Author Archive
Articles by Merrill Perlman | Email the Author
… And so on
Explaining explanatory abbreviations
By Merrill Perlman Jan 14, 2013 at 03:00 PM
Today, we’re going to talk about what symbols, abbreviations, etc., to use when, i.e., you want to give a list... More
Our funny language
Puzzling English expressions
By Merrill Perlman Jan 7, 2013 at 03:00 PM
As we bid farewell to the holiday season (whatever you may celebrate), here are a few final presents to amuse... More
Language Corner
Like you were
By Merrill Perlman Jan 2, 2013 at 12:00 AM
Using “like” as a conjunction can earn you dirty looks from some quarters. The example most often cited by anti-conjunctionists... More
For word
Little word, big meaning
By Merrill Perlman Dec 17, 2012 at 03:00 PM
“For” is a handy word. As a preposition, it has many functions: Webster’s New World College Dictionary lists 20... More
Signposts for unfamiliar territory
How to help your readers navigate new words and ideas
By Merrill Perlman Dec 12, 2012 at 06:50 AM
A journalist’s job is to deliver information. Sometimes, though, that information needs explanation or context to make it clear. Maybe... More
Robbing ’hood
Words involving theft
By Merrill Perlman Dec 3, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Trying to teach journalists the finer points of law is nearly as hard as trying to teach them the finer... More
Whine lovers
Complaining with a British accent
By Merrill Perlman Nov 27, 2012 at 03:13 PM
People do a lot of whining. Lately, though, many publications seem to be spelling the complainers (or their complaints) differently.... More
Popularity contest
Words for the people
By Merrill Perlman Nov 21, 2012 at 11:00 AM
The article was discussing a survey on the popular view of marketers and politicians. “Both have a higher perception of... More
Of storms and ships at sea
Let’s not take them personally
By Merrill Perlman Nov 13, 2012 at 06:50 AM
We have names. Our pets have names. And so do hurricanes and ships. But, unlike us and our pets, hurricanes... More
What are the odds?
Dealing with percentages
By Merrill Perlman Nov 5, 2012 at 01:00 PM
Take this quiz: If one candidate has 46 percent of the likely voters, and the other has 48 percent, what’s... More
Language Corner
There, there
By Merrill Perlman Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
There are many ways to start articles and sentences. There is often a way to avoid beginning with the phrases... More
However you want
Who’s on first?
By Merrill Perlman Oct 22, 2012 at 03:16 PM
A Florida correspondent writes: My boss is obsessed with Strunk & White, and so tells me that I can never... More
Career advice
On the fast track to ‘careen’
By Merrill Perlman Oct 16, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Two accidents, two verbs: In New Jersey, “The car careened down the street and smashed into several parked cars before... More
Forward-looking
Ways of telling the future
By Merrill Perlman Oct 9, 2012 at 06:50 AM
We have weather “forecasts,” budget “projections,” attempts at earthquake “predictions.” Most dictionaries say those are all synonyms for one another.... More
‘They’ said so
Pronouns without sex
By Merrill Perlman Oct 1, 2012 at 03:02 PM
Whenever anyone who loves language wants to start a robust discussion, they have only to mention “gender-neutral pronouns,” such as... More
Apparently not
The trouble with the apparent heart attack
By Merrill Perlman Sep 25, 2012 at 10:49 AM
The American Heart Association says that heart attacks kill about 1,200 people in the United States every day. In many... More
Prepositions: the last word
Something to not put up with?
By Merrill Perlman Sep 24, 2012 at 03:00 PM
The purpose of last week’s posting was to warn against accepting supposedly famous quotations just because they’re repeated frequently. But... More
Put up or shut up
‘Famous’ quotes that aren’t
By Merrill Perlman Sep 17, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Your child’s grade school teacher has asked her to come up with some “famous quotations,” so, naturally, she goes right... More
Swap mete
One word confused with another
By Merrill Perlman Sep 12, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Today, we’re going to list some words and phrases that are often used when another is meant. These are not... More
Language Corner
Few grudges
By Merrill Perlman Sep 4, 2012 at 12:24 AM
“Grudge,” from an old German word meaning “lament,” is a lot of fun to say. The noun “grudge” means “hostility... More
‘See you on the other side’ - Meet Jessica Lum, a terminally ill 25-year-old who chose to spend what little time she had practicing journalism
#Realtalk: This is the best moment to be in journalism - The old stuff isn’t coming back, but that’s okay
Streams of consciousness - Millennials expect a steady diet of quick-hit, social-media-mediated bits and bytes. What does that mean for journalism?
Sticking with the truth - How ‘balanced’ coverage helped sustain the bogus claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism
An ink-stained stretch - Can Aaron Kushner save the Orange County Register—and the newspaper industry?
This is the best moment to be in journalism (25)
The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom (19)
Stop with the Jew-ranking already!
“There are some lists that have helped Jews in the past, including, most notably, Schindler’s, but…”
Please continue pronouncing ‘gif’ any way you please
We are all correct
The New York Times told me to take this down
“If you wouldn’t mind using another publication to advertise your infringement tool, we’d appreciate it”
In AP, Rosen investigations, government makes criminals of reporters
“[A]s flagrant an assault on civil liberties as anything done by George W. Bush’s administration”
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.
