I’ve been asked this question numerous time by readers in the States as well as internationally.  The question is usually written like this:

Why are Representatives called “Congressman” but Senators are not when both Representatives and Senators are in the Congress?

My answer:  Yeah. (Big Sigh) Don’t get me started on that.  I hear it all the time too.  The interviewer will start out using the word Representative once, and then switches to Congressman throughout the interview.  Yet, as you say, Senators are in the US Congress as well, but they’re never called “Congressman.”  Why is that? This makes absolutely no sense at all and the media are notorious for using “Congressman” instead of Representative, which is their official title.  Just add it to more insanity. 

Official titles and official names are rarely used, just like with the nation’s capital.  The media rarely use the official name for the nation’s capital:  District of Columbia.  No, I’m not going to go into that again.  Just read the top of the page.

If I talked about Representatives and Senators in articles on a regular basis, I would rebel by using “Congressman/woman” for both Representatives and Senators, regardless of what the herd is doing.  So there.

As my choral friend said, “Good luck changing that!”  And he’s right.  Incorrect language along with mispronunciations are brainwashed into most of the media.  They use it on automatic pilot without thinking regardless of network. 

National Public Radio — or is that National Pentagon Radio since they refuse to refer to Gaza as a genocide? — did the same yesterday afternoon.  The host of ATC started out with “Representative” yet throughout her interview she used “Congressman.”  Scream! (Big Sigh).