--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't be wrong in journalism. Take a…" description: "\"You can't be wrong in journalism. Take a wrong turn in journalism, and you are writing fiction. You can take a wrong turn in poetry, and something wond..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/eliza-griswold-20864_fiction_you-can-t-be-wrong-in-journalism-take-a_2995686.jpg" --- # You can't be wrong in journalism. Take a wrong turn in… ![“You can't be wrong in journalism. Take a wrong turn in journalism, and you are writing fiction. You can take a wrong turn in poetry, and something wonderful can happen.” quote by Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/eliza-griswold-20864_fiction_you-can-t-be-wrong-in-journalism-take-a_2995686.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/eliza-griswold-20864_fiction_you-can-t-be-wrong-in-journalism-take-a_2995686.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/eliza-griswold-20864_fiction_you-can-t-be-wrong-in-journalism-take-a_2995686.jpg) > “You can't be wrong in journalism. Take a wrong turn in journalism, and you are writing fiction. You can take a wrong turn in poetry, and something wonderful can happen.” [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mistakes in journalism become fiction; errors in poetry can create beauty. **In simple terms:** Wrong journalism makes lies; wrong poetry can be art. Key Takeaway Check facts rigorously, but allow creativity in art. Themes journalism poetry truth creativity Mood critical inquisitive Type ethical creative When to use this quote - newsrooms - creative writing workshops - literary criticism - media training Key Concepts ethical standards artistic license Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify a story under deadline pressure? - When is poetic license acceptable in nonfiction? A Different Perspective The line between fact and fiction can blur in fast news cycles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-wrong-2118932/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalism Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism-wrong-4730283/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Turn Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-journalism-645586/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fiction/) [Wrong Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-journalism-4730284/) [Wrong turn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-turn/) ## Related quotes > [When I entered politics, I took the only downward turn you could take from journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hightower/when-i-entered-politics-i-took-the-only-downward-turn-you-could-take/) [Jim Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hightower/) > [Anyone who says, 'Books don't change anything,' or - more commonly - that crime fiction is the wrong genre for promoting social change -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/anyone-who-says-books-don-t-change-anything-or-more-commonly-that/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [“Fiction is not fake, fiction is non-fiction in the wrong reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-koochagian/fiction-is-not-fake-fiction-is-non-fiction-in-the-wrong-reality/) [Sara Koochagian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-koochagian/) > [Made a wrong turn Once or twice Dug my way out Blood and fire Bad decisions That's alright Welcome to my silly life Mistreated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-nk/made-a-wrong-turn-once-or-twice-dug-my-way-out-blood-and-fire-bad-2/) [P!nk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-nk/) > [“When people raised families in that sterile environment, it produced directionless children who became directionless teenagers, then directionless adults. 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I had to learn a lot of life lessons and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-longoria/i-ve-always-been-confident-with-who-i-was-but-my-twenties-were-hard-i/) [Eva Longoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-longoria/) > [The vices of man, as full of horror as one might suppose them to be, contain the proof (if in nothing else but their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-vices-of-man-as-full-of-horror-as-one-might-suppose-them-to-be/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Made a wrong turn Once or twice Dug my way out Blood and fire Bad decisions That's alright Welcome to my Silly life Mistreated,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-nk/made-a-wrong-turn-once-or-twice-dug-my-way-out-blood-and-fire-bad/) [P!nk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-nk/) > [I navigated the world as a hedge maze of constant fear and worry in which I might take the wrong turn and jeopardize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-navigated-the-world-as-a-hedge-maze-of-constant-fear-and-worry-in/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-took-a-wrong-turn-on-the-way-to-the-bathroom-and-found-myself-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Eliza Griswold > [Speculation is a fool's game, but I've seen many political projections that look like the Taliban could hold most of the country, and possibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/speculation-is-a-fool-s-game-but-i-ve-seen-many-political-projections/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [If we think about folk forms, they belong to disenfranchised people, people who have not been allowed access to the poetry of literature or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/if-we-think-about-folk-forms-they-belong-to-disenfranchised-people/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [I can't imagine how Afghanistan's fall isn't going to be ten times faster than Iraq's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/i-can-t-imagine-how-afghanistan-s-fall-isn-t-going-to-be-ten-times/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [The most dangerous thing I've ever encountered was a run-in with Boko Haram around 2007 in a small town in Nigeria. I got caught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/the-most-dangerous-thing-i-ve-ever-encountered-was-a-run-in-with-boko/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [Poetry is a popular genre in Afghanistan. If you turned on the radio, there would be a poetry program that would be as popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/poetry-is-a-popular-genre-in-afghanistan-if-you-turned-on-the-radio/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [We know Jesus taught that if someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to the left. We know that Mohammed was sacked from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/we-know-jesus-taught-that-if-someone-slaps-you-on-the-right-cheek/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [Seeing the Afghan women in their burqas, it's easy to say, "Well, they're not as fully aware as I am, so why do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/seeing-the-afghan-women-in-their-burqas-it-s-easy-to-say-well-they-re/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [One of the things about landays is that they thrive in a modern context. Early on I went to this incredible Pashtun novelist, Mustafa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/one-of-the-things-about-landays-is-that-they-thrive-in-a-modern/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [Poetry isn't as relevant in the Western world as it is in Afghanistan. And not many people make time for something that doesn't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/poetry-isn-t-as-relevant-in-the-western-world-as-it-is-in-afghanistan/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [In most of the world, poetry has such a different reputation than it does in Western culture. Poetry is a popular genre in Afghanistan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/in-most-of-the-world-poetry-has-such-a-different-reputation-than-it/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [We know what war means, and we know what poverty means. 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I felt because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/i-was-surprised-by-the-level-of-sophistication-of-the-special/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [News isn't designed to talk about daily life in its nuances, but poetry is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/news-isn-t-designed-to-talk-about-daily-life-in-its-nuances-but/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [I worked with two young women translators. One died and the other received a death threat from the Taliban.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/i-worked-with-two-young-women-translators-one-died-and-the-other/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) [Explore all 30 Eliza Griswold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. 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It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't be wrong in journalism. Take a wrong turn in journalism, and you are writing fiction. 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