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.
A. J. LieblingRead
The function of the press in society is to inform, but its role in society is to make money.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The press is meant to provide information to the public, yet it primarily operates to generate profit.
A. J. Liebling's quote highlights the dual nature of the press, where its fundamental function is to inform society about news and events but indicates that its true incentive often lies in financial gain. This tension reflects the complexities of media operations, where the pursuit of profit can compromise the ideal of unbiased journalism, raising questions about the integrity and motivations of news institutions.
Themes
PressInformSocietyProfitMedia
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about media ethics during a journalism class.
More from A. J. Liebling
All quotes →No sane man can afford to dispense with debilitating pleasures. No ascetic can be considered reliably sane.
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A city with one newspaper... is like a man with one eye, and often the eye is glass.
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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.
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Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.
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