close

About

Buzzwords are frequently used in news media. These are words that do not typically occur in everyday speech, but are common among newscasters, talking heads, and pundits on cable news.

These ‘news words’ are accepted by audiences for their implied meaning. But often loaded words are misused or used out of context. The actual definitions can be different than what is implied.

Newswordy is a growing collection of these words, updated every weekday. Along with each word is a definition, a quote with its use (or misuse) in the media, and a news and Twitter feed on the subject.

Designed and curated by Josh Smith + oak. Powered by Siteleaf.

Newswordy

Malfeasance.

Wrongdoing, esp. by a public official.

Wallace was also known for pioneering the ‘ambush’ interview, presenting his unsuspecting interviewee with evidence of malfeasance—often obtained by hidden camera—then capturing the stunned reaction. Two of the more famous exposes in this genre that used hidden cameras were investigations of a phony cancer clinic and a laboratory offering Medicaid kickbacks to doctors. Presenting interviewees with their own misdeeds became a ‘60 Minutes’ staple, but the hidden camera and ambush were later shunned as they were widely imitated, and even Wallace admitted their use was to ‘create heat, rather than light.’

CBS News