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A Dog’s Nose is More Than A Metaphor

Multimedia platforms is one way to describe the current way news is presented to the public. There are others.  Last week, Lisa Lynch presented the options as a challenge of definitions.

Today has been called new media, multi-media, convergent, web, cross platform, digital, online. There is no consensus on what to call today’s media situation, but do we really need a definition or a name?

Writers are always looking for alternative ways to say the same word, so when it comes to new media, multi-media, convergent, web, cross platform, digital, online, and whatever else, repitition is alot easier to avoid.

Right after mentioning multimedia platforms in the course schedule is a question. ”Does media affect story choice?”

This may have nothing to do with finding a definition, but it does indirectly explain the title of this blog post.

Earlier today in advanced writing workshop, we discussed the George Orwell article, “Politics And The Englsih Language.” 

The second  section called ”Dying Metaphors” sounded a warning to not use outdated expressions.  According tou members of our class, old, stale metaphors  don’t provoke enough imagery in the reader’s mind. The example iron resolution was given. The teacher added that metaphors need to bring something new to the table.

I bring this up because the metaphor mess made me a bit self conscious  when I was considering a title for this blog post. My first thought was          New Nose To The Grindstone. Outdated?  I didn’t think so after spotting a dog doing some sniffing along Ste. Catherine Street, but then I realized that this was not about a dog. That would be “sniffing one’s own turf.”

So, I looked up the grindstone phrase on phrase finder and learned. 

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/217200.html

Origin(s)….. Nose To The Grindstone

“There are two rival explanations as to the origin of this phrase. One is that it comes from the supposed habit of millers who checked that the stones used for grinding cereal weren’t overheating by putting their nose to the stone in order to smell any burning. The other is that it comes from the practice of knife grinders when sharpening blades to bend over the stone, or even to lie flat on their fronts, with their faces near the grindstone in order to hold the blades against the stone.”

“Dogs sniffing their own turf” and “nose to the grindstone” do share something in common. They both require a gret deal of focus. If you mess up as a miller, your nose will no longer be a nose, so you better pay attention.

A dog thinks with its nose. I remember reading somewhere that a canine’s smell gene is the equivalent of three football fields. I’m not sure what this means, but it makes alot of snese when walking a dog or when I’m walked by a dog. Their pull is almost unbearable especially when the sidewalk is an ice skating rink.  

When it comes to researching and editing a story, there are moments when I feel like a dog or a miller. My survival instinct takes over and that moment arrives.   

Media relies on fellow media outlets maybe too much. In radio class, we were always encouraged to listen to the headlines from other stations. In print, the stories we pitch need to be newsworthy. Is this determined by a New York Times headline? Can’t we keep our noses to the grindstone-sniff our own turf and as a result delve deep into whatever we discover? Can’t we find our own stories to pitch and write without being dependent on the media for ideas?

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