Man bites dog (journalism)
Encyclopedia
The phrase man bites dog is a shortened version of an aphorism in journalism
which describes how an unusual, infrequent event is more likely to be reported as news than an ordinary, everyday occurrence with similar consequences, such as a dog biting a person ("dog bites man"). An event is usually considered more newsworthy if there is something unusual about it; a commonplace event is less likely to be seen as newsworthy, even if the consequences of both events have objectively similar outcomes. The result is that rarer events more often appear as news stories, while commoner events appear less often, thus distorting the perceptions of news consumers of what constitutes "normal" rates of occurrence.
The phenomenon is also described in the journalistic saying, "You never read about a plane that did not crash".
The phrase was coined by Alfred Harmsworth, a British newspaper magnate, but is also attributed to New York Sun
editor John B. Bogart (1848–1921): "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." The quote is also attributed to Charles Anderson Dana
(1819–1897).
ran a story titled "Man bites dog" about a San Francisco man who bit his own dog.
Reuters ran a story, "It's News! Man Bites Dog", about a man biting a dog in December 2007.
A 2008 story of a boy biting a dog in Brazil had news outlets quoting the phrase.
In 2010, NBC Connecticut ran a story about a man who bit a police dog, prefacing it with, "It's often said, if a dog bites a man it's not news, but if a man bites a dog, you've got a story. Well, here is that story."
In 2011, a California man bit a snake, and news accounts made reference to the phrase in their reportage.
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
which describes how an unusual, infrequent event is more likely to be reported as news than an ordinary, everyday occurrence with similar consequences, such as a dog biting a person ("dog bites man"). An event is usually considered more newsworthy if there is something unusual about it; a commonplace event is less likely to be seen as newsworthy, even if the consequences of both events have objectively similar outcomes. The result is that rarer events more often appear as news stories, while commoner events appear less often, thus distorting the perceptions of news consumers of what constitutes "normal" rates of occurrence.
The phenomenon is also described in the journalistic saying, "You never read about a plane that did not crash".
The phrase was coined by Alfred Harmsworth, a British newspaper magnate, but is also attributed to New York Sun
New York Sun (historical)
The Sun was a New York newspaper that was published from 1833 until 1950. It was considered a serious paper, like the city's two more successful broadsheets, The New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune...
editor John B. Bogart (1848–1921): "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." The quote is also attributed to Charles Anderson Dana
Charles Anderson Dana
Charles Anderson Dana was an American journalist, author, and government official, best known for his association with Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War and his aggressive political advocacy after the war....
(1819–1897).
Examples of use in journalism
In 2000, the Santa Cruz SentinelSanta Cruz Sentinel
The Santa Cruz Sentinel is a daily newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California, covering Santa Cruz County, California, and owned by MediaNews Group Inc....
ran a story titled "Man bites dog" about a San Francisco man who bit his own dog.
Reuters ran a story, "It's News! Man Bites Dog", about a man biting a dog in December 2007.
A 2008 story of a boy biting a dog in Brazil had news outlets quoting the phrase.
In 2010, NBC Connecticut ran a story about a man who bit a police dog, prefacing it with, "It's often said, if a dog bites a man it's not news, but if a man bites a dog, you've got a story. Well, here is that story."
In 2011, a California man bit a snake, and news accounts made reference to the phrase in their reportage.