--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As long as a journalist tells the truth…" description: "\"As long as a journalist tells the truth, in conscience and fairness, it is not his job to worry about consequences. The truth is never as dangerous as ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/ben-bradlee-15971_believe_as-long-as-a-journalist-tells-the-truth_968539.jpg" --- # As long as a journalist tells the truth, in conscience and… ![“As long as a journalist tells the truth, in conscience and fairness, it is not his job to worry about consequences. The truth is never as dangerous as a lie in the long run. I truly believe the truth sets men free.” quote by Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/ben-bradlee-15971_believe_as-long-as-a-journalist-tells-the-truth_968539.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/ben-bradlee-15971_believe_as-long-as-a-journalist-tells-the-truth_968539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/ben-bradlee-15971_believe_as-long-as-a-journalist-tells-the-truth_968539.jpg) > “As long as a journalist tells the truth, in conscience and fairness, it is not his job to worry about consequences. The truth is never as dangerous as a lie in the long run. I truly believe the truth sets men free.” [Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Journalists should prioritize truth and ethics over fear of repercussions; truth ultimately liberates. **In simple terms:** Truth over fear, truth frees people. Key Takeaway Report honestly regardless of risk. Themes journalism truth ethics Mood determined reflective Type political ethical When to use this quote - news reporting - investigative journalism - media ethics Key Concepts freedom of press moral duty Questions to Reflect On - What risks do you face when reporting truth? - How can society support truthful journalism? A Different Perspective Pressures may still influence coverage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Consequences Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequences-truth-1843661/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Journalist Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist-tells-1843662/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-run/) [Long runs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-runs/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Tells Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tells-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-conscience-999793/) [Truth Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-dangerous-1546631/) [Truth is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [“As a citizen of the world, I stand only with Truth and my conscience is my only leader. 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Because guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-n-joy/scared-as-you-may-be-of-the-consequences-of-the-truth-it-don-t-hold-a/) [E.N. Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-n-joy/) > [I'd rather suffer the consequences of truth than of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-d-rather-suffer-the-consequences-of-truth-than-of-silence/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [I'd rather deal with the consequences of the truth rather than the benefits of a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-kelley/i-d-rather-deal-with-the-consequences-of-the-truth-rather-than-the/) [Devin Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-kelley/) > [My view is that when lies become mixed up with the truth, it's a very dangerous world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/my-view-is-that-when-lies-become-mixed-up-with-the-truth-it-s-a-very/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) ## More by Ben Bradlee > [Generals who can write always make me nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/generals-who-can-write-always-make-me-nervous/) [Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/) > [ Those \[Watergate\] tapes are going to take me to my grave with a huge smile on my face.. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/those-watergate-tapes-are-going-to-take-me-to-my-grave-with-a-huge/) [Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/) > [National security is a really big problem for journalists, because no journalist worth his salt wants to endanger the national security, but the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/national-security-is-a-really-big-problem-for-journalists-because-no/) [Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/) > [We were right about the slush fund. 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As an adult, one looks for evidence of effectiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/as-a-child-one-looks-for-compliments-as-an-adult-one-looks-for/) [Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/) > [I must be out of it, but I don't know any good journalists who have excused Clinton's problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/i-must-be-out-of-it-but-i-don-t-know-any-good-journalists-who-have/) [Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/) > [It changes your life, the pursuit of truth, if you know that you have tried to find the truth and gone past the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/it-changes-your-life-the-pursuit-of-truth-if-you-know-that-you-have/) [Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/) > [The Nixon administration really put a lot of pressure on CBS not to run the second broadcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/the-nixon-administration-really-put-a-lot-of-pressure-on-cbs-not-to/) [Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/) > [I do worry about how newspapers respond to falling circulation figures. 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