Legal Writing

Word watch: doorstep as a verb

By Pam_Nelson

I ran across the word "doorstepped" in a story about a British journalist today. I didn't understand what it meant even in context. So I looked it up.

The Oxford English Dictionary offers this definition: of a press reporter, etc.; to call upon or wait on the doorstep for (someone), in order to obtain an interview, photograph, etc. Apparently this is primarily a British term, although the practice occurs elsewhere. 

That practice is one of the reasons I made a timid reporter when I was trying to be one early in my career. I just found it hard to talk to strangers on the phone or on the street.  I am grateful, as many readers should be, for the brave, confident reporters who can talk to strangers, even waiting for newsmakers to come out of their private houses and onto the public streets. I know that it's hard for many reporters to talk to people who are experiencing terrible news, and I admire those who can do it with grace and understanding. The paparazzi (from Italian) who make a living swarming over celebrities and newsmakers seem to find more courage in a pack, though, making their jobs less seemly.

Here is a story from the Guardian about the etiquette of doorstepping.

Full post as published by Triangle Grammar Guide on November 22, 2008 (boomark / email).