When did "reach out" become the journalistic words of choice?
"Our station reached out to ________ but they had no comment".
Has this been going on for years and years and years or didn't journalist used to say things like "called", "attempted to speak with", "left a message for", etc.
I just watched a news bit where the journalist "reached out to Costco....".
To me "reached out" implies trying to help someone.
When did "reach out" become the journalistic words of choice?
"Our station reached out to ________ but they had no comment".
Has this been going on for years and years and years or didn't journalist used to say things like "called", "attempted to speak with", "left a message for", etc.
I just watched a news bit where the journalist "reached out to Costco....".
To me "reached out" implies trying to help someone.
Is it just me this annoys?
It's mainly American in usage. It annoys the hell out of me too.
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Setanta
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Wed 20 Nov, 2013 03:58 pm
Now for a musical interlude . . .
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Setanta
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Wed 20 Nov, 2013 03:59 pm
They've been beating "iconic" to death, too--it has become meaningless thanks to "journalists."
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Lordyaswas
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Wed 20 Nov, 2013 04:00 pm
@boomerang,
Thank you.
I now look forward to that nonsense "reaching out" to us in the UK over the coming weeks.
Here, I've noticed recently that requests on the radio no longer ask to say hello to someone. They now give "a big shout out to" ........
Sometimes I just want to go and hide.
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Sturgis
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Wed 20 Nov, 2013 04:22 pm
@boomerang,
I had noticed it was being used more and more. Similar to most of these buzz words and phrases they become so overdone it becomes essentially meaningless.
Annoyed? No more than I am by the rest of what they are passing off as news, which usually is fluff and other nonsense.
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boomerang
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Wed 20 Nov, 2013 05:08 pm
"Reached out" is now "iconic".
Yes, journalism is getting crappier by the minute. It's hard to even call it journalism. "Reporting" is probably the better word.
I saw this not too long ago:
This really represents the state of news broadcasting right now.
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boomerang
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Wed 20 Nov, 2013 05:11 pm
Oh. This is apparently a thing:
There are a bunch of others listed under Conan media watch on youtube.
My current pet hate is 'gifted'. Apparently our government just gifted some patrol boats to Sri Lanka. Perhaps with a nice pink bow on top. Apparently we couldn't just 'give' them the boats. (Whether we should have given the boats at all is another issue).
I always thought 'gifted' was what you called smart kids.
The one that really annoys me is 'journey'. Anyone who is on a talent show - whether it's dancing, singing or cooking - is apparently on a 'journey'. When they get kicked out they aren't upset because they've had a wonderful journey.
When did "reach out" become the journalistic words of choice?
"Our station reached out to ________ but they had no comment".
Has this been going on for years and years and years or didn't journalist used to say things like "called", "attempted to speak with", "left a message for", etc.
I just watched a news bit where the journalist "reached out to Costco....".
To me "reached out" implies trying to help someone.
Is it just me this annoys?
No.
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ehBeth
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Thu 21 Nov, 2013 07:16 am
@boomerang,
Reaching out doesn't bother me too much.
I notice it, but <shrug> it's been around a long time.
The longtime hate I've got is for "take a decision". Who had your decision before you took it? It's one of the few language things that can actually make me drop an f bomb.
I haven't noticed "gifted" yet. No I won't be able to not hear it, I'm sure. That's how "reached out" was for me - once I noticed it I couldn't stop hearing it.
Maybe both "reached out" and "gifted" are ways they try to make things sound nicer or something...
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boomerang
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Thu 21 Nov, 2013 08:17 am
@cherrie,
You're right!
They always learn so much about themselves on their "journey"!
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PUNKEY
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Thu 21 Nov, 2013 08:19 am
To me "reach out" means to "approach."
"I know, right?" is bugging me.
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boomerang
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Thu 21 Nov, 2013 08:20 am
@ehBeth,
I don't think I've ever heard "take a decision".
It sounds like something you'd hear in a business context. Does it mean the same thing as "make a decision"? It sounds more restrictive than that, somehow.
To me, reached out has always meant to contact someone. It's been a staple for television and print journalism as far as I can remember and I've been reading the newspapers since the early 80's.
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