Author Archive
Articles by Merrill Perlman | Email the Author
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
Grainy Picture
‘Granularity’ and other business jargon
By Merrill Perlman Dec 6, 2010 at 12:47 PM
For a number of years, some attendees of jargon-heavy business meetings have played “Buzzword Bingo”: Someone prints out cards with... More
A Matter of Taste
On “gourmet,” “gourmand,” and loving food
By Merrill Perlman Dec 1, 2010 at 04:17 PM
When a word takes on unwanted connotations, people seeking a replacement often settle on something close, thinking, perhaps, that the... More
Never the More
Replacing a word in a quotation can lead to trouble
By Merrill Perlman Nov 29, 2010 at 02:40 PM
What happens when a public official misspeaks? Should a news outlet edit the quotation, paraphrase it, or just leave it... More
Degrees of Rejection
‘Refudiate’ may have a use after all
By Merrill Perlman Nov 22, 2010 at 11:31 AM
The “words of the year” lists are beginning to appear, and we’re generally going to ignore them, since those words... 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?
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.
