Media Accountability Quotes

If I had my choice I would kill every reporter in the world, but I am sure we would be getting reports from Hell before breakfast.

If I'd written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people - including me - would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.

The newspaper is a moral force second only to the church. It is a political power superior to parties. It is an instrument of justice coequal with the court.

It's CNN who really should hold Trump accountable. And because they are trading the short-term fix of increased ratings by focusing on Trump drama - and I'm not saying they shouldn't cover the Russian investigations, of course they should - but the blanket coverage, it's not about news values. It is about ratings. And it comes at a tremendous cost because Trump supporters are fully defended against this. As far as they're concerned, this is a vast conspiracy, it's fake news, it doesn't impact their daily lives, it makes them see Trump as a victim, which he wants to be seen as.

The function of a newspaper in a democracy is to stand as a sort of chronic opposition to the reigning quacks.

I am one of the few men in public life who doesn't complain much about his treatment as the hands of the press. The press takes me to task every once in a while, but they have always been very kind, not attributing my hypocrisy to bad motives. They have always attributed it to a lack of mental capacity.

The most important service rendered by the press and the magazines is that of educating people to approach printed matter with distrust.

If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly.

The journalistic traits that are valued on TV and radio talk shows are destructive to democracy.

The fact that there aren't more restrictions on the media is disgraceful.

The Freedom of Information Act isn’t used, for the most part, by the people. It’s used by Journalists … The information is not sought to bestow knowledge upon the people. It is used as a weapon.

Certain media-related developments in the country are raising questions regarding its objectivity and credibility. Paid news and the declining roles of the editors and their editorial freedom is posing a major threat to the Indian media.

Editorialists who tell downright lies in order to advance their own agendas do more to discredit the press than all the censors in the world.

We journalists are never so idiotic as when we analyze things that we shouldn't be analyzing.

Avoid both infatuation with or resentment of the press.

The media are not progressive enough to let us govern. 24/7 news is the worst thing that has happened to the ability to govern.

The judgment means a lot. As a journalist being accused of invading someone's privacy, there is always a risk that it will stick to your name.

In my view, far from deserving condemnation for their courageous reporting, the New York Times, the Washington Post and other newspapers should be commended for serving the purpose that the Founding Fathers saw so clearly.

The increasing diversification of media ecosystems after decades of state control, along with new digital tools that allow for greater citizen engagement, have led to a dramatic reshaping of the dynamics between citizens, media, and government.

I loathe and despise the media in a way I did not think possible.

There's no worse crime in journalism these days than simply deciding something's a story because Drudge links to it.

Journalism is not what it used to be. I thought it was an important job, but it is not. I'm idealistic, and it pretty much upsets me that negativity sells and that even if I wanted to tell the truth, I wouldn't be able to if my boss does not okay it.

Freedom of the news media must be subordinated to the overriding needs of Singapore, and to the primacy of purpose of an elected government.

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

The media has become more forceful, has begun to recognize its traditional historic role and act on it, and truth is infectious.