The Associated Press Guide to News Writing Chapter 10 Review

There is a lot of clichés in writing and it is no different in journalism. Writers try to hard to be clever with their words at times that they become strained and irrelevant to the topic. In Rene J. Cappon’s Associated Press Guide to News Writing chapter 10: Pseudo-Color: Clichés and Other Trespasses – Cappon writes what clichés in writing are and how to avoid them. This week we will be looking at the tenth chapter in Cappon’s book.

In this chapter, Cappon ties in his last chapter about color, but this time talking about the pseudo-color of clichés and other things that could ruin a writer’s work. At the start of the chapter, Cappon makes it apparent what clichés are and how to avoid them. Cappon explains not all clichés are obnoxious, but there are some that should be used by any self-respecting writer. Using cliché phrases can bog down a story by either making the reader’s eyes roll or by using an overused cliché that is unnecessary to the story. Cappon harkens back to the idea that writing in journalism should be straightforward and simplistic and he emphasizes these ideas in his many examples in the chapter.

This chapter had some pacing issues, but I never lost my focus in reading it. Cappon sets up his thesis for the chapter and provides an overabundant of examples that hit the goal he was aiming for. Cappon is a little wordy in this chapter by not getting straight to the point at times, but it doesn’t hinder the chapter like some of its predecessors. Overall, this was a better chapter than the last few Cappon has written and it successfully ties in with the last chapter.