Journalists seem to have a knack for describing a moment in pop culture with a pithy headline, a well-turned phrase or a spot-on Twitter post.
And at Halloween, it's no different. At Poynter, we were tossing around our own versions of what we could dress up as. Here are a few that popped up in our Slack channel:
Scary journalism-related Halloween costume: an off-topic pitch
Cute journalism-related Halloween costume: a Chartbeat spike
Scary journalism-related Halloween costume: a dead phone battery
Cute journalism-related Halloween costume: free newsroom pizza
Scary journalism-related Halloween costume: 10 percent layoffs (just hide your arm in your sleeve)
Cute journalism-related Halloween costume: an unredacted affidavit
But not surprisingly, when we asked some of our Poynter followers on Twitter what they were wearing, the catchphrase of the year, which just happens to be journalism-related, has turned out to be the costume of choice for newsrooms celebrating Halloween.
From the classic Groucho Marx disguise (courtesy of Nicholas Friedman from the Dallas Morning News)…
Fake news. Sad! pic.twitter.com/N4Q2frtII7
— Nicholas Friedman (@NMFreed) October 31, 2017
…to a no-frills statement T-shirt (from Robyn Tomlin, also of the Dallas Morning News. Props to the great Dustin from Stranger Things here, too.)…
Here are four of our @dallasnews journos: https://t.co/sWFzD2lBpB. Many more are dressed up, too (said one ladybug). pic.twitter.com/vOXXFi1Nho
— Sarah Blaskovich (@sblaskovich) October 31, 2017
…fake news is all over newsrooms this year (but maybe we already knew that). But that's not all.
The outfit isn't complete without the hat! #enemyofthepeople pic.twitter.com/FHszcImM03
— julie k. brown (@jkbjournalist) October 31, 2017
Julie K. Brown of the Miami Herald went with a similar theme as "enemy of the people."
From L to R: Ron Burgundy, Old News, News Flash and the Ghost of Print Readership. #HappyHalloween! pic.twitter.com/bymgznkchd
— Gabby ? Ferreira? (@Its_GabbyF) October 31, 2017
Staffers at the Tribune newspaper in San Luis Obispo, California, got crafty with newsprint (and dusted off the timeless Ron Burgundy getup).
. @poynter, @poststar advertising staff are apps for the day. pic.twitter.com/hZ4QH3GxpD
— The Post-Star (@poststar) October 31, 2017
The advertising team at the Post-Star in Glens Falls, New York, went the opposite way, dressing up as some of the most popular apps.
Bluuhhh!
I've come to bleed the talent from your sports section! Happy #Halloween ? pic.twitter.com/7sV3Jgo1kw
— Bill MilliChecks (@LukeMorris) October 31, 2017
Luke Morris, another Dallas Morning Newser, wore the most timely costume of all, taking the Athletic founder Alex Mather's threat to let local sports sections "continuously bleed" quite literally.
When you work at a newsroom, go with a classic pic.twitter.com/0pNWiXeoRN
— Jeff Schmucker (@jschmuckerBLADE) October 31, 2017
In the end, it's tough to beat the classics. Jeff Schmucker of the Toledo Blade is a convincing Clark Kent, who never seems to be around when it really starts to hit the fan.
Happy Halloween, everyone! Got a costume you're proud of? Let us know.
Update: Much like Poynter, where community manager Shanna DiNobile and I were among the few who dressed up, Daniel Figueroa IV of the Plant City Observer was the lone Halloween celebrator in his newsroom. At least he did it in style.
No one else dressed up. Now I know how those Stranger Things kids felt. #snowwhite #whatevenisgender pic.twitter.com/pXTntZ0y3E
— Daniel Figueroa IV (@danuscripts) October 31, 2017
At the Tylt, Advance Digital's vote-it-out news site, pop culture costumes old and new are trendy.
We’re in the holiday spirit over at @TheTylt! pic.twitter.com/QUiJHGgd3b
— Will Federman (@wfederman) October 31, 2017
Marvel's Black Widow, Miami Herald journalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Clark Kent/Superman, blue hair (help me out here, guys) and a jumping bunny showed up for work at WLRN in South Florida.
Here’s @WLRN crew: Black Widow, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Clark Kent/Superman, Blue Hair & jumping Bunny! pic.twitter.com/dd313rbhzU
— Teresa Frontado (@tfrontado) October 31, 2017
Here's another picture of our Dallas Morning News friends, featuring NBC's Superstore, our friend Clark, singer Selena (thanks, Laura L. Davis) and Dustin from Stranger things.
Happy Halloween from DMN life and arts reporters! Superstore, Superman, Selena& Stranger Things pic.twitter.com/zKcErqzs7J
— Selena La Reportera (@cassandrajar) October 31, 2017
Christopher Cheung of Vancouver dressed up as a scary rezoning application to honor his beat.
I cover urban issues in Vancouver, so I dressed up as something that some people find scary… pic.twitter.com/LCbqhp19iB
— Christopher Cheung (@bychrischeung) October 31, 2017
Want us to share your costume? Keep them coming on this thread.