Journalism quotes are statements made by journalists or about journalism that express the values, principles, and significance of the profession. They provide inspiration and guidance, reminding us of the core values of journalism, such as truth, integrity, and accountability. People seek out journalism quotes because they are deep, meaningful, and help convey messages clearly and impactfully.
If you’re looking for best quotes on journalists or journalism to use in writing, videos, speeches, or any other forms of communication, we have compiled a list of timeless and popular quotes for you.
1. Freedom of the Press
- “Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.” – Walter Cronkite
- “The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.” – Hugo Black
- “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.” – George Orwell
- “A free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad.” – Albert Camus
- “The only security of all is in a free press.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “Journalism is the first rough draft of history.” – Philip L. Graham
- “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “The press, like fire, is an excellent servant, but a terrible master.” – James Fenimore Cooper
- “A free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad.” – Albert Camus
2. Truth and Integrity
- “The truth is not a matter of opinion – it’s what the evidence shows.” – Carl Bernstein
- “Journalism is about results. It’s about affecting your community or society in the most progressive way.” – Anas Aremeyaw Anas
- “Journalism is what maintains democracy. It’s the force for progressive social change.” – Andrew Vachss
- “Journalism is what we need to make democracy work.” – Walter Cronkite
- “The duty of a journalist is to write the truth. Journalism means you go back to the actual facts, you look at the documents, you discover what the record is, and you report it.” – Noam Chomsky
- “Journalism is not a profession or a trade. It is a cheap catch-all for fuckoffs and misfits — a false doorway to the backside of life, a filthy piss-ridden little hole nailed off by the building inspector, but just deep enough for a wino to curl up from the sidewalk and masturbate like a chimp in a zoo-cage.” – Hunter S. Thompson
- “The public has a right to know what’s going on because it’s the public that’s paying for it.” – Ben Bradlee
- “Our job is only to hold up the mirror – to tell and show the public what has happened.” – Walter Cronkite
- “Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy.” – John Chancellor
- “The function of the press in society is to inform, but its role in society is to make money.” – A. J. Liebling
3. Importance of Journalism
- “Without journalism, there is no democracy. Without journalism, there is no freedom.” – Gwen Ifill
- “Journalism is what maintains democracy. It’s the force for progressive social change.” – Andrew Vachss
- “Journalism is the protection between people and any sort of totalitarian rule. That’s why my hero, admittedly a flawed one, is a journalist.” – Andrew Vachss
- “Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.” – Henry Anatole Grunwald
- “Journalism is the literature of democracy.” – Walter Lippmann
- “Journalism is popular, but it is popular mainly as fiction. Life is one world, and life seen in the newspapers is another.” – G.K. Chesterton
- “Journalism is a public trust, a responsibility to report the truth with accuracy and fairness. Journalism is also a business, and like any business, it has to attract customers.” – Rupert Murdoch
- “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” – Malcolm X
- “Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault.” – Henry Anatole Grunwald
- “Journalism is the art of coming up with the questions that someone doesn’t want you to ask.” – Carl Bernstein
4. Challenges and Responsibilities
- “The biggest problem with every art is by the use of appearance to create a loftier reality.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- “Journalism is what maintains democracy. It’s the force for progressive social change.” – Andrew Vachss
- “A journalist’s job is not to make judgments; it is to provide information.” – Malcolm Turnbull
- “The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses.” – Vladimir Lenin
- “Journalism is literature in a hurry.” – Matthew Arnold
- “Journalism is the first rough draft of history.” – Philip L. Graham
- “Journalists belong in the gutter because that’s where the ruling classes throw their guilty secrets.” – Gerald Priestland
- “Journalism is not just a cause, it’s also a wacky profession.” – David Talbot
- “Journalism can only be literature when it is passionate.” – Graham Greene
- “Journalists are accused of being lapdogs when they don’t ask the hard questions, but then accused of being rude when they do. Good thing we have tough hides.” – Wolf Blitzer
5. Ethics and Objectivity
- “The role of the journalist is to seek truth, provide a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues, and act independently.” – Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics
- “The first rule of journalism is that journalists must be dispassionate observers of society.” – Ferdinand Mount
- “Journalists should be watchdogs, not lapdogs.” – Newton Lee
- “The ethics of journalism are one of the most important factors that make a journalist credible.” – Judy Woodruff
- “Objectivity is not neutrality. It is simply trying to present the facts as best as one can.” – Christiane Amanpour
- “There is no such thing as objective reporting. It’s impossible to separate the journalist from the participant.” – Hunter S. Thompson
- “Journalism is about helping people understand the world around them. It’s not about advancing the agenda of a particular party or group.” – Margaret Sullivan
- “The best journalism tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, in the most engaging way possible.” – Bob Schieffer
- “To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.” – Edward R. Murrow
- “Objectivity means not having a significant bias that prevents us from reporting what we see fairly and accurately.” – Brent Staples
6. Impact and Influence
- “Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault.” – Henry Anatole Grunwald
- “Journalism is what maintains democracy. It’s the force for progressive social change.” – Andrew Vachss
- “Journalism is about results. It’s about affecting your community or society in the most progressive way.” – Anas Aremeyaw Anas
- “Journalism can be a gateway to positive change in society, or it can perpetuate the status quo.” – Soledad O’Brien
- “Good journalism gives people the information they need to live their lives. Great journalism takes it further, giving people the tools to change their lives.” – Cory Booker
- “Journalism’s ultimate purpose is to inform and educate the public, spark debate, and hold power to account.” – Christiane Amanpour
- “Journalism is an act of faith in the future.” – Ann Curry
- “Journalism is about telling people what they didn’t know but need to know. It’s about challenging assumptions.” – Margaret Sullivan
- “Journalism’s job is not to make sense of the chaos. It’s to make sure the chaos is understood.” – Matt Taibbi
- “Journalism is about documenting history, but it’s also about making history.” – David Remnick
7. Technology and Innovation
- “The digital revolution has made every citizen a potential journalist.” – Al Gore
- “The Internet has given the public the power to produce and disseminate information like never before.” – Craig Newmark
- “The Internet didn’t replace journalism. It reinvented it.” – Matt Drudge
- “Technology has democratized the news industry, but it has also created challenges in verifying information and combating misinformation.” – Arianna Huffington
- “The rise of social media has transformed journalism into a conversation rather than a monologue.” – Dan Rather
- “Innovation is the lifeblood of journalism. Without it, we risk becoming irrelevant in a rapidly changing world.” – Kara Swisher
- “Technology has made it easier for journalists to reach a global audience, but it has also made it harder to stand out in a crowded marketplace.” – David Carr
- “Journalism is no longer just about writing stories; it’s about creating multimedia experiences that engage and inform audiences.” – Jill Abramson
- “Technology has made journalism more accessible to everyone, but it has also made it more difficult to separate fact from fiction.” – David Brooks
- “The future of journalism lies in embracing new technologies while upholding traditional values of accuracy, fairness, and integrity.” – Arianna Huffington
8. Courage and Risk
- “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.” – George Orwell
- “Good journalism takes courage. It requires reporters to put themselves in harm’s way to uncover the truth.” – Christiane Amanpour
- “Journalists are often the first witnesses to history, and sometimes that means putting themselves in danger to get the story.” – Bob Woodward
- “The highest form of journalism is to question authority and hold power to account, regardless of the consequences.” – Carl Bernstein
- “To be a journalist means to expose yourself to danger, to face criticism, to confront power, and to stand for the truth.” – Anna Politkovskaya
- “Journalism is about speaking truth to power, even when it’s dangerous.” – Peter Greste
- “Journalists risk their lives every day to bring us the news. We owe it to them to support their work and defend their rights.” – Christiane Amanpour
- “The essence of journalism is the pursuit of truth, even when it means risking your life to get it.” – Seymour Hersh
- “Courage is the most important attribute of a good journalist. Without it, all other virtues are meaningless.” – Walter Cronkite
- “Journalists are the first responders of democracy, rushing into danger to bring us the news.” – Dan Rather
9. Diversity and Inclusion
- “Journalism should reflect the diversity of the communities it serves.” – Gwen Ifill
- “Diversity in newsrooms isn’t just about fairness; it’s about better journalism. Different perspectives lead to better stories.” – Soledad O’Brien
- “Inclusion is not just about having a seat at the table; it’s about having a voice in the conversation.” – Jose Antonio Vargas
- “A diverse newsroom is essential for covering a diverse world.” – Nikole Hannah-Jones
- “Journalism has a responsibility to represent all voices, not just the loudest ones.” – Christiane Amanpour
- “Diversity is not just a moral imperative; it’s a business imperative. Newsrooms need to reflect the communities they serve to stay relevant.” – David Leonhardt
- “Inclusive journalism is about more than just hiring diverse staff; it’s about changing the culture of newsrooms to ensure that all voices are heard and respected.” – Dean Baquet
- “Diversity strengthens journalism by bringing different perspectives and experiences to the table.” – Jorge Ramos
- “Journalism has a long history of excluding certain voices. It’s time to change that.” – Tanzina Vega
- “Diversity is not a buzzword; it’s a necessity for good journalism.” – Jose Antonio Vargas
10. Future of Journalism
- “The future of journalism lies in embracing new technologies while upholding traditional values of accuracy, fairness, and integrity.” – Arianna Huffington
- “Journalism is not dying; it’s evolving. The way we consume news may change, but the need for reliable information will always remain.” – Dan Rather
- “The rise of social media has democratized the news industry, but it has also created challenges in verifying information and combating misinformation.” – Arianna Huffington
- “Journalism’s role in society will continue to be vital, but the way we deliver news may look very different in the future.” – Judy Woodruff
- “The Internet has fundamentally changed the way news is produced and consumed, but it has also opened up new opportunities for journalists to reach audiences.” – Christiane Amanpour
- “The future of journalism will be shaped by how well we adapt to new technologies and how effectively we uphold journalistic principles in a rapidly changing media landscape.” – Bob Woodward
- “Journalism has always been about storytelling, and that will never change. What will change is the medium through which we tell those stories.” – Soledad O’Brien
- “The future of journalism depends on our ability to innovate, collaborate, and adapt to the changing needs of our audience.” – David Carr
- “The digital revolution has brought both opportunities and challenges for journalism. The key is to harness the power of technology while staying true to our core principles.” – Judy Woodruff
- “Journalism’s future lies in finding new ways to engage and inform audiences, whether it’s through immersive storytelling, data journalism, or community-driven reporting.” – Christiane Amanpour
