I’ve always told students to stay away from using adjectives in news writing. An example: never describe news as good or bad. Don’t tell listeners whether something is tragic or controversial. I have reasons for this even though it goes against the grain of what many of my broadcasting brethren and sisters do.
I’ve been put off by descriptive terms for stories in the past. Newscasters have said things like, “it’s a parent’s worst nightmare” and then proceeded to describe something bad, but not the worst by a long shot. “Tragic” is terribly overused for virtually any incident involving a death, be it a fire, a collision, a boating accident, you name it. And controversial is another one that’s overused any time there are two sides to an issue, which is just about any time.
Recently two newspaper headlines illustrated my disdain for adjectives in news reports. One was a matter of syntax. A councillor who was proposing a touchy issue was described as controversial, and not the issue itself. And then there was this one: “Pit Bull Viciously Attacks Toddler”. I ask you, was “viciously” necessary? Is there any way a dog might gently attack a toddler?
It’s my opinion that too many descriptors, especially routinely overused ones, simply clutter and dumb down the news. Listeners can decide for themselves whether something is good or bad and in most cases, it’s both, depending on the point of view. I don’t see it as my job to tell someone how to think about something. I just give them the info and trust they’ll be able to figure that out for themselves.
I would agree with your position on this. News should be reported objectively allowing for the listener/reader/viewer to interpret and decide how they feel about the issue without being guided down a pre-determined path. Wonder if any politicians maybe reading this?
Can I ask you a style question? When I started out we were told never to say “If so-and-so has his way, there’ll be…” – not sure which News Director gave me that advice. Have you ever heard that “has his/her/their way” no-no?
I’ve never heard anyone say “don’t do it” but I don’t. I can actually think of some instances where that would be accurate. For example, the Save Lorne Ave School Collective. If they have their way, the school will stay open! But it’s not the way I would write it. My other real pet peeve is the “mystery” open line. Example “It’s a move some say will change the way cities do business.” Ugh.