One of the benefits of working out at the gym in the morning is that I get to catch the news on five different channels…all at the same time! It is interesting to compare the headlines and the order in which they air many of the same stories.

Today, of course, one of the main stories was the Conclave at the Vatican. Having never witnessed the process of determining a new Pope, I find these stories to be very interesing. I do, however, have some issues with the headlines that the stations have been airing with their stories.

This morning both CNN and Boston Channel 7 were both using the headline “Picking the Pope.” This just seems irreverent to me. Couldn’t these news station find a better alternative to ‘picking’? Off the top of my head I’ve got a few: selecting, choosing, determining…

Or better yet, why not use those “title” headlines that are so popular, like “Decision 05” or “Conclave 266”. I think maybe the writers should keep a thesaurus handy.

Remember… you can pick the Pope, you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick the Pope’s nose!