"Few things are as much a part of our lives as the news. With the
advent of sophisticated mass communication, the news has become a sort
of instant historical record of the pace, progress, problems, and the
hopes of society. On the other hand--and here's the puzzle--the news
provides, at best, a superficial and distorted image of society. . . .
The puzzle, simply put, is this: How can anything so superficial be so
central to our lives?"
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W. Lance Bennett, political science professor, 1988
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"I think there ought to be a club in which preachers and journalists could come together and have the sentimentalism of the one matched with the cynicism of the other. That ought to bring them pretty close to the truth."
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Reinhold Niebuhr, philosopher and theologian (1892-1971)
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"What is the role of a free and independent press in a democratic society? Is it to be a passive conduit responsible only for the delivery of information between a government and its people? Is it to aggressively print allegation and rumor independent of accuracy or fairness? Is it to show boobies? No. The role of a free press is to be the people's eyes and ears, providing not just information but access, insight and, most importantly, context."
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From "America (The Book)" by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, named the 2004 Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly.
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"Bad things happen when media conglomerates swallow up independent
voices: Quality is diminished, local news and investigative journalism
disappear, differing points of view vanish, community service becomes
an afterthought, and jobs are eliminated. All are sacrificed in an
incessant drive for ever-higher profits."
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Frank A. Blethen, publisher, The Seattle Times, 2004
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“I don’t care what is written about me so long as it isn’t true.”
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Dorothy Parker
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“Ever notice that no matter what happens in one day, it exactly fits in the newspaper?”
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Jerry Seinfeld
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“Small earthquake in Chile. Not many dead.”
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Winner of a competition at The Times for the dullest headline
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“It is better to appear in hell than in the newspapers.”
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Spanish proverb
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“Comment is free but facts are on expenses.”
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Tom Stoppard
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“Journalism is merely history’s first draft.”
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Geoffrey C. Ward
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“If I had more time, I would write a shorter letter.”
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Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
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“A single sentence will suffice for modern man; he fornicated and read the papers.”
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Albert Camus (1913-1960)
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“AS USUAL, YOUR INFORMATION STINKS.”
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Telegram to Time magazine from Frank Sinatra
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“As an anti-American, I thank you for your rotten article devoted to my person.”
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Letter to Time magazine from Prince Sihanouk
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“I always turn to the sports pages first, which record people’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.”
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US Chief Justice Earl Warren (1891-1974)
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“Bad spellers of the world, untie”
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Graffiti
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“Up to a point, Lord Copper”
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Evelyn Waugh, 1903-66, Scoop (1938)
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"The difference between an actor and a journalist is that an actor's career is over if he is booed on the stage. A journalist's career is over if he is never booed."
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Adam Michnik, Polish editor, 1997
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