Guidance For All Stories: 'Under Fire,' & Other Such Clichés Are Banned

By Mark Memmott

Published March 15, 2019 at 11:02 AM EDT

The following was first posted on Oct. 30, 2018:

As we've said before, we should not use gun- or violence-related clichés in our reports — no matter the subject and especially not when another mass shooting is in the news.

Earlier this year, we posted a short list of such phrases:

- "Under fire." - "Shoot down." - "Stuck to his guns." - "Smoking gun." - "Gunning for." - "Hired gun." - "With guns blazing." - "War zone." - "Kill the [bill, proposal, plan ... etc.]."

This week, an organization called Grandparents Against Gun Violence sent us their longer collection, with suggested alternatives. It's posted here.

Addendum on March 15, 2019: This guidance applies to what we say on social media as well.

Mark Memmott

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.

See stories by Mark Memmott