Michael Leunig Quotes

All my stories were usually titled, 'White House Says,' 'President Bush Wants,' and I relied on transcripts from the briefings. I relied on press releases that were sent to the press for the purpose of accurately portraying what the White House believed or wanted.

I felt the call to this industry because I enjoy broadcast journalism. I'm steeped in the news because I enjoy the news - I like reading papers; I like reading the blogs. I love talking to newsmakers and pundits, for that matter, about their opinions. I'm an information gatherer by nature, so that's what attracted me about this industry.

I'm a news junkie who's constantly reading newspapers and magazines. I look around and see what's happening in the world.

I'll watch CNN in the mornings to catch up on what's going on. On the weekends, I get the Sunday edition of 'The New York Times.'

I'm barely reading the 'New York Times!' But I do try to keep abreast of things.

I read the newspaper avidly. It is my one form of continuous fiction.

I didn't look at any of the newspapers, I look at the pictures sometimes, but apart from that I don't read them.

I read the 'New York Times,' 'USA Today,' the 'Union-Tribune,' then go online to Drudge, CNN, Fox News, blogs.

I grew up in a very small town where nearly everyone knew each other, and odds were that whatever you said about a person would make it back to them by nightfall - something incomers learned, to their frequent embarrassment.

The meat-and-potatoes work of world journalism is performed by the wire service reporters.

Some of the best news stories start in gossip. Monica Lewinsky certainly was gossip in the beginning. I had heard it months before I printed it.

I don't get to watch a lot of TV. I just do all my news and reading and 'Meet the Press,' all that fun, exciting stuff.

I'm still a news junkie. I mean, I always was, I am now.

I don't read all the newspapers.

I'm steeped in the news because I enjoy the news - I like reading papers, I like reading the blogs, I love talking to newsmakers and pundits, for that matter, about their opinions. I'm an information gatherer by nature, so that's what attracted me about this industry.

I had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story.

I don't really read the papers.

I don't read the newspapers, to be quite honest with you.

You know the difference between news and gossip, don't you? News tells you what people did. Gossip tells you how much they enjoyed it.

It's only gossip if you repeat it. Until then, it's gathering information.

Bad news travels fast. Good news takes the scenic route.

Rumour is information distilled so finely that it can filter through anything. It does not need doors and windows -- sometimes it does not need people. It can exist free and wild, running from ear to ear without ever touching lips.

You can find out a lot sitting in the barber's.

I think [Anderson Cooper ] and me both enjoy working, and don't consider it "work," so as long as I'm having fun I will continue at this pace.

Gossip is certainly one of the things that language is useful for, because it's always handy to know who needs a favor, who can offer a favor, who's available, who's under the protection of a jealous spouse. And being the first to get a piece of gossip is like engaging in insider trading: You can capitalize on an opportunity before anyone else can.