Some clichés Cameroonian journalists need to drop
Compiled by Hans Ngala
1- ‘Prime Minister Head of Government’. It’s clear to anyone that the Prime Minister is the head of government. Why it is necessary to refer to him as ‘Prime Minister Head of Government’ is beyond me. Prime Minister is enough.
2- ‘Bagged a degree’. This is an informal way of speaking and has a slangy undertone to it. A better way would be to say “Earned a degree’, ‘graduated with’, ‘obtained a degree in XYZ’ or ‘completed a course in…’
3- ‘Veteran journalist’ is generic, comes across as praise-singing and boring. A better way to put it would be to say ‘seasoned reporter’, ‘experienced journalist’, ‘long-time correspondent’ or ‘media professional/expert’
4- ‘Sons and daughters of…’. This is usually used in reference to tribal groupings, meetings etc but a better way would be to simply say ‘The people of XYZ’.
5- ‘Bigwig’ is often used when referring to people at the top of an organization/company. Alternatives that sound more appealing and fresh would be ‘senior official’, ‘high-ranking leader’, ‘influential figure’, ‘power broker’ or ‘top executive’.
6- ‘University don’ is a tired cliché based on old Britishism. Editors in Cameroonian newsrooms tend to use it to show that someone has been in academia for long but it is not formal and has no place in journalism. Simply say ‘professor’ or ‘professor who has taught at XYZ for XYZ’ (if you know these details), ‘academic’, ‘lecturer’, ‘scholar’, ‘academic researcher’ or ‘faculty member’.
7- ‘Legal luminary’ is also another form of ‘worship journalism’. Usually, editors use it to try to show that a lawyer is skilled or old in the profession. It’s best to say ‘prominent lawyer’, ‘respected judge’, ‘renowned legal scholar’, ‘senior counsel’ or ‘legal expert’.
8- ‘Breaking the silence’ is often used to show that someone has commented publicly on an issue that has been on the news or on social media about them. This is a cliché and it’s best to rather say the person has ‘responded publicly’, ‘spoken out’, issued a statement (in the case where they actually responded by issuing a statement)
9- ‘Firebrand’ is another cliché that’s often used to describe politicians especially those who are critical of the status quo or the powers that be. Better alternatives than ‘firebrand’ include ‘outspoken critic’, ‘radical activist’, ‘hardline politician’
10- ‘War of words’ is a cliché which some newsrooms often use to describe fierce ‘fighting’ by two (often) prominent figures who spar either in person or online over an issue. A better way to put this would be ‘heated exchange’, ‘verbal dispute’, ‘rhetorical clash’ or ‘verbal sparring’.
