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News phrases

Overly used phrases used by journalists (January 2004)

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RO
roo
Quote:
Now its time to join Michael Fish with the weather

Usually more informative than reciting a line from 'Amazing Grace'

Quote:
We're getting this breaking news in from Reuters

And is hardly a cliché - as opposed to perhaps a way of alerting you to some breaking news from everyone's favourite agency.
BB
BBC TV Centre
Another one that gets my goat, and used to death after the Hutton Inquiry was...

Arrow Heads should roll

The idiot who coined this phrase ought to be shot - it makes it sound like people need to be decapitated first before anything changes!! Confused
MM
MonkeyMadness
Anyone else think that when the newsreaders say "And now we can go live to our correspondant at x location" it's an insult to them. Infers that they're not live. Plus they put those annoying captions with LIVE on it. You think the rest of the programme's been recorded! TAKE NOTE EDITORS! Embarassed
BB
Big Brother Founding member
Corin posted:
When asked a question by the studio anchor, an annoying tendency is for reporters to respond with
"That's a very interesting question to ask."


Lol I LOVE THAT ONE. The reporter always twists the question to answer something completely different.

i.e. "Janet, what is the capital of France" ... "That is an interesting question to ask Jane. However I believe the more pressing issue is that Nelly the Elephant packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus"

*Talk about randomemess* but the reporters always twist the question so they can answer whatever they like.
MA
Matrix
As much as I support News24, all I seem to hear:
Arrow Well we appear to be having a few technical problems
Arrow Reuters said this, and Reuters said that!
Arrow Also in this hour (big since the relaunch)
Arrow we appear to have lost that report.
Arrow Now heres the weather with micheal fish (Cue 20 sec pause at presenter)
NE
Neil__
Big Brother posted:
*Talk about randomemess* but the reporters always twist the question so they can answer whatever they like.

They've probably learn that skill from many hours of interviewing politicians... Very Happy
NE
Neil__
MonkeyMadness posted:
Anyone else think that when the newsreaders say "And now we can go live to our correspondant at x location" it's an insult to them. Infers that they're not live.

Who exactly do you think it is implying is not live?
Or do you mean 'and now we go to our reporter at x, who is clearly not dead in spite of the rumours doing the rounds in the newsroom'?

Quote:
Plus they put those annoying captions with LIVE on it. You think the rest of the programme's been recorded! TAKE NOTE EDITORS! Embarassed

Quite often reports and interviews are recorded, so it makes sense for a news programme/channel to emphasise how live and up-to-the-moment the interview with the reporter is.
And nobody thinks that the rest of the news programme from the studio has been recorded. Except ITV News Channel overnights, of course...
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
Corin posted:
When asked a question by the studio anchor, an annoying tendency is for reporters to respond with
"That's a very interesting question to ask."


Another variation on this is as follows:

Interviewee: Blah blah blah (makes a point)
Interviewer: Yes, I was just about to come onto that. *makes completely different point altogether*
Interviewee: Blah blah (makes another random point)
Interviewer: Well we'll come onto that in a moment but let me just ask you this:

Jonathan Dimbleby does a lot of this Smile

84 days later

PT
pthurst Founding member
Corin posted:
When asked a question by the studio anchor, an annoying tendency is for reporters to respond with
"That's a very interesting question to ask."


I don't want to take too much shine from TV land here but in most 2-ways, the on-location reporter has scripted many, if not all of the questions that the studio presenters will ask beforehand...

...Well their supposed to anyway Wink
MO
Moz
I've got one I've been meaning to add to this thread every time I've heard it but then forgot to!

It's almost exclusive to regional news but does pop up now and again on national...

"Imagine if...." <insert some bizarre occurance> "...well that's exactly what happened to...." <insert Mrs Jones from Sometown.

Why can't they just report the story rather than having to make us imagine it first and then telling us that it actually did happen. For God's sake be a bit more imaginative. The phrase "well that's exactly what happened to..." should be banned!

Makes me sooooo mad!
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
Arrow "Let's just show you this" + awkward pause when it doesn't turn up (Sky Newswall)

Arrow "<somebody's> standing by for us at <somewhere>"

Arrow "We've lost the pictures, we'll just try and get them back for you"

Arrow "Joining us now..." (which they aren't - technically)

Arrow "Straight ahead..." (Fox News mainly before crashing into the Foxcast)
SJ
sjhoward
Arrow "Papers in a moment, but first our round up of the day's headlines"
Arrow "There's news throughout the night over on BBC News 24"

Jeremy Paxman

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