If it bleeds, it leads

I had always thought that the saying, "if it bleeds, it leads" was the brainchild of legendary US newsman, William Randolph Hearst. However, when I went looking for the source of the quote, I was unable to find conclusive proof of Hearst's 'ownership', and Wikiquote has nothing. For a phrase that famous, it would have been documented, so I think I can safely assume it was NOT Hearst's coinage. 

The phrase is embedded in newspaper or possibly TV news jargon — "the 'lead' is the first paragraph or so of a newspaper story, or the first story to be shown on the news show. Leads (sometimes spelled as “ledes” to clarify pronunciation) are carefully crafted to grab the reader’s or viewer’s attention and pull [them] into the story" (Scandling, 2018). Hendrickson notes that the phrase is "Recent" and that it is an "instruction for tabloid broadcasting and newspaper journalists, referring to the need for emphasizing bloody sensational stories in their coverage of the news, specifically leading off the first page or the program with such stories. Such coverage is, however, older than the tabloids themselves" (2008, p. 430). But is it?

It doesn't look older than tabloids. In having a scurry around the interweb, many attribute the saying to Pooley (1989) who mentions the phrase in passing: "even the best work can be hard to pick out of the dross. The thoughtful report is buried because sensational stories must launch the broadcast: If it bleeds, it leads" (p. 37).

However, I also found an anonymous writer on Answers.com who said that they had found the phrase in a trade magazine, "Broadcasting" from 1982, as follows:

"An article entitled 'Preparing for a Boston news war' describ[ing] the relaunch of channel 7 in Boston". The station "was being relaunched" and included "the following: 'Asked whether WNEV-TV would continue its predecessor's policy, described as "If it bleeds, it leads," [news director Bill] Applegate said...' " (Answers.Com, 2011).

The writer goes on to note that, following that first quote: 

the phrase appears in TV Guide in 1983, but after that there's nothing for 6 years. Then in 1989 New York magazine ran an article entitled 'Grins, Gore, and Videotape - The Trouble with Local TV News' by Eric Pooley. In a scathing indictment of local newscasts, Pooley writes that, 'The thoughtful report is buried because sensational stories must launch the broadcast: If it bleeds, it leads.' The phrase was reprinted (with credit to Pooley) in the Washington Post in October of '89 in an article called "Bodybag Journalism" by Eleanor Randolph. Within a few months it was popping up in letters and op-eds in papers all around the country (Answers.Com, 2011).

However, it is possible that the phrase was common earlier than 1982, as in 2016 Campbell et al. note the following:

By the mid-1970s, the public’s fascination with the Watergate scandal, combined with the improved quality of TV journalism, helped local news departments realize profits. In an effort to retain high ratings, stations began hiring consultants, who advised news directors to invest in national prepackaged formats, such as Action News or Eyewitness News. Traveling the country, viewers noticed similar theme music and opening graphic visuals from market to market. Consultants also suggested that stations lead their newscasts with crime blocks: a group of TV stories that recount the worst local criminal transgressions of the day. A cynical slogan soon developed in the industry: “If it bleeds, it leads.” This crime-block practice continues today at most local TV news stations (Campbell et al., 2016, p. 496).

Interesting. So let's assume Pooley until we find that elusive 1982 source. 

Sam

References:

Answers.Com (2012, December 30). Who coined the phrase if it bleeds it leads? [Anonymous]. https://www.answers.com/english-language-arts/Who_coined_the_phrase_if_it_bleeds_it_leads

Campbell, R., Martin, C. R., & Fabos, B. (2016). Media & Culture: Mass communication in a digital age (10th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin's.

Hendrickson, R. (2008). The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins: Definitions and origins of more than 15,000 words and expressions (4th ed.). Facts On File, Inc.

Pooley, E. (1989, October 9). Grins, Gore, and Videotape: The Trouble with Local TV News. The New York Magazine, 22(40), 36-44. https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=_OcCAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Scandling, M. (2018, February 27). If It Bleeds, It Leads. No Matter Whose Blood It Is. StandLeague. https://www.standleague.org/newsroom/blog/if-it-bleeds-it-leads-no-matter-whose-blood-it-is.html