Douglas Alexander Quotes

To say that the newspaper press represents public opinion is to administer insult to intelligent men. It is the property of speculators, political leaders, large contractors and railway directors.

Look, the people will elect the government they think best.

With universal suffrage, every chief executive candidate must face the seven million people of Hong Kong, explain his or her political platform and mission, and win over the people by addressing their interests and concerns.

It’s always a danger when an institution like the press becomes disconnected from the people.

In our form of democracy the expression of the popular will can be effected only through the instrumentality of political parties.

The basis of our government's being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.

Universal suffrage exists in the United States without producing any frightful consequences.

The press tends to reflect what's important to the country.

In this Day the secrets of the earth are laid bare before the eyes of men. The pages of swiftly-appearing newspapers are indeed the mirror of the world. They reflect the deeds and the pursuits of diverse peoples and kindreds. They both reflect them and make them known. They are a mirror endowed with hearing, sight and speech. This is an amazing and potent phenomenon. However, it behooveth the writers thereof to be purged from the promptings of evil passions and desires and to be attired with the raiment of justice and equity. They should enquire into situations as much as possible and ascertain the facts, then set them down in writing.

It's a very painful and difficult process of many mistakes when people receive the right to vote, to elect their leaders when they become the subject for mass media for political manipulation. In particular, in a country like Russia, because we had to go through this period very quickly, it has been, I would say, a crash course in democracy

The newspaper is in all its literalness the bible of democracy, the book out of which a people determines its conduct

In order to enjoy the inestimable benefits that the liberty of the press ensures, it is necessary to submit to the inevitable evils it creates

The Press is such as the public demands, and the public demands bad newspapers because it has been badly educated.

There is a power in our land, irresponsible, corrupt and malicious—‘the press,’ which has created the intense feelings of hostility that has arrayed the two parts of the country against each other, which must be curbed and brought within the just limits of reason and law, before we can have peace in America. We can deal with armies who have a visible and tangible existence, but it will require tact and skill and courage to clip the wings of this public enemy.

I want you to know that I'm not only in charge of the newspaper but every piece of news that goes out, and I don't like these gun laws, and I don't want you to vote for them.

I didn’t understand. In a democracy, the people have to be entertained.

Even in an enlightened democracy, the media have to check themselves to make sure they are not contributing to an unnecessary mass hysteria.

I think the media, by and large, if you look at surveys over the years, has never been conservative-leaning by any measure.

Government should make tough decisions in the larger national interests, even if it upsets the people.

Because America is a democracy, public support for presidential foreign-policy decisions is essential.

My experience is that the Australian people rarely get it wrong - they will vote for a united party that is able to look after their interests and the national interest.

What's important is that, come the general election, people think the right things of you. They think that you've got the right values and the right policies. And that you're the right kind of person to lead the country.

If I made decisions around here based on the election, I wouldn't be a very good senator.

One of the statistics that always amazes me is the approval of the Chinese government, not elected, is over 80 percent. The approval of the U.S. government, fully elected, is 19 percent. Well, we elected these people and they didn't elect those people. Isn't it supposed to be different? Aren't we supposed to like the people that we elected?

The voters of the country decide who they want to support, and the delegates are elected to also make a determination of who would be in the best interest of the party and the country to be our nominee.