Published December 24, 2025

Imagine paying for a Costco membership just to shop only in the small area near the checkout lines. No buying items along the far wall. Nothing from the many aisles in between.

Nope, no hot dogs. No sodas. Nothing from the food court. That’s not a proper meal.

One shopping cart. No need to bring a friend. Get in, get out.

Inspired by holiday consumerism, this is my metaphor today for having the entirety of the English language available to you, especially with a new dictionary, and limiting yourself to the most restrictive way of using the language.

You might as well go to a mom-and-pop.

If you want your editors fact-checking, vetting, verifying — and doing all of the other things necessary for gaining and keeping your readers’ trust — you should free them from zombie rules and other grammar myths that waste their time and energy. Give them full use of the language. Your readers are already there. Forget what you think you know about “proper English.” Read a usage guide written in the past 30 years.

Focus on what will keep you employed and keep your news organization relevant — and in business. Let go of the rest. Journalism is being crushed by the rapidly closing walls of the Death Star trash bin. Humans can do only so much.

As always, context matters. Someone editing medical writing will have different standards than someone editing sports analysis. A person editing romance novels won’t work the way someone editing technical writing would.

That’s all. Hashtag editing-tips. I’m running out of ways to say it.

Sending love. Protect your peace.

Editing to add:

Merriam Christmas

— Merriam-Webster (@merriam-webster.com) December 25, 2025 at 6:50 AM

Image by richardernestyap via Shutterstock.

♥

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