Journalese of the Day: More than 50 residents, leaders and stalwarts “huddle” with mayor in private, closed door meetings.

Instead of saying something happened “quietly”, a reporter who missed a story can say it was “private” and behind “closed doors.” Here’s a beautiful example from the Boston Globe, Aug. 19, 2015, about our Boston mayor who can accomplish a politician’s dream of holding a meeting of “more than 50 guests” and keeping it “private”. And he’s been having such meetings for over a year, without the Globe’s reporting it. The story quotes three of the guests who, the Globe reports, “…asked not to be identified because the meeting was private.” Wow! Talk of loyalty to the mayor by his guests — and the Globe. The story’s print edition headline: “Walsh prepares for race dialogue — Private, multiracial meetings gathering range of opinions.”

The story’s first grafs:

“Over the past year, Mayor Martin J. Walsh has been huddling with residents, community leaders, and political stalwarts in closed-door discussions on Boston’s racial climate as he prepares for citywide dialogues on an issue that has rattled this city.

“One of those meetings occurred Wednesday at the Parkman House on Beacon Hill, where Walsh convened more than 50 guests from different races — blacks, whites, Asians, and Latinos, according to three people who were there.

“Bonnie McGilpin, the mayor’s spokeswoman, said Thursday that the private meetings are expected to continue soon…

“The three guests who were among those who attended the private session at the Parkman House described a respectful, spirited, and productive meeting that touched on how Boston has changed, busing, and the racial wealth gap. They asked not to be identified because the meeting was private.”