Notes
Please: What Is A Journo?
A Symptom of the Problem?
Written by Duane Bradford. Last updated Saturday December 20th, 2008
By DUANE BRADFORD
While mousing through an overloaded computer in an effort to free up more space, the following unpublished e-mail exchange with the Romenesko file on the Poynter Institute’s web site popped up.
The institute is named after Nelson Poynter, former publisher of the St. Petersburg Times. I was fussing about the journalism training center’s continued use of the originally Australian term "journo" as their bobtail version of the word "journalist." (To me, the word had the flavor of a gossipy Walter Winchell radio show.)
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Original Message
From: Duane Bradford
Sent: Jan 25, 2007 3:12 PM
To: jromenesko@poynter.org
Subject: "journos"
Having once written headlines at the St. Petersburg Times, I sympathize somewhat with your task of fitting the word "journalist" in your skinny web columns. At the same time, I can almost guarantee that the publisher whose name you use would be offended at the sight of "journo" and add it to his list of banned words if he had any say in your operation. Since his name is being used to identify your institution, perhaps he should still have a bit of say. And never, never substitute "St. Pete" for the word "St. Petersburg". As Nelson Poynter would politely explain if he were alive, "St. Pete" is not a proper name. Neither is "journo".
Duane Bradford
dbrad@infionline.net
The Romenesko Response
"What about the St. Pete Times Forum" hockey and entertainment center in Tampa.