Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Grant says: "Drop all titles. Just use everybody's first name or nickname and go forward."

This is in the spirit of what I would say, if not in the specifics. I think we need to let go of the idea that the news media needs to use any titles at all before names of elected officials or candidates. But I've said that before, and I won't belabor it here.

The only thing I would add is that using someone's family name instead of his or her given name offers a better sense of arm's length dealing. Given names are too pally and intimate. So when directly addressing them face-to-face, I think the news media could go with "Mr. Obama" and "Mr. Romney" (I see no reason to treat them differently.) And when referring to them in the third person, "Obama" and "Romney" with no titles is fine (after full identification on first reference, of course: "Barack H. Obama II, the U.S. president," and "W. Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for president."