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Twitter, Facebook and Reddit, that’s not journalism. That's gossip. Journalism was invented as an antidote to gossip.
Scott Pelley
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the distinction between journalism and gossip, highlighting the role of journalism in providing factual information.

Scott Pelley draws a clear line between journalism and the casual sharing of information found on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit. He suggests that true journalism serves a crucial purpose in society by providing verified and trustworthy information, which counters the often misleading and sensational nature of gossip prevalent on these platforms. This statement underscores the importance of rigorous journalistic standards in an age where misinformation can spread rapidly online.

Themes

JournalismGossipTruthMediaInformation

In practice

Example use cases

In a college course on media ethics, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of discerning between credible journalism and social media discourse.

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Democracies succeed or fail based on their journalism. America is strong because its journalism is strong. That is how democracies work. They're only as good as the quality of the information that the public possesses and that is where we come in.
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