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Piece

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Ric Flair guy, Jan 14, 2009.

  1. Ric Flair guy

    Ric Flair guy Member

    When did it become so fashionable to refer to stories or columns as a "piece?" It's mostly fellow journalists, but for some reason it bothers me. "Check out the John Doe's piece about high school basketball." "Wow, real nice piece in this week's SI about the NFL."

    This is probably the most worthless thread ever, but I was wondering if anyone has any insight into the origin of the word "piece" as it pertains to stories or columns. When I think of the word piece, the three things that come to my mind are hot chics, guns and cake -- not insightful, well reasearched and informative journalism.
     
  2. I haven't heard journalists use that word. I've only heard it on TV or movies.
     
  3. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member


    WOOOOOO!
     
  4. Some Guy

    Some Guy Active Member

    Really? I hear that all the time. All the time.

    And the original poster is right. This IS the most worthless thread ever :)
     
  5. Joe Williams

    Joe Williams Well-Known Member

    I hear it all the time too. Always struck me as sort of Front Page-ish, something from a screwball comedy by way of a fast-talking newsroom of the '30s or '40s.

    The general public uses them all -- story, article, piece -- and often misuses the term "column," applying it to everything they read in the paper or online. But I'll take a dumb civilian's misuse of column over what I too often hear coming from columnists themselves: Constant references to "MY column" this and "MY column" that. I have witness newspaper employees who, when introduced to someone as "a writer for the Bumfuck Bugle," immediately corrects the person by saying, "a COLUMNIST for the Bumfuck Bugle." Always struck me as Barney Fife sniffing and hitching up his gun belt, trying to broaden his non-existent shoulders.

    But piece? I'm at peace with piece.
     
  6. Stitch

    Stitch Active Member

    Sounds like the editor for the Deseret News who mentioned his grandmother had a column. Of course the editor had no journalism training before taking the job, so he had to drum up something. His grandfather was editor of the paper as well.
     
  7. Readers often refer to an article I've written as a piece. Sadly, it's usually followed by "of shit."
     
  8. Mediator

    Mediator Member

    "of ass."
     
  9. Sneed

    Sneed Guest

    I hear and use the word piece plenty. Never struck me as a big deal or pretentious.
     
  10. EE94

    EE94 Guest

    a couple of guesses - and purely so -

    - its derived from somethign like "a piece of news"
    I have a piece of news, or some such, translating into a piece for a newspaper

    - A reluctance to use the word "story", because it implies something fictitous, so a synonym was found

    I hear, and use, "piece" all the time
     
  11. Drip

    Drip Active Member

    I prefer piece to write-up.
     
  12. txsportsscribe

    txsportsscribe Active Member

    all we are saying is give piece a chance
     
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