How's Your Queen's English?

The BBC has posted its new Style Guide online. It's part of their BBC Training site which offers classes on a variety of journalism-oriented classes.

It's a good style guide, although obviously UK-centric. I especially like the Cliches and Journalese section, which makes a point of slamming stupid phrases we hear every night on the evening news like:

Fighting for his/her life – the subject is probably unconscious in a hospital bed and making no attempt to do anything.

and

Death toll – why not simply say how many people have been killed?

Reminds me of Deloitte's "Clean Up The Bull" Bullfighter software and screen saver. Funny stuff.

-aB