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Forbidden to write anything critical of the Fascist regime, they could only report what the hierarchy wanted them to report. The clever and honest American and British journalists, however, did insinuate startling facts in their stories; these insinuations, unfortunately, were between the lines and not for those who read as they run, and the American public is mostly a running reading public.

George Seldes#5

JournalismTruthCensorshipFascismReading

About this quote

What does it mean?
Censored journalists under fascism can only report what the regime allows, but clever writers subtly imply truths that most readers miss.
In plain terms
Under censorship, honest reporters hint at the truth between the lines, though most people do not read closely enough to catch it.
What can you take from it?
Subtle writing can bypass censorship, but only if the audience reads carefully.

Where it applies

  • living under authoritarian regimes
  • reading news in restricted societies
  • analyzing subtle political commentary

Putting it to work

  • read between the lines in news
  • support independent journalism
  • study media censorship tactics

Questions to consider

  • How much truth is hidden in plain sight?
  • Who benefits when readers skim the news?

Another view

Most readers do not have the time or habit to decipher subtle insinuations.

More from George Seldes

  1. One of the biggest pieces of bunkum shoved down the American throat was the story of the 1929 Italian election. For this I cannot blame my colleagues.

    Permalink to quote #4
  2. Of course there are boob and bad reporters who bring in boob and bad items which are printed, and which make so many papers what they are. But there are more i…

    Permalink to quote #6
  3. There are less than a dozen independent newspapers in the whole country, and even that small number is dependent on advertisers and other things, and all these…

    Permalink to quote #3

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