Wednesday, March 14, 2012

If You Didn't Write it, Don't Put Your Byline on It

It's that simple: If you didn't write it, don't put your byline on it.  Even if you changed a couple of words, you still didn't write it, so don't put your byline on it. For example, don't put your byline on a news release that the sheriff's department sends to television stations, a half-dozen newspapers in the region and its own website  --  it's going to become evident to everyone in town that you put your byline on stuff you didn't write. The lede, "The Highlands County Sheriff's Office is requesting the public's assistance in locating three missing, endangered juveniles" brings up 39 results in Google.  After OWW does her thing, that'll be 40.



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