I am frightened by the imbalance, the constant striving to reach the largest possible audience for everything; by the absence of a sustained study of the state of the nation.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Murrow expresses fear that media is chasing massive audiences at the expense of deep national analysis.
- In plain terms
- I worry that TV tries to reach everyone instead of studying the nation deeply.
- What can you take from it?
- Be wary of media that prioritizes ratings over deep analysis.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does your news channel analyze deep issues?
Another view
Broad reach is necessary for a free press to function.
More from Edward R. Murrow
I have said, and I believe, that potentially we have in this country a free enterprise system of radio and television which is superior to any other. But to ac…
Permalink to quote #42 Do not be deluded into believing that the titular heads of the networks control what appears on their networks. They all have better taste. All are responsible…
Permalink to quote #44 One of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising an…
Permalink to quote #41
Related quotes
Most of my news, I get from the radio news stations. One of the stations' advertising lines is 'Give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world.' In 22 minutes, t…
Fran LebowitzFran Lebowitz quote #5 Everybody wrings their hands about Fox News. You know, 'fair and balanced? Why, that's snide!' Yeah, okay, maybe they're not fair and balanced, but CNN used to…
Jon StewartJon Stewart quote #18 Patriotism is as sickening today as it has ever been. I was watching the news before you came and there was a lot of coverage of Kosovo and the problems there.…
Gore VidalGore Vidal quote #71