Definition

Noun: * A period, typically in late summer, when news media publish exaggerated or trivial stories due to a lack of significant hard news.

Usage

This term is used to describe a specific time in the news cycle, often coinciding with a parliamentary recess or holiday period, when serious news is scarce. Consequently, journalists and editors focus on light-hearted, sensational, or frivolous stories to fill space.

Examples

• The tabloids are full of stories about alien sightings and celebrity pets; it must be the silly season.
• With parliament on break, political journalists often find themselves covering minor scandals during the silly season.
• The editor complained that the silly season made it difficult to find substantive front-page news.

Advanced Usage

• The term can sometimes be used metaphorically outside of journalism to describe any period characterized by frivolous activity or a lack of serious business.
  • The office enters its own silly season every December, with endless holiday parties and very little work getting done.

Variants and Related Words

• Silly (adj): Having or showing a lack of common sense or judgment; absurd and foolish.
• Season (n): A period of the year characterized by particular conditions or activities.

Synonyms

• Slow news period
• The dog days (of journalism)

Antonyms

• News-heavy period
• Time of crisis
• Breaking news cycle

Related Idioms

• Filler material: Content used to fill space when important news is lacking, a common feature of the silly season.
• Fluff piece: A light, entertaining news story that lacks depth, often published during the silly season.

Noun

1. a time usually late summer characterized by exaggerated news stories about frivolous matters for want of real news