I’ve noticed some writing habits among reporters in Fort Wayne. To be fair, reporters in every market get into ruts. But sometimes it takes a person with a fresh ear to spot them.
One of our competitors frequently is “digging deeper” on stories. I thought I was the first one to use that phrase here. Once the competition adopted it as a kind of signature, I dropped it. I guess I should have copyrighted it.
Reporters everywhere will often conclude their stories with, “Police continue to investigate.” Well, I would hope so! That’s their job. Now, if they failed to investigate, that would be worth mentioning.
Injured individuals are often taken to a ”local hospital.” I certainly wouldn’t expect them to be taken to a “distant hospital.”
Three boys were arrested recently for the murder of the father of one of them. Some reporters always refer to them as “young boys.” I think a young boy is four years old or so. Does that mean these kids, ages 12 to 15, are “old boys?” Perhaps they should just be called “boys.”
Every word counts. We need to challenge the habits that bloat our writing.