taken to hospital, not hospitalised
writer, wrote, not author, authored
defence, not defense
licence (noun), license (verb)
ie I am licensed to drive, I have a driving licencecentre, not center
theatre, not theater
glamour, not glamor
but glamorouslabour, not labor
but Labor Party in Australiarubbish, not garbage
post-mortem, not autopsy
car park, not parking lot
meet, not meet with
give evidence, not take the stand
realise, not realize
organise/organisation, not organize/organization
pushchair, not stroller
gunman, not shooter
politicians and MPs, not lawmakers
pleaded guilty, not pled guilty
the Met: Avoid unless under extreme duress. We are City News, not an episode of The Bill. Write Metropolitan Police on first reference and in headline. Use 'the force', 'officers' etc on second reference. Avoid using 'the Met' in writing wherever possible. And use singular when referring to a specific force, not plural.
We are a London-based outlet; we don't need to explain the Metropolitan Police is a London police force, it's obvious.
that: 90% of the time, "that" can be dropped and your copy will be none the worse
it comes/it follows: Often used, rarely grammatically correct
is set to: Only if it is a jelly on a plate. Don’t say "the Government is set to..." Think of alternatives.
bid, probe, pledge, axe, plea, quiz, clash, boost, unveil, slammed, caged: all cliches that show lack of creativity
hikes: workers get pay rises
elevator: use lift
slammed: use criticised, we are not a tabloid
reform: Try changes
star: Try to avoid lines like "the TV star". If the name is big enough, there is no need to add the star tag.
soccer bad boy: Avoid editorialising and any similar tabloid-style judgemental labels.
local government: use only under duress
floral tributes: use flowers
took to social media: use posted on X (formerly Twitter) or posted on Instagram etc
first ever: usually just first is fine
broad daylight
sleepy village
emotional/tearful appeal
residential properties: use homes
completely destroyed: simply use destroyed
green light: press release speak
mixed reaction: Lazy and overused. Try to be creative
launched: Barely a day goes by without some report or investigation being launched. Rockets are launched. Plans aren’t.
helping police with their enquiries: Try being questioned, interviewed or held
police are hunting: On horses? Blowing their trumpets?
shot by armed police: as opposed to being shot by unarmed police?
armed gunmen: as opposed to unarmed gunmen?
brutal murder/rape: Avoid brutal. You don't get gentle murders
fatally injured: use killed
full-scale search/murder inquiry: They are rarely small-scale investigations.
detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure: Go for sent to prison for life
drugs worth £XXX or with a street value of: Instead, say which police say are worth £XXX.
member of the public: Try people, by-standers, eyewitnesses