Squrrels: Don't Gush

Gush is what we refer to as journalistic sensationalism and exaggeration. While we do strive to use colorful language, those words must be based on the facts and be in a proper context.

I don't think this lede fits that standard:

There is a squirrel apocalypse and our cars are in danger!

That's a pretty strong stance for a situation where squirrels are chewing through electrical wires, and not ending the world as we know it. Now, if squirrels were going around and destroying buildings and overturning cars and killing large numbers of people, then calling it an apocalypse may be justified.

But all this lede does is hype up what really is an annoyance. Yeah, people are getting some three-figure car bills, but no one is dead. No one is even hurt. It's far from an apocalypse.

Let's be sure we never gush. In public relations we sensationalize to draw attention. In journalism we draw attention based on the facts in proper context. We don't exaggerate just to draw eyeballs.