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Language Corner
… 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
‘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
‘Scare’ tactics
Quotes around single words
By Merrill Perlman Jan 28, 2013 at 03:00 PM
It's Journalism 101: go out and talk to people, then write down what they say. If you can't quote it... More
Addressee Unknown
Another comma goes AWOL
By Merrill Perlman Feb 6, 2012 at 05:52 PM
The Super Bowl is over, thank heavens, so all those incorrectly punctuated signs rooting for one team or another can... 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
Appositive Negatives
Some things are not unique
By Merrill Perlman Jun 6, 2011 at 02:38 PM
Last week, we talked about setting a parenthetical description off with commas in the grammatical phenomenon known as an “appositive.”... More
Beggars Can Be Choosers
Questioning the questions
By Merrill Perlman Mar 19, 2012 at 03:03 PM
Every so often it’s important to revisit an issue, to clarify or modify it, depending on the circumstances. It “begs... More
Bell curves
Lots of “ring” words
By Merrill Perlman Jul 30, 2012 at 03:00 PM
“You must be a ringer,” the journalism instructor told the student, who insisted that, though he had many years of... More
Blame excuses
Where to point the finger
By Merrill Perlman Apr 8, 2013 at 03:43 PM
"Deer Creek blames fire on science experiment," read one headline. "Arsonist blames fire on living conditions," said another. Some people... More
Bodily Functions
The scent of a language
By Merrill Perlman Sep 12, 2011 at 01:00 PM
The scene may have been a long coach ride or a London park bench on a hot day, but the... 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
Brand extension
Why trademarks should be honored
By Merrill Perlman Feb 19, 2013 at 03:00 PM
Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City called for a ban on "Styrofoam" containers, saying in his State of the... More
Call Me ‘Al’
Another confusing suffix
By Merrill Perlman Jun 13, 2011 at 02:28 PM
Is an appliance “electric” or “electrical”? Is Sarah Palin visiting “historic” sites or “historical” sites? Is being “politic” the same... More
Cardinal rules
A real ‘conclave’ is at hand
By Merrill Perlman Mar 4, 2013 at 04:24 PM
Betsy Wade was ecstatic. "At last!" she exclaimed. "For the next few weeks people will be using the word conclave... 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
Conjunction-itis
What about ifs, ands, or buts?
By Merrill Perlman Nov 7, 2011 at 03:45 PM
Many generations of students have had certain grammar “truths” drilled into their little heads. One is the “myth” that infinitives... More
Covetous
The difference between ‘jealousy’ and ‘envy’
By Merrill Perlman Mar 11, 2013 at 05:42 PM
The pope gets to wear nice red shoes, and a friend said, "I'm really jealous of those!" But, technically, she... 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
Digging in
The etymology of a “clawback”
By Merrill Perlman Jun 19, 2012 at 06:50 AM
“Jamie Dimon: JPMorgan Will Likely Claw Back Pay From Responsible Executives,” the headline said. Dimon, JPMorgan’s chief executive, was telling... 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
‘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.
