"Passed away"

Apologies if this has been addressed here recently, but I'm curious: I'm seeing "passed away" in place of "died" all over the place lately, including on the AP wire. Has AP style on this changed? I remember profs banging away at this in college; people die, leave the euphemisms for others. Thoughts?

 

Rule hasn't changed as far as I know. It's more likely a combination of laziness and news outlets laying off/phasing out a lot of the people who used to give a damn about that kind of stuff ...

 

Yeah, journalism passed away.

 

Worse is when the head just says "passed" or "passes."

Why are people uncomfortable using the word died?

 

I think it's because we're becoming a fact-repellent society. Facts are facts. But it seems they're being paired with qualifiers and other phrases and whatnot, as if to 'be nice?' Dead. Died. Is dying. WTF does pass away mean. Pass away to what? Death.

 

At least they didn't used "expired." Always makes me think they're talking about milk ...

 

died.

 

Think I mentioned this the last time the subject was discussed, but a local serviceman died early last year from wounds he suffered in Afghanistan. Huge news in our small town, of course. The local daily ran the story at the top of A-1 with a "[soldier's name] DIES" hed, and absolutely got the crap ripped out of them by people who felt that it was "insensitive."

Dunno. Maybe it's just me, but if I'd just lost my husband/father/coworker, I think I'd have more serious issues on my mind than how the story looked in the newspaper. Would "passes away" have made the news any easier to bear? Not on my planet.

 

Because of the wussification of America.

 

I hate the phrase "passed away."

I prefer "has gone to be with Jesus."

 

"bleedin' demised"

 

"has moved on to the heavenly mansion"?
"is in a greater place"?
"is singing with the angels"?