Critics Say and Other Redundant Phrases

Here’s the latest missive sent to my colleagues at Al Jazeera. Wherever you are, the same rules apply. 

1: CRITICS SAY  

I am repeatedly seeing “critics say’’ used as a way of attributing an idea. This does nothing to help our viewers understand the complex issues we deal with on a day to day basis. It also smacks of laziness. Consider this phrase banned. Please tell our viewers WHO is doing the criticising. It makes a very big difference.

2: THE COUNTRY

This phrase is almost always redundant and we use it very frequently.  Read the sentences below and omit the words in italics. See – you really don’t need it. All these examples are from a single rundown. Correspondents are also doing this in packages. Please stop. It makes us sound very repetitive.

• The latest amateur video from Syria shows people lining up to get cooking oil….estimates suggests more than a million people in the country now need humanitarian aid. 

• An Afghan company once hailed as a model for the country’s economic development is at risk of bankruptcy.

• He’s (Greek PM) promised to end the austerity measures which were imposed on his country under an international bailout deal.

• Portugal’s government has cut the number of public holidays there. 

3: NOBODY TALKS LIKE THIS

The sort of journalese below should never be used in a tv news script.

The use of the meaningless phrase “the move” in the second example only serves to conceal the main point of the story from our audience.  Anybody who tries to tell me it teases the story rather than gives it away will regret the move. 

• Portugal has already cut public sector wages and raised taxes in a bid to (as it tries to) reduce its debts and ease its economic crisis. 

• Relatives said inmates feared the move. (they would be killed)