What happens when you get the name of the dog? Journalism magic.

If the citizens of Philadelphia now have the power to judge the popularity of the name of their dog, they have me to thank. Let me explain.

Journalism has more than its share of helpful sayings for reporters on the exercise of their craft:

“Follow the money.”

“Get a good quote high in the story.”

“Don’t bury the lead.”

My favorite bit of wisdom is often attributed to me, but I learned it from my first city editor, who learned it from his city editor, going back to, maybe, Ben Franklin. I have repeated this imperative sentence so often, in speech and in writing, that I no longer feel an ethical imperative to give credit to someone else. Its most prominent resting place is in Chapter 14 of my bestselling book “Writing Tools.”