Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes
If one has not read the newspapers for some months and then reads them all together, one sees, as one never saw before, how much time is wasted with this kind of literature.
von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. Italian Journey: 1786-1788. Translated by W.H. Auden and Elizabeth Mayer, Pantheon Books, 1962, p. 182.
In the age of digital electronics, the media, with its tendency to want to be the first to break any news story, reports events very quickly even when they have not verified what they are reporting. When an event occurs, the initial reports almost always include some errors and are incomplete with respect to critical information. There is no time for reflection and adding context. Then they often repeat the errors and omissions until there is more clarity and they begin to report a more accurate version. National Public Radio thus tries to “slow down” the news, not report it immediately but to wait for verification and allow the journalists some time for contemplation and reflection.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, critic, and amateur artist. His works include: four novels; epic and lyric poetry; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; and treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour. He is considered to be the greatest German literary figure of the modern era.
