Bogart’s Rule
John B. Bogart
When a dog bites a man, that is not news because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that is news.
Dumas’s Law
Alexandre Dumas
Nothing succeeds like success.
Falk’s Distinction
Richard R. Falk
Some people in the world are important. All the rest wish they were.
Gresham’s Law
Thomas Gresham
Bad money drives out good - meaning that debased or underweight coins will drive good money out of circulation as people squirrel away the more valuable coins in mattresses and other hiding places.
Koppett’s Observation
Leonard Koppett
A simple story, however inaccurate or misleading, is preferred to a complicated explanation, however true.
Rubin’s First Law
Louis D. Rubin
All writers are neurotics, but not all neurotics are writers.
Santayana’s Law
George Santayana
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
Stolley’s Law
Dick Stolley
Younger is better than older, pretty is better than ugly, TV is better than music, music is better than movies, movies is better than sports, anything is better than politics, and p.s. - nothing is better than a dead celebrity.
Sturgeon’s Law
Theodore Sturgeon
Ninety percent of everything is crud.
The Lindley Rule for Reporting
Ernest K. Lindley
The reporter must take complete responsibility for whatever he or she writes without giving any hint of the source of the information that has been provided on the basis of “not for attribution” or as “deep background.”
