A newspaper consultant
mentioned this point in a workshop I attended a couple of weeks ago. I
think it's a good one for people who work with words to
remember.
Just because someone else has said the same thing
doesn't mean it's not worth saying.
This was applied
specifically to headlines in the workshop. If many newspapers use the same
headline -- or a very similar one -- that doesn't automatically mean the
headline is bad. Many will invoke the copy editing monster of
"cliche."
We should avoid cliches. I agree. But they are ultimately
part of our language, part of the day-to-day discourse of millions of
people. When push comes to shove, then, we shouldn't act like robots. Take
it on a case-by-case basis. (And yes, I realize there were two cliches in
this paragraph. So what.)
Thus, "Thanks for the Memories" as a
headline for Bob Hope's obituary is not necessarily a bad headline. Yes,
the phrase is a cliche. Yes, lots and lots and lots and lots of newspapers
used it. But I bet many readers liked it. I doubt a significant number
looked at A1 and said "Too bad my newspaper is so
unoriginal."
Sometimes, I realize, I sound flippant about editing
matters. I take this seriously. We should watch and know every time a
significant cliche is used in a story or a headline. We should have an
excellent reason to use it. But if the reason exists, if the cliche (or
its brother, the "obvious" headline) is apt, run the headline.
We
have nothing to be ashamed of.