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  2. Phrases journalists should never use #1

Phrases journalists should never use #1

By evolvingthoughts on April 25, 2007.

Some phrases no science or other journalist should ever write about science:

Any suggestions (with links, please)?

[ht: What You're Doing is Rather Desperate

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evolution
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But surely these are perfect examples of 'framing' scientific stories ?
I agree that they are scientifically incorrect (or more accurately, incomplete) but you have to remember that in todays micro-second attention span society news editors will ultimately aim for short snappy attention getting pieces and as such they succeed.

"missing link"

"cure for cancer"

Although slightly off topic or out of focus, another one to avoid is "Holy Grail". Not because it misinterprets science, but because the Annals of Improbable Research has a project of tracking down such references and scoffing at them.

What about insulin? That actually was a medical breakthrough. Granted, discoveries like that don't happen often...