MikeJ

Doesn't that mean: turned to bone ?

scrubbedexpat095

Its when you post words like the one above that I really doubt that you are the journalist you claim to be

Domino

the web versions of most of the UK's newspapers are littered with them every day.

whatever happened to standards ??

jimenato

Nobody notice the ?

Pocaloca

Yes.

I think it's rather a nice word. It could mean being turned into an oyster.

The other day we had inflation whittering away at our savings, but nobody (else?) picked that up ...

scrubbedexpat095

I know don't get me started ! I am so fed up with the standards of journalism i.e The other day in The Local.es there was a report about thieves on the Madrid metro and the lead sentence had this gem 'caught four pickpocketing pests'

Why on earth do they need to use the totally unnecessary adjective 'pests'

For heavens sake we know pickpockets are pests !

I've noticed this general trend since a few years. From time to time I look at the local paper thats published in the area I originally came from and its exactly the same, bad spelling, stupid unnecessary adjectives and just generally sloppy writing.

I think its all the teachers fault personally ;-)

amideislas

I'd argue that "journalism" has transformed from a respectable and academic profession, into a platform to maximise revenue through sensationalism.

Not all societies are equally drawn to sensationalism, and some still hold journalists to fairly high standards, but the UK has become one that is so addicted to sensationalism, that if a news story fails to be maximally sensationalised, it seems few of us will pay any attention, which I'd argue explains a lot about the state of UK politics.

scrubbedexpat095

What an excellent analysis (The teacher comment was tongue in cheek) I must say I really enjoy your posts :-)
\
You always give an opinion in a very reasonable manner without the drama

Pocaloca

Pests is the noun here. Pickpocketing is the adjective.

See, I can be pedantic too ...

scrubbedexpat095

Oops my mistake :-(

Glad you are around to check up though :-)

jimenato

You have violated Muphry's Law on more than one occasion there mfh

Domino

I wouldn't mind so much the sensationalism, although so much of it is contrived from a mole hill into a mountain, but it would be nice to get a follow up or two afterwards.
But no, after hitting us with the "sensation of the day" its on to something else totally unrelated.

I doubt very much there is now a reporter of the calibre of Woodward and Bernstein who would be capable of teasing out the information, being able to run a follow up and maintain the interest they did.
Or perhaps it is just the Man at the Top who wants his "K" and doesn't want to rock the boat.

And the standard of "journalism" or copywriting or whatever you wish to call it in journals and advertising is going down the tubes.