Yes, I do vaguely remember that probably newspaper editors would not favor the expression of "a lot of this" or "a lot of that" because it seems too vernacular or casual, but of course sometimes it is easier to use these conversational terms because regular people understand what you mean, even if finicky grammarians might not approve.
And also, I have no idea why the people of Ohio or somebody always seem to be chattering about a "lot." I really have no idea what that means or why should care.
Substituting wrong words for right words to obscure the meaning does nothing to clarify this matter.
