Mar 102010
Tribune Company CEO Randy Michaels has issued a bizarre edict to his company’s reporters, prohibiting them from using certain phrases and words on the air:
Michaels took time out of his real job this week to issue a list of words and phrases — 119 of them, to be exact — that must never, ever be uttered by anchors or reporters on WGN-AM (720), the news/talk radio station located five floors below his office in Tribune Tower.
Amongst the words whose name they dare not speak:
- Authorities
- Bare naked
- Behind bars
- Behind closed doors
- Clash with police
- Close proximity
- Killing spree
- Manhunt
- Mute point. (It’s moot point, but don’t say that either)
- Shower activity
- Sketchy details
No using bare naked, close proximity, manhunt, or shower activity? I guess WGN reporters won’t be reporting on the Rahm Emanuel vs. Rep. Eric Massa MSNBC’s Lock Up moment in the Congressional Locker Room…
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ahh so much for freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Hey Randy..you get an EPIC FAIL for this one. Your fired..don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
In defense Robbie, close proximity is redundant. You can’t be in proximity without being close.
The point here is not to limit the freedom of speech. The point is to find a way to hold your audiences attention. Randy Michaels is attempting to make his news program interesting again and whats to get away from they same old tired rhetoric.
After thinking off and on about this story for another 24hrs..
It could just be Mike is right. There is a whole dictionary of other terms they could use in a lot of cases. Although in the case of the word ‘Alleged’ has anyone pointed out to Randy that they have to use that word to avoid lawsuits? Although…since most of the ‘alleged’ criminals turn out to be ‘career’ criminals…
I think accused can be substituted for alleged to avoid any type of tort.
Recently read that the typical “patriot” is in their mid-30s, undereducated (re-non 4 year degree or no grad school) and is low to middle income.
I think they mean AMERICAN