journalese

1 8.5

A simple newspaper style that uses short sentences and tired phrases

noun
/ˌdʒɜrnəˈliz/

Literature

: periodismo

The editor criticized the article for its use of clichéd journalese that failed to engage readers.

Examples

Her writing style included typical journalese, which featured short sentences and overused phrases.
Many journalists rely on journalese to make complex stories easier to understand.
Ten glossy pages of action photographs and the usual journalese on "tough" kids from "tough" coal and steel backgrounds.

Fiction book (1990)
Covering the story using routine language of journalese to describe what was otherwise a human catastrophe meant readers could gain information without having to come to grips with the events' human toll.

Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

newswriting

vsjournalese

Literature

1 3.3

A way to present news facts clearly without personal opinion

uses clichés and simplified short sentences instead of neutral, objective phrasing

How Simple

tabloid

Literature

176 3.7

journalese

Literature

1 8.5

newswriting

Literature

1 3.3

writing

112 1.1

Surface Forms

journalese singular

journalese plural

Morphology

journalese = journal (transparent) = journal + ese

The word is a straightforward formation from 'journal' + the productive suffix '-ese' meaning 'in the style/language of', yielding 'the style of journals/newspapers'.

Etymology

Journalese comes from journal 'newspaper' and the ending -ese, seen in Chinese and legalese, which means 'in the style of a language', so it literally means the 'language of newspapers'. That's why journalese describes the short sentences, tired phrases and simple words often used in news writing.