Poynter is running a contest to find, just for fun and enlightenment, a six-word motto for journalism. Winner gets a copy of Poynter faculty member Roy Peter Clark’s excellent book, “Writing Tools: 50 Essential
Strategies for Every Writer.”
Clark is running the contest and describes it in his column, Motto for Journalism — in Six Words. He asks that entries be emailed to him at rclark@poynter.org by this Friday. He wants the mottos to describe “the purpose, mission, genius, tragedy, poverty and general condition
of contemporary journalism.”
Give it a try. See what you come up with. Tell Clark you’re a student, and maybe he’ll create a special student category, recognizing voices that are the future of the profession.
The rules:
1. The motto must be about journalism, but does not have to contain the word journalism.
2. The motto must be exactly six words long, not five, not seven.
3. Multiple entries from the same writer are OK.
4. The deadline for entries is: Friday, April 25, at noon EST.
5. Poynter is free to publish, or not, any entry.
Here are six mottos from Clark, to get you started:
–Last one out, turn off lights.
–If it doesn’t fit, edit it.
–Need more Knight, but less Ridder.
–All the news no longer fits.
–See no evil, write no story.
–Feed the watchdog, euthanize the lapdog.
Good luck.
