Language tracker: 'Outrage' word of day

AUSTIN, Texas, March 24 (UPI) -- Since the AIG bonus story broke, U.S. news media have used the word "outrage" more than they did after the 2001 terrorist attacks, Global Language Monitor says.

"There is a feeling that the outrage is unprecedented, and the numbers certainly demonstrate the fact. The amount of anger and outrage as reflected in the media is, indeed, unprecedented," Paul JJ Payack, president and chief word analyst of the Global Language Monitor, said Tuesday.

The Austin, Texas, company said it monitored the use of the word after several significant events, including the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The word has been used most frequently in the past week, followed by the 2001 attacks, Katrina and the Iraq invasion.

The frequent use of the word by President Barack Obama, Cabinet members and top presidential aides, as well as leading members of Congress, about the AIG bonuses has contributed to its high total usage, the company said.