New Rubbish on CNN

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 10:50 PM, Geoffrey S. Nathan wrote:

> You will be pleased to know that
>
> "The words "whatever" and "anyway" re-entered the American pop lexicon
> following the release of popular films like "Clueless" (1995) and "Valley
> Girl" (1983). Both are about the shallow lives of teenagers in suburban
> California. "
>
> According to CNN's front webpage this evening...
>
> http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/08/most.annoying.words/index.html
>
> As is often the case, reporters can simply make stuff up, and nobody will
> call them on it, no matter how absurd or false on its face. And fact-checking
> doesn't really seem to be needed.  Or wanted.  Grrrrrr.

NPR's "All Things Considered" did better with this, because they called up our
own Jesse Sheidlower:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113627021

Further discussion in my latest Word Routes column:

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/2014/


--Ben Zimmer

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