What “little-known” really means.

“Little-known” is journalese for “We missed the story.”

A perfect illustration of this was in a Boston Globe story July 9, 2020, with this lede:

“Four years ago, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh called on a little-known civilian oversight board to explore new ways to keep tabs on the city’s police force, monitor misconduct, and recommend policy reforms….But today, again amid national uproar over the police killings of Black people, the oversight panel known as CO-OP has little to show for itself.”

Little-known? The police board has been around for years, and suddenly The Boston Globe reveals that it hasn’t done a damn thing. Great reporting, Globe. Worthy of a Pulitzer Prize.

File under: Spotlight this.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/08/metro/bostons-police-review-board-was-primed-push-reforms-years-later-its-impact-is-negligible/