Author Archive
Articles by Merrill Perlman | Email the Author
Balance Due
A change because of usage
By Merrill Perlman Apr 25, 2011 at 12:53 PM
Some grammar battles have been fought for years, and many have been lost. (See “hopefully.”) Here’s another one over the... More
Just Among Us…
Betwixt “between”
By Merrill Perlman Apr 18, 2011 at 04:42 PM
Rules tell us what to do, and require no thought. Stop at a red light, or risk getting a ticket.... More
Boing!
Springing to the past
By Merrill Perlman Apr 12, 2011 at 09:31 AM
Spring has sprung The grass is riz; I wonder where the birdies is. That little ditty, or variations of it,... More
Less is Fewer
Counting on grammar rules
By Merrill Perlman Apr 4, 2011 at 02:04 PM
More and more, fewer people use “less” and “fewer” the way the language gods intended. “There are less people here... More
Taking Dictator-tion
Not-so-subtle clues
By Merrill Perlman Mar 28, 2011 at 01:10 PM
Kevin Adams wondered whether journalists are buying in to U.S. foreign policy terminology, subliminally or not. “I’ve noticed that NPR... More
In Style
AP makes more changes
By Merrill Perlman Mar 21, 2011 at 01:28 PM
Last Monday, you could have written an “e-mail” to your friend in “Calcutta,” checked for a response on your “smart... More
False Tidals
Not-quite words for natural disasters
By Merrill Perlman Mar 14, 2011 at 04:53 PM
Disasters bring out the best in journalism and journalists, and the cataclysmic events in Japan are no different. But in... More
Women’s Suffixes
Making some nouns more feminine
By Merrill Perlman Mar 7, 2011 at 01:11 PM
If you die in some states and your son is appointed to handle your estate, he is the “executor.” If... More
Mentee Fresh
Some notes on “protégés,” “mentors,” and manatees
By Merrill Perlman Feb 23, 2011 at 04:23 PM
When you have a “mentor,” what are you (aside from in need of advice)? Before the sixties, you probably would... More
Rotary Club
Old phone terms hang on
By Merrill Perlman Feb 22, 2011 at 12:43 PM
Some words outlast the things they were coined to accompany, simply because there’s no good alternative. When you write an... More
Indescribable
‘Nondescript’ says more than ‘plain’
By Merrill Perlman Feb 14, 2011 at 11:58 AM
Bob Kamman of Arizona writes: “Am I the only one who has noticed the increasing use of the adjective ‘nondescript,’... More
Snow Job
Just what constitutes a “record”?
By Merrill Perlman Feb 8, 2011 at 12:36 PM
The snowstorm that hit much of the United States last week was one for the books. In Chicago, the 20.2... More
Overnight Sensation
A wordier term for dusk to dawn
By Merrill Perlman Jan 31, 2011 at 04:03 PM
The weather outside was frightful, and so was the advisory from the National Weather Service. Not known for their literary... More
The Fast Lain
Figuring out ‘lay’ and ‘lie’
By Merrill Perlman Jan 24, 2011 at 02:49 PM
It’s no “lie”: Many people get “lay” and “lie” wrong a lot. So let’s “lay” down the rules. The best... More
The Frugal Writer
Why use several words when one will do?
By Merrill Perlman Jan 19, 2011 at 01:31 PM
At some points in time, people engaged in the profession of journalism tend to learn to acquire the negatively associative... More
Duty Double
When nouns and verbs collide
By Merrill Perlman Jan 10, 2011 at 02:58 PM
Headlines are supposed to grab a reader’s attention and provide a fast synopsis of an article for a busy reader.... More
Whoa, Nelly!
On “reigning in” misspellings and misusage
By Merrill Perlman Jan 8, 2011 at 07:16 PM
"New Auditor Will Take Reigns in 2011" was the headline. Another article about money said that the "government refuses to... More
Two-Faced
Beginning January with Janus words
By Merrill Perlman Jan 4, 2011 at 02:15 PM
Welcome to January, the two-faced month. On the one hand, it’s the start of the new year, a time to... More
Just One of Those Things
Choosing between singular and plural
By Merrill Perlman Dec 20, 2010 at 01:29 PM
Be the hit of your holiday party! Amaze your friends! Impress your family! Be one of those people who uses... More
Spellbound
Different spellings, different words
By Merrill Perlman Dec 13, 2010 at 12:15 PM
Much has been written about the dangers of using spelling checkers without brain in gear. Spelling checkers won’t tell you... More
#Realtalk: This isn’t another ‘golden age’ for print - But it is one for media
Social media in smaller markets - How three social media managers deal with smaller markets and more local coverage.
A rally for laid-off Sun-Times photogs - A protest Thursday morning drew about 150 picketers to the newspaper’s headquarters
Reporting, or illegal hacking - Scripps reporters are accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
Exchange Watch: California Dreaming - Low healthcare premiums on the West Coast were trumpeted as a big, good-news Obamacare story. But: “Compared to what?”
One of the great reporters of his generation died Tuesday at 33. The stories he wrote, and the ones he didn’t live to write
Michael Hastings: my friend and his enemies
Hastings was fearless and shook things up - especially with his McChrystal expose. The haters in the media couldn’t forgive him
Journalism is about finding flaws and magnifying them, and surely someone who would spill massive loads of state secrets must contain a few broken parts, right?
Call it the Politico rhetorical crutch
The inside-the-beltway publication’s go-to phrase
Rachel Maddow’s tribute to Michael Hastings
“Michael was angry … he was angry about things that weren’t right in the world. He was angry with war and with loss, and that drove his reporting.”
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
Uptown Messenger – Hyperlocal news for a neighborhood in New Orleans
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
