the camera.)
He goes on to say, “When you say you have ‘a crew’ headed to the scene, how many people are in that crew? After all, isn’t a crew ‘a group of people’? Well, yes. And sometimes that ‘crew’ is just one person with a camera. Point well taken.
Logan in Calhoun, TN writes, “The news anchor often begins a story by telling us, ‘This was not a typical day at the zoo.’ Well, duh! If it was a typical day, it wouldn’t be on the news, now would it?” Man, you people are good.
Lisa in Stevenson, AL says she heard a reporter say this on the morning news: “Thanks to a fire, this is all that remains of this restaurant.” Why should we be thanking a fire?
Finally, from Scott in Shelbyville, TN: “Last year I kept hearing that Trump and Harris were on the campaign trail. Where is that trail, and are there any markings in case the candidates get lost?” I sure hope so, because then we can send the canine dogs.
