But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the Decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker satirizes a strict hierarchy where the leader decides, the press announces, and journalists simply record facts without independent investigation.
- In plain terms
- Journalists are told to just write down decisions instead of investigating them.
- What can you take from it?
- Independent journalism is often suppressed by authoritarian structures.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What is the role of a journalist?
- How do you report without permission?
Another view
It oversimplifies the complex relationship between press and government.
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