Journalists Planted Occult Hand Phrase

A secret society of American journalists called the Order of the Occult Hand spent decades slipping variations of the phrase "It was as if some occult hand had..." into print as an inside joke. The prank began in 1965 after a Charlotte News police reporter named Joseph Flanders used the line in an article, inspiring his amused colleagues to form the group. A Chicago Tribune journalist named James Janega exposed the Order in a 2004 investigation. In 2006, its members chose a new secret phrase and resumed their campaign.

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