---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beating up on the so-called elite media…"
description: "\"Beating up on the so-called elite media has a nice populist ring to it.\" — Bill Keller"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/bill-keller-13202_journalism_beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media_3178630.jpg"
---

#  Beating up on the so-called elite media has a nice…

![“Beating up on the so-called elite media has a nice populist ring to it.” quote by Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/bill-keller-13202_journalism_beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media_3178630.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/bill-keller-13202_journalism_beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media_3178630.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/bill-keller-13202_journalism_beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media_3178630.jpg)

> “Beating up on the so-called elite media has a nice populist ring to it.”

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Attacking elite media appeals to populist sentiments but may oversimplify complex issues.

**In simple terms:** Populist attacks on media are tempting.

Key Takeaway

Seek nuanced media evaluation.

Themes

media populism critique

Mood

cautious thoughtful

Type

journalistic reflective

When to use this quote

- political debates
- news consumption
- media literacy

Key Concepts

information bias public discourse

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the risks of dismissing elite media?
- How can we balance skepticism with critical thinking?

A Different Perspective

Populist rhetoric can ignore factual nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Called Elite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-elite-657112/) [Elite Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elite-media-2213210/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Nice Populist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-populist-5815362/) [Populist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/populist/) [Populist Ring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/populist-ring-5815363/)

## Related quotes

> [The elite media has been caught in so many lies because of false statements that its whole reputation has eroded, their circulation is down,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldo-rivera/the-elite-media-has-been-caught-in-so-many-lies-because-of-false/)

[Geraldo Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldo-rivera/)

> [When you look at the 'New York Times,' you look at other elite media, what you largely get are pictures of very wealthy nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-zuckerman/when-you-look-at-the-new-york-times-you-look-at-other-elite-media/)

[Ethan Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-zuckerman/)

> [I am the typical British aspiring working class. To be called 'elite' by people who have inherited wealth and run hedge funds or worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-esler/i-am-the-typical-british-aspiring-working-class-to-be-called-elite-by/)

[Gavin Esler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-esler/)

> [There are some among the so-called elite who are overbearing and arrogant. I want to foster leaders, not elitists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/there-are-some-among-the-so-called-elite-who-are-overbearing-and/)

[Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/)

> [And what do Democrats stand for, if they are so ready to defame concerned citizens as the 'mob' - a word betraying a Marie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/and-what-do-democrats-stand-for-if-they-are-so-ready-to-defame/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [Globalization is a reality. And this makes most leaders today realize that populist illusions can't be sustained before they collapse into stagnation and leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-henrique-cardoso/globalization-is-a-reality-and-this-makes-most-leaders-today-realize/)

[Fernando Henrique Cardoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-henrique-cardoso/)

> [Has Donald Trump ever called himself a populist? I don't think Donald Trump's ever called himself a populist. I think other people have called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/has-donald-trump-ever-called-himself-a-populist-i-don-t-think-donald/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Class warfare or soaking the so-called rich may make for good populist demagoguery and serve the political ends of the governing masterminds, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/class-warfare-or-soaking-the-so-called-rich-may-make-for-good/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Oswald Mosley's movement, it was a big movement. It was obviously anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, it was populist. Mosley wanted to replace the parliamentary system of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/oswald-mosley-s-movement-it-was-a-big-movement-it-was-obviously-anti/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

> [I do believe that what I have called populist democracy is to be preferred to what I have called elitist democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbjorn-tannsjo/i-do-believe-that-what-i-have-called-populist-democracy-is-to-be/)

[Torbjorn Tannsjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbjorn-tannsjo/)

> [Donald Trump, when he gives his speeches, talks like a populist. And he talks to middle class and working America and poor people. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/donald-trump-when-he-gives-his-speeches-talks-like-a-populist-and-he/)

[Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/)

> [Donald Trump's staffing up a pretty traditional, very conservative Republican government, not a populist outsider government, at least not yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/donald-trump-s-staffing-up-a-pretty-traditional-very-conservative/)

[Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/)

> [People are less certain of their national identities or their place in the world. It starts looking different and disorienting. And there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/people-are-less-certain-of-their-national-identities-or-their-place/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [I am and I will remain a populist, because those who listen to the people are doing their job, whereas the radical chic who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matteo-salvini/i-am-and-i-will-remain-a-populist-because-those-who-listen-to-the/)

