Leon Uris Quotes

When I don't know the answer to something, I write a book about it because it gives me a chance to explore it and go to some people who do have the answers.

But with nonfiction, the task is very straightforward: Do the research, tell the story.

I think any journalist who spends time in a place realizes that there are lots of stories around beyond their primary story. You meet so many interesting people and have all kinds of experiences.

I'm a journalist and author. I make my living by finding things out and writing about them.

What I love - and I'm a journalist - and what I love is finding hidden patterns; I love being a data detective.

I totally consider Fishbowl my full time job - I have to say I freaking love doing this blog. I just enjoy the medium so much; I love the fact that it requires me to read amazing stuff by hilarious and talented people and forces me to know what's going on in the world.

I don't think I ever wanted to be a journalist - I was more interested in what comes from being a journalist.

Report, report, report. Dig, dig, dig. Think, think, think. Don't stop being a reporter because you've become a columnist.

I love researching, I love interviewing.

I'm a reporter by nature and training. I like things that make sense.

Writing is investigation.

I am an old journalist, so I always do a lot of research and dive deep into people's character, who they are, and their motivation.

A journalist finds out things by asking questions of people who know.

I think I'm a reporter's editor. Being a good reporter is a specific skill, one I admire and don't possess myself - I appreciate people who know how to ask the right questions, who are excellent researchers, who know how to assemble information, and I enjoy working with them to shape their information into an article. Good reporters tend to be receptive to editing, and to a more collaborative form of writing in general, and you always end up learning more from how they work than you expect you will.

You cannot write well without data.

If I wasn't a writer/director, I would be an investigative journalist. There's something about being an undercover journalist. I mean, that's freakin' cool!

I think some people think that writers read and read and read, get the information, and then write. That's not how it works. Often, you write yourself into a dark place where you don't know what you need to know, so you go get the information.

People often talk about parachute journalism, but one of the skills that you get when you are a correspondent is the ability to look at facts fast and work out what the story is.

I'm a great believer in the novelist being 'on the scene,' reporting, traveling, meeting all sorts of people.

You can't be a reporter using Google. It can be a tool. But you have to get out of the house.

I wanted to be a journalist because I like to ask questions. And I like the idea that someone might feel responsible for answering them.

The big story of the day is always going to be driven by what's happened and by the facts and the events.

The nice thing about my job is that it allows me to look deeper into issues and then tell stories with that information.

The heart and soul of good writing is research; you should write not what you know but what you can find out about.

I start each of my scripts by going on a journey of painstaking research and discovery, much as I do a piece of long-lead journalism.