I’m printing this off for all the announcers at my station. Our news guy will get a kick out of it. To be fair, there are a few legit phrases in here that I agree with that are considered “old school” in broadcasting that need to be cast aside, but otherwise I think this guy has flipped his lid. If they’re not allowed to use the word “allegedly” in a news story, just watch the lawsuits roll in!!!

Behind the podium (You mean lecturn).

Priceless.

More on this from Eric Zorn in today’s Tribune

Okay, it also bugs me when people say “Five a.m. in the morning,” but almost everything else is ridiculous. I pity the poor news readers. What a crock!

“C@#^s*&$er” and “M#$%erf%^&er” aren’t on the list, so can the anchors say those words?

The only “problem” with this is the method.

Lists / edicts / declarations / demands like this are VERY common in newsrooms. But in my experience, much of this belongs in a station style guide. And asking people to “rat” on their coworkers is a very method of developing accountability. Have managers keep their eyes (and ears) out for reporters/writers that aren’t following protocols and bring it up during performance evaluations.

As for the list itself -- it is a really good list. Sure you can quibble with some choices (officials, as long as they are contextualized, and alleged are must keeps IMO)… but the purpose of the list is based on sound broadcasting logic.

And, he’s right about many of those words. If I hear “Untimely Death” again…….as I’m still on the look-out for a “timely death.” However, I think WGN legal should vet the list. “Allegedly” is still a proper term when writing about an accused criminal.

It’s a little thing in our justice system about “innocent until proven guilty.”

But, the majority of those cliches’ should be eliminated. It’s a good idea for a station like WGN to write conversationally. However, Michaels should have given the list to Charlie Meyerson first. But, knowing Charlie, he’s too much of a pro to make such a sweeping proclaimation without talking to his staff first.

BTW, saying F-off doesn’t do much for one’s job security, especially in this climate of media downsizing.

And nobody is going to ‘rat’ on anybody else. It just doesn’t happen.

Unless, you’re Les Nessman.

Just sayin’.

It would be very entertaining to see them try to wrangle their way around this one.

All of you

good thing eddie olczyk isnt on wgn radio