[Matteo Salvini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matteo-salvini/)

> [“As morally troubling and politically charged as the issue of inequality has become, it's not likely to cause a populist revolt. Most Americans still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frank/as-morally-troubling-and-politically-charged-as-the-issue-of/)

[Robert Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frank/)

## More by Bill Keller

> [It's a considerable source of tragedy in the world that people stay in powerful jobs long past the point where they're a spent force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/it-s-a-considerable-source-of-tragedy-in-the-world-that-people-stay/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [If a candidate for president said he believed that space aliens dwell among us, would that affect your willingness to vote for him? Personally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/if-a-candidate-for-president-said-he-believed-that-space-aliens-dwell/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [One of the reasons that I'm a lurker on Twitter is that every time I tweet an idea, I feel like I'm delivering something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/one-of-the-reasons-that-i-m-a-lurker-on-twitter-is-that-every-time-i/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [Since September 11 2001, editors in America have faced some excruciating choices, as the attempt to wage a war against a new kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/since-september-11-2001-editors-in-america-have-faced-some/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [Liberation movements - prizing ends over means - are not always particular about their friends or scrupulous about their transactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/liberation-movements-prizing-ends-over-means-are-not-always/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [A vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/a-vote-for-mitt-romney-is-a-vote-for-satan/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [I don't have dating tips.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/i-don-t-have-dating-tips/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [The most obvious drawback of social media is that they are aggressive distractions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/the-most-obvious-drawback-of-social-media-is-that-they-are-aggressive/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [My view of social media is that it is a set of tools, not a religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/my-view-of-social-media-is-that-it-is-a-set-of-tools-not-a-religion/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [My feeling about the Internet or anything else is that the more it tends to become a cult, the more I want to call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/my-feeling-about-the-internet-or-anything-else-is-that-the-more-it/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [Whether or not Twitter makes you stupid, it certainly makes some smart people sound stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/whether-or-not-twitter-makes-you-stupid-it-certainly-makes-some-smart/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [There's a lot of stuff they don't teach you in the mythical editors' school. They don't teach you that you're going to have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/there-s-a-lot-of-stuff-they-don-t-teach-you-in-the-mythical-editors/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [The Democrats generally recoil from the subject of entitlements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/the-democrats-generally-recoil-from-the-subject-of-entitlements/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [Maybe we're all a little too desperate these days for a simple formula to explain how our safe world came unhinged. That, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/maybe-we-re-all-a-little-too-desperate-these-days-for-a-simple/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

> [There is a long history of newspapers being doomed. They were doomed by radio. They were doomed by television. They were probably doomed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/there-is-a-long-history-of-newspapers-being-doomed-they-were-doomed/)

[Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

[Explore all 51 Bill Keller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/)

## More Journalism quotes

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/)

[Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/)

> [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [One lesson to learn is that the press and the broadcasters are not neutral. And it seems we have to learn it each time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/one-lesson-to-learn-is-that-the-press-and-the-broadcasters-are-not/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-want-to-change-something-by-tuesday-theater-is-no-good/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [Newspapers have an extraordinary amount of local content, including real estate listings and restaurant reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/newspapers-have-an-extraordinary-amount-of-local-content-including/)

[Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/)

> [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Drill in exact translation is an excellent way of disposing the mind against that looseness and exaggeration with which the sensationalists have corrupted our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/drill-in-exact-translation-is-an-excellent-way-of-disposing-the-mind/)

[Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/)

> [People think they're getting objective information, but they're not. They're getting news wrapped up in opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/people-think-they-re-getting-objective-information-but-they-re-not/)

[Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/)

[Browse all 8,189 Journalism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Beating up on the so-called elite media has a nice populist ring to it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Keller"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media-has-a-nice-populist-ring-to-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Journalism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media-has-a-nice-populist-ring-to-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/bill-keller-13202_journalism_beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media_3178630.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/bill-keller-13202_journalism_beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media_3178630.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/bill-keller-13202_journalism_beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media_3178630.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Beating up on the so-called elite media has a nice populist ring to it.” — Bill Keller",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bill Keller",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Beating up on the so-called elite...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media-has-a-nice-populist-ring-to-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/beating-up-on-the-so-called-elite-media-has-a-nice-populist-ring-to-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
