Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[french frank]

this board is disturbingly good natured this morning.......

Don't knock it, team

[P. G. Tipps]

'In an exclusive BBC Interview ... '

' ... and in only the last few minutes Sky News sources have informed us that ... '

'Our colleague Johnny Hack was the very first on the scene and now tells us ... '

Blah, Blah, Blah.

[Don Petter]

... an earlier accident ...

[P. G. Tipps]

'Our Chief Economics Editor'
'Our Assistant Chief Economics Editor'
'Our Chief Political Correspondent'
'Our Assistant Chief Political Correspondent'
'Our Senior Political Correspondent'

Etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.

I suspect 'Our Assistant Chief Team Leader' might not be too far off ...

[ahinton]

'Our Chief Economics Editor'
'Our Assistant Chief Economics Editor'
'Our Chief Political Correspondent'
'Our Assistant Chief Political Correspondent'
'Our Senior Political Correspondent'

Etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.

I suspect 'Our Assistant Chief Team Leader' might not be too far off ...

What would your preferences be, then? If that's what each of them is, how do you think that they should instead be described?

[P. G. Tipps]

What would your preferences be, then? If that's what each of them is, how do you think that they should instead be described?

'Reporter'.

What media staff pompously love to call each other 'in house' is only of any real interest to them and the increasingly patronised, easily-impressionable listener, ahinton!

[jean]

I like to knw what expertise the person I'm listening to might have.

[Richard Tarleton]

I like to knw what expertise the person I'm listening to might have.

Indeed. I'm still not 100% clear on the relative standing of the BBC's Assistant Political Editor and its Deputy Political Editor.

[Sir Velo]

I like to knw what expertise the person I'm listening to might have.

With all due respect, I find I can usually make that judgement myself after listening five seconds or so.

[P. G. Tipps]

Indeed. I'm still not 100% clear on the relative standing of the BBC's Assistant Political Editor and its Deputy Political Editor.

Oh, come on, Richard, don't be so silly ....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Indeed. I'm still not 100% clear on the relative standing of the BBC's Assistant Political Editor and its Deputy Political Editor.

The deputy gets to wear a badge.

[ahinton]

'Reporter'.

What media staff pompously love to call each other 'in house' is only of any real interest to them and the increasingly patronised, easily-impressionable listener, ahinton!

So should I assume that you believe that all such staff should be described only as "our reporter"? If so and if indeed the norm determined that they'd be so, it would remind me of a professional colleague who once pronounced upon the perils of getting the football correspondent to write concert and record reviews in local newspapers. Do you not find it acceptable that professional people, including journalists, have specialities? This isn't about "what media staff pompously love to call each other 'in house'"; for one thing, there's no inherent pomposity in any of the descriptors that you mention and, for another, it's not about what an organisation's staff calls other members of its staff but what those other staff members actually are and do. Accordingly, I don't see the problem. If something sets your teeth on edge, would you deny the profession of the dentist whom you consulted about it?

[ahinton]

Oh, come on, Richard, don't be so silly ....

Oh, come off (it), Mr Tippster, don't be so gratuitously patronising...

[P. G. Tipps]

So should I assme that you believe ....

No, as has already been hinted at by our Assistant Deputy Chief Member of Absolutely Nothing, A. N. Other, you should 'assme' nothing, ahintom, though I do appreciate the rich irony of your typo!

... that all such staff should be described only as "our reporter"?

Yes, that would give me some joyful relief, ahinton!

If so and if indeed the norm determined that they'd be so, it would remind me of a professional colleague who once pronounced upon the perils of getting the football correspondent to write concert and record reviews in local newspapers. Do you not find it acceptable that professional people, including journalists, have specialities? This isn't about "what media staff pompously love to call each other 'in house'"; for one thing, there's no inherent pomposity in any of the descriptors that you mention and, for another, it's not about what an organisation's staff calls other members of its staff but what those other staff members actually are and do. Accordingly, I don't see the problem. If something sets your teeth on edge, would you deny the profession of the dentist whom you consulted about it?

Oh, I have nothing against a meaningful adjective in front of the noun, ahinton. 'Our political/religious/economic correspondent' would be just fine by me in revealing the particular current 'speciality' of the reporter though, as reporters often move from one sphere of news interest to another, the 'speciality' may be of far less importance than simply reporting the facts, which, after all, is the employee's main role, surely. The issue is not one of meaningful titles but entirely one of those relatively modern grandiose, self-advertising meaningless ones beloved by large corporates!

It is only right that a dentist is referred to as a 'dentist' or even a 'dental surgeon'. However if my dentist advertised him/herself as Dr Jones, Assistant Deputy Chief of the Dental Practice Association, I would tend to think he/she might be rather more concerned with advertising his/her supposed "high office" than concentrating on the care of patients' teeth, so I would probably switch to good old plain Mr/Ms Smith, Dentist, across the road, ahinton!

[P. G. Tipps]

Oh, come off (it), Mr Tippster, don't be so gratuitously patronising...

I certainly have/had no intention of 'gratuitously patronising' Richard or anyone else here, ahinton, indeed I simply responded to his post which I considered both telling and amusing, and which is clearly not always the case with some valued members!