Journalese of the Day: Quietly

When a reporter writes that something was done “quietly,” it means he or she missed the story. (“The lazy bums didn’t send out a press release!”) Today’s illustration is in the July 31, 2016, Boston Sunday Globe’s p.1 top story, a real shocker, with the headline “Insiders turn to lobbying careers — After helping politicians win, consultants seek access for corporate clients. ” The story leads with Governor Charlie Baker’s criticism of train operator Keolis Commuter Services for lousy performance in Feb. 2015. It then reveals: “By July, Keolis had quietly hired Keyser Public Strategies, the communications firm founded by consultant Will Keyser, an architect of Baker’s winning campaign who remains a confidant of the governor.”

-Robert Skole