--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Journalists say that when a dog bites a…" description: "\"Journalists say that when a dog bites a man, that is not news, but when a man bites a dog, that is news ... Thanks to the mathematics of combinatorics,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/steven-pinker-526_bites_journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a_1225939.jpg" --- # Journalists say that when a dog bites a man, that is not… ![“Journalists say that when a dog bites a man, that is not news, but when a man bites a dog, that is news ... Thanks to the mathematics of combinatorics, we will never run out of news.” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/steven-pinker-526_bites_journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a_1225939.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/steven-pinker-526_bites_journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a_1225939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/steven-pinker-526_bites_journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a_1225939.jpg) > “Journalists say that when a dog bites a man, that is not news, but when a man bites a dog, that is news ... Thanks to the mathematics of combinatorics, we will never run out of news.” [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. News value depends on rarity and surprise; unusual events attract attention. **In simple terms:** Unusual stories become news. Key Takeaway Seek novelty to capture interest. Themes media surprise attention Mood analytical curious Type informative critical When to use this quote - breaking news - viral stories - unexpected events Key Concepts information theory journalism Questions to Reflect On - Why do we prioritize oddities? - How does novelty shape perception? A Different Perspective Not all rare events are newsworthy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Bites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bites/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Dog bite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog-bite/) [Dog Bites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog-bites-641108/) [Dog News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog-news-926943/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Journalists Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalists-say-2526355/) [Man News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-news-1030141/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Mathematics Combinatorics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics-combinatorics-3771569/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Thanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thanks/) ## Related quotes > [When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-dana/when-a-dog-bites-a-man-that-is-not-news-but-when-a-man-bites-a-dog/) [Charles A. Dana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-dana/) > [What's wan man's news is another man's throubles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finley-peter-dunne/what-s-wan-man-s-news-is-another-man-s-throubles/) [Finley Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finley-peter-dunne/) > [Dogs need to sniff the ground; it's how they keep abreast of current events. The ground is a giant dog newspaper, containing all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/dogs-need-to-sniff-the-ground-it-s-how-they-keep-abreast-of-current/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [When I say PSG is the club close to my heart, I don't want journalists to say, 'He can't say that!' But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-aurier/when-i-say-psg-is-the-club-close-to-my-heart-i-don-t-want-journalists/) [Serge Aurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-aurier/) > [Journalists say a thing that they know isn't true, in the hope that if they keep on saying it long enough it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/journalists-say-a-thing-that-they-know-isn-t-true-in-the-hope-that-if/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [A lot of journalists say, "Tell us about the '80s." Nobody wants to know about the '70s!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grandmaster-flash-and-the-furious-five/a-lot-of-journalists-say-tell-us-about-the-80s-nobody-wants-to-know/) [Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grandmaster-flash-and-the-furious-five/) > [“You wouldn't," Neil said. "Not in front of all these people." "I do not care if they see," Riko said. "A dog who bites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-sakavic/you-wouldn-t-neil-said-not-in-front-of-all-these-people-i-do-not-care/) [Nora Sakavic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-sakavic/) > [“Good-bye, Cadan,' I said, backing out the door. 'If I hear anything new, I’ll come to you.' 'Be careful,' I warned. 'My guard dog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-allison-moulton/good-bye-cadan-i-said-backing-out-the-door-if-i-hear-anything-new-i/) [Courtney Allison Moulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-allison-moulton/) > [If a dog bites once thats the dog's fault. If the dog bites you twice its your fault…So I'm not bothering the dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-dog-bites-once-thats-the-dog-s-fault-if-the-dog-bites-you-twice/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The Vick dogs are, after all, still simply dogs. Dogs of all breeds and backgrounds run into the street and get struck by cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gorant/the-vick-dogs-are-after-all-still-simply-dogs-dogs-of-all-breeds-and/) [Jim Gorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gorant/) > [“Most dog bites to children are delivered by intact males. As the old saying goes, if there are children in the house, there should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-dodman/most-dog-bites-to-children-are-delivered-by-intact-males-as-the-old/) [Nicholas Dodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-dodman/) > [If a dog bites you get rabies , if a man bites you get babies!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saurabh-chaudhari/if-a-dog-bites-you-get-rabies-if-a-man-bites-you-get-babies/) [Saurabh Chaudhari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saurabh-chaudhari/) > [Little dogs bite more than big dogs but they get away with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/little-dogs-bite-more-than-big-dogs-but-they-get-away-with-it/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [Other dogs bite only their enemies, whereas I bite also my friends in order to save them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/other-dogs-bite-only-their-enemies-whereas-i-bite-also-my-friends-in/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [You can tell your dog to bite my leg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-ray-cyrus/you-can-tell-your-dog-to-bite-my-leg/) [Billy Ray Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-ray-cyrus/) ## More by Steven Pinker > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [As many political writers have pointed out, commitment to political equality is not an empirical claim that people are clones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/as-many-political-writers-have-pointed-out-commitment-to-political/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Since violence is largely a male pastime, cultures that empower women tend to move away from the glorification of violence and are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/since-violence-is-largely-a-male-pastime-cultures-that-empower-women/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/morality-is-not-just-any-old-topic-in-psychology-but-close-to-our/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Part of the bargain of being alive is that one takes a chance at dying a premature or painful death, be it from violence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/part-of-the-bargain-of-being-alive-is-that-one-takes-a-chance-at/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [If you look in general at people who live in anarchy, they have quite high rates of death from either homicide or warfare or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-you-look-in-general-at-people-who-live-in-anarchy-they-have-quite/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“In some eras, self-control defines the paragon of a decent person: a grown-up, a person of dignity, a lady or a gentleman, a mensch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-some-eras-self-control-defines-the-paragon-of-a-decent-person-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Knowledge is a continuous fabric, in which ideas are connected to other ideas. Reason-free zones, in which people can assert arbitrary beliefs safe from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/knowledge-is-a-continuous-fabric-in-which-ideas-are-connected-to/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) [Explore all 495 Steven Pinker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Journalists say that when a dog bites a man, that is not news, but when a man bites a dog, that is news ... Thanks to the mathematics of combinatorics, we will never run out of news.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Pinker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a-man-that-is-not-news-but-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a-man-that-is-not-news-but-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/steven-pinker-526_bites_journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a_1225939.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/steven-pinker-526_bites_journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a_1225939.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/steven-pinker-526_bites_journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a_1225939.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Journalists say that when a dog bites a man, that is not news, but when a man bites a dog, that is news…” — Steven Pinker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Steven Pinker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Journalists say that when a dog...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a-man-that-is-not-news-but-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/journalists-say-that-when-a-dog-bites-a-man-that-is-not-news-but-when/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```