---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's hard any time people are sitting…"
description: "\"It's hard any time people are sitting down and looking at you across a camera and saying, \"I believe that you guys will tell my story faithfully.\" That..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/brian-mcginn-41234_believe_it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-do_272102.jpg"
---

#  It's hard any time people are sitting down and looking at…

![“It's hard any time people are sitting down and looking at you across a camera and saying, &quot;I believe that you guys will tell my story faithfully.&quot; That's getting to the core principle of being a journalist or a documentarian where people trust you with their stories.” quote by Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/brian-mcginn-41234_believe_it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-do_272102.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/brian-mcginn-41234_believe_it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-do_272102.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/brian-mcginn-41234_believe_it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-do_272102.jpg)

> “It's hard any time people are sitting down and looking at you across a camera and saying, "I believe that