As journalists, editors and writers we spend a lot of time seeking out the views of others and putting them into print. But we have our own views and values that shape how we do things and it seems reasonable to share some of these. Many of these sayings grew out of monthly mailings to public relations professionals who deal with Accounting Technology. Here are some sayings from chairman Bob
Our first job as journalists is—above all—not to bore the reader. We are first, and foremost, story tellers.
Technology is just a tool.
Good writing starts with verbs. Bad writing relies on adjectives.
All journalists are sales people. We buy information. We sell trust.
Quality is contagious.
Report the truth. Accept the consequences.
Of the W’s, who, what, when, where, and why, why is by far the most important. It separates us from the recording secretaries.
Specificity is next to godliness. Accuracy is godliness.
The reader is our hero.
Facts are a matter of opinion.
Most people don’t want fair, objective reporting. They want somebody who validates their positions.
We enable our readers to look inside the other person’s medicine cabinet.
If there’s a question a journalist believes they can’t ask, it’s the one they absolutely must ask.
All behavior has meaning. Find out what it is, and you can make better decisions.
No one will ever accuse a journalist of misquoting them if, by changing the language, the person quoted looks smarter, sounds better, and gets their message across.
Somebody will tell us what we want to know if we just have time to find that person.
The questions we ask vendors selling services and products cannot possibly be as tough as the questions asked by the people whose businesses are on the line when they handle those products and services.
If you don’t make a mistake once in a while, you’re not trying hard enough.
