Newzak en · NOUN
Etymology
Blend of news + Muzak, coined by Malcolm Muggeridge.
Meanings
-
(derogatory, uncountable) News reporting that aims to entertain more than to inform.
The recording must exist somewhere in the vast archives of the BBC, but it wasn't particularly enlightening as far as Mugabe's negotiating position was concerned, and the report I based on it was one of those Newzak pieces[…]
2008, John Simpson, Not Quite World's End, page 421:[…]they go on, mile after mile, with ever more tarmac opening before them, and their radio alternating between Muzak, a melange of tunes, and Newzak, a melange of news items, both geared to counteracting anything in the nature of thought.
1985, Architectural Digest, volume 42, page 33:These pundits intone Newzak like priests each evening, every now and again breaking off for a 'message', this being the consumer aspect of Newzak[…]
1979, Malcolm Muggeridge, Things past, page 209:The thrust of the news service was unbiased reporting and presenting the complete picture. Critics reported that despite its claims, Fox News had not found a way to reinvent the news. Rather, it merely added to the saturation level. Newzak.
2003, Richard Hack, Clash of the titans, page 473:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newszak | alternative | lexicographic |