Can you define ‘kerfuffle’? Neither could we, until the word caused a kerfuffle at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. A reporter used the word in an article, and some readers balked at seeing such an obscure word in their paper. Whatever happened to eschewing obfuscation? Bob talks to journalism writing coach Jim ...

In the wake of 911 use of words like jihad and crusade, often loaded, have sparked heavy criticism, even protest, in America. In the Islamic world, the linguistic ambiguities of the Koran, and Arabic, in general, are being exploited in an attempt to reconcile religious and political agendas. Bob talks ...

People everywhere may be afraid of terrorists, but now journalists seem to be afraid of even using the word. The New York Times, Washington Post, and Associated Press have all ditched the t-word in reference to violence in the Middle East lately; but before Sept. 11, they had no problem ...

The phrase “axis of evil” has caused quite a stir since President Bush uttered it in his State of the Union Address. The supposed coalition of Iraq, Iran and North Korea made for great pundit fodder in America,but has seriously worried the foreign press. Host Bob Garfield checks in with ...

This week at the United Nations - a weeklong debate over a global strategy to combat terrorism. The big question - how can the world defeat an enemy it can't define? As the saying goes, "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." The delegates at the U-N agreed that ...

For the latest installment of our word watch series we examine the use of “Schizophrenic,” after we noticed that it had appeared over a hundred times in various newspapers and magazines this past week alone. Racquel Dillon reports.

In this installment of our ongoing series, reporter Tony Maciulis finds out when the end of the day really is.

This week’s installment in our regular “Wordwatch” feature: “Luddite.” Brooke discovered that the word’s meaning has evolved over the last century, from violence-prone saboteur to passive technophobe.

In the latest installment of our ongoing series, On The Media’s Tony Maciulis notes how advertisers go to extremes with the word “extreme.”

In the latest installment of OTM’s ongoing series, On The Media’s David Serchuk investigates the “evil” origins of the extra emphasis on the word “billion.”

In the latest installment of On The Media’s ongoing series, On The Media’s John Solomon takes a look at the use and abuse of “exclusive.”

In the latest installment of On the Media’s Word Watch series, reporter Tony Maciulis investigates the contemporary uses and abuses of the word urban.

In the latest installment of On the Media’s ongoing series, reporter Tony Maciulis traces the etymological ancestry of “Love Child.”

The latest installment in our regular “Wordwatch” feature: “Luddite.” Brooke discovered that the word’s meaning has evolved over the last century, from violence-prone saboteur to passive technophobe.

In the latest installment of our ongoing series, reporter Tony Maciulis finds out when the end of the day really is.