As Howard Beale famously declared in Network (1976), I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more!
The kind of sensational, emotional news delivery that propelled Mr. Beale to the top of the ratings is exactly what we try to avoid at The Cold Take. These words convey opinion, evoke emotion and beg for clicks. They are almost always used to influence your thoughts on a subject. Many are so overused that they no longer carry any significant meaning. So here is a list of words we have Nope’d from our lexicon and if you catch us using one of them, ask yourself why. Think of one we missed? Contact Rich Directly or comment on our socials.
- Exaggeration Of Circumstances
- Crisis
- Bombshell
- Shocking twist
- Explosive revelation
- Stunning development
- Unprecedented chaos
- Meltdown
- Firestorm
- Frenzy
- Uproar
- Political Smears
- Radical
- Extreme
- Far-right / far-left
- Fringe
- Fascist / Nazi (Outside of WWII Stories)
- Neo-Nazi
- Racist (unless it is self-ascribed)
- Authoritarian
- Dangerous rhetoric
- Threat to democracy
- Regime (in reference to administration)
- Conjecture (We Only Report What We Can Prove)
- Allegedly
- Likely / possibly / could signal
- Insiders say
- Sources familiar with the matter
- According to people close to the situation
- Raises questions
- Sparks concerns
- Fuels speculation
- Majority Opinion As Facts
- Many believe
- Critics say
- Experts warn
- Troubling trend
- Widespread outrage
- Deeply concerning
- Hard-line stance
- Softening position
- Words To Make You Afraid
- Looming disaster
- Existential threat
- On the brink
- Tipping point
- Spiraling
- Catastrophic failure
- Collapse imminent
- Unsubstantiated Exaggeration
- Massive increase
- Huge drop
- Skyrocketing
- Plummeting
- Record-breaking
- Historic