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Voting Scandal Mars Motto Election!

By Roy Peter Clark

RELATED

"Cast Your Vote: Six-Word Journalism Mottos" "Motto in Journalism: In Six Words"

It appears that Florida has done it again: botched another election, that is, without benefit of early primaries or hanging chads. Poynter Online now acknowledges that it goofed last Friday by choosing finalists for the six-word motto contest before the deadline for applications had been reached. To correct this injustice, Poynter has taken the following steps:

1.) We are letting the results of the first election stand, which provides us with a winner and two finalists.

2.) The "late" entries have been gathered and consolidated by Poynter staff. Below you will find a list of finalists from which we've selected an additional winner and two additional runners up.

So, in short, we've created a parallel voting universe. Both winners and all four runners up -- six in all -- will receive signed copies of "Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer." Thank you all for your participation, as motto authors and or voters.

Now please get back to work! (Hey, that's six words.)

Winners from both rounds:

• Doing more with less since 1690. -- Ken Fuson, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register. (From first election)
• Window to your world. No shades. -- Lonny Cain, The Times, Ottawa, Ill. (From second election)

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Runners-up from both rounds:

• Curiosity: Kills cats; pays our wages. -- James Ball, City University, London
• Hurry, the bar is closing soon. -- Charlie Gillis, Maclean's Magazine
• They'll miss us when we're gone. -- Scott Powers, Patrick McGeehan, Matthew Jones, John Davenport
• Who, what, when, where, why, Web. -- Greg Phillips, The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer
  

Finalists from Round 2:

• Don't scratch the surface, dig deep. -- Maria Angelica Kaltwasser, Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile
  
• Say typo and I'll hurt you. -- Martha Vasquez, Richard Gahr High School in Cerritos, Calif. 
• Write. Edit. Submit. Rinse and repeat. -- Chris Feng, Richard Gahr High School
  
• Journalism, like crime, does not pay. -- Mark Rentfro, Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas
• If you don't ask, who will? -- Lonny Cain, The Times, Ottawa, Ill. 
• Don't know? We can find out. -- Mark Howe, The Papers, Inc. 
• Read wide, think smart, write well. -- Alphonce Shiundu, Nation Media Group
• Seek the truth, write with reverence. -- Boram Lee, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
  

Finalists from Round 1: (For voting percentages, see below)

• We'll always have Paris ... or Britney. -- Jim McPherson, Whitworth University
• It's how I change the world. -- Nick Escobar, The Elgin (Ill.) Courier News
• Get it right, write it tight. -- Margaret McDonald, McDonald Wordsmith Communications
• Feed the watchdog, euthanize the lapdog. -- Roy Peter Clark
• Facts, schmacts ... how is my hair? -- Kathy Sweeney, anchor/investigative reporter, Heartland News
• Dirty commie latte-sipping liberal scum. -- Ryan Kelly, Christopher Newport University
• Please stop griping, now start typing. -- Jeff Unger, University of Illinois

Finalists from Alice Ferguson's students at the University of Louisiana

• Society's diary that keeps no secrets. -- Tanya Ardoin
• Add spice but keep it concise. -- Megan Wyatt
• The newshound is society's best friend. -- Eze Onukwube
• Just call me Scoop Doggy Dog -- Helen Kreamer
  

Middle school finalists, from Carwise Middle School in Palm Harbor, Fla.:

• Remember to get your story straight. -- SP
• Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, plagiarize! -- LD

Results as of 4/29/08 2:06PM

Full post as published by Writing Tools on April 29, 2008 (boomark / email).