The function of the press in society is to inform, but its role in society is to make money.
A. J. LieblingRead
A city with one newspaper... is like a man with one eye, and often the eye is glass.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A single source of information can lead to a narrow perspective, similar to a person with limited vision.
This quote by A. J. Liebling emphasizes the importance of diversity in information sources. Just as a man with only one eye has a restricted view of the world, a city reliant on a single newspaper may lack a comprehensive understanding of events, opinions, and ideas, potentially leading to a distorted perception of reality, akin to an artificial, glass eye.
Themes
NewspaperPerspectiveInformationDiversityOpinion
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about media literacy, one could use this quote to highlight the need for multiple news sources.
More from A. J. Liebling
All quotes →The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite. Without this, it is impossible to accumulate, within the allotted span, enough experience of eating to have anything worth setting down.
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No sane man can afford to dispense with debilitating pleasures. No ascetic can be considered reliably sane.
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I take a grave view of the press. It is the weak slat under the bed of democracy
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A city with one newspaper, or with a morning and an evening paper under one ownership, is like a man with one eye, and often the eye is glass.
A. J. LieblingRead
Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.
A. J. LieblingRead
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