Overused cliches in the news!

Ralphy1

Ralphy1

Well-known Member
The constant use of "thoughts and prayers" after tragic deaths seems meaningless, and "actors " and "bad guys" grating...
 

I tire of the "BREAKING NEWS!" notices that seem to constantly be scrolling across the tv screen. "BREAKING NEWS... Local woman feeds neighborhood cat on doorstep." "BREAKING NEWS... Recent rains will make grass grow." If it is an important matter that requires the public attention, scroll it. If it is nothing but a notice as to where the local ladies bridge club is meeting......

Weather forecasters also get my goat. "There is a 20% chance of rain today and we could see some severe storms." "Tomorrow will be nothing but sunshine and clear skies, but if conditions change we could see a chance of a tornado." Seems like every day the sky is falling. We could see the earth disintegrate before our eyes... maybe... possibly... slight chance... I liken it to the old "Wolf! Wolf!" We get so used to being told to prepare for the worst when the weather is nice that we fail to pay attention when there really is a threat.
 
Ralphy1 said:
The constant use of "thoughts and prayers" after tragic deaths seems meaningless, and "actors " and "bad guys" grating...
Click to expand...

I am so sick of hearing on US news the terms 'good guys' and 'bad guys'. Fine when we were kids, but grow up. It sounds really juvenile to the rest of the world.
 

There are a thousand of them. But then again I am easily irritated.

Hard working American
Working Class neighborhood
Turning his life around
Growing the economy
Downsize/rightsize
leveling the field
the word hero being assigned inappropriately
common sense gun control
assault weapon
and probably a bunch more that aren't jumping readily to my finger tips!
 
TV news...the cable news channels, and the evening news on the major networks...is more designed to improve the stations "Neilsen Ratings", than actually presenting the news. An average 30 minute broadcast consists of at least 12 minutes of commercials. TV news is a huge revenue generator for these TV stations, and the more sensationalized it can become, and the more it can hold the audiences attention, the better....for the TV "corporation". If a person really wants to know the details and facts, they must devote some quality time to researching multiple sources...generally via the Internet. Political related news, especially, is heavily biased towards the views of the corporate ownership and management. If you review a report about an event on Fox News...then look at the same subject on MSNBC....for example, you often get substantially different viewpoints....and the Truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

The overuse of these "hackneyed" phrases is simply a reflection of the TV stations inability to accurately research and present the pertinent facts.
 
True, Don. News networks are all about ratings, and entertainment. CNN used to be respectable IMO and they've become more like Fox all the time - Barbie dolls with plastic faces for anchors, entertainment, etc. Even CNN International which I watch has gone downhill. Thankfully I've still got the BBC.
 
It's the cliche's it's the rhetoric and trying to sum up the situation with just minutes or hours of news.

My big thing when they have a live feed they frequently don't put the city/location on the screen and yet the Breaking News ticker will parrot what the reporter is saying. Nor do they always put the reporter's or interviewee's name & title. Some do but not always. Also they'll show old footage without a date.
 
' loved ones' ( it used to be called 'families') but now it is all loved ones.
'paying respect'
'hero' ( said about any old person doing just about anything and certainly not heroic.)
'at the end of the day' ( meaning ' in the long run')
 
In the UK the politicians often say 'I say to you'....blah blah. Well, of course you are saying it, why point this out?! I don't remember American politicians saying that. ??
 
"The...United...States....of....America" which is a big favorite in campaign speeches. (Never just the United States.)

"Thoughts and prayers" is one of my picks too. To hear these politicians and police chiefs speaking, they must spend their entire lives praying!
 
Ralphy1 said:
The constant use of "thoughts and prayers" after tragic deaths seems meaningless, and "actors " and "bad guys" grating...
Click to expand...

And just as bad are those who get upset at the talking heads for not saying things like "thoughts and prayers". Why because they've become so used to hearing things like that with their news.
 
I get sick of the "news" also. I usually listen to the latest breaking catastrophe three times or so and then I am done with it. The cable networks drag it out for a week or 10 days with a dozen different speakers saying nothing new. I always wonder what is going on in the rest of the world instead of the "latest" stuff over and over and over.
 
I get a little sick of people being referred to as a Hero on the news :rolleyes: .they may have walked a number of Km in aid of a charity but IMHO but that doesn't make them a hero
 
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They don't quite measure up, but thanks...
 

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