Saturday, December 5, 2009

Press Release in Metro Manila Newspapers Overstated?

By Jose Carillo
Even if you aren't very finicky with your English, you probably would find many of the press releases that see print in the major Metro Manila newspapers fluffy and overstated. Indeed, the major newspapers seem to have developed such a high tolerance for press releases that they hardly copyedit the material anymore for exaggerated or unsubstantiated claims, much less for wordiness, syntax, or style. And what used to be sacrosanct space for the paper's staple news and features now looks like free country for press releases—even if the material makes overblown claims and seriously runs roughshod over English grammar and usage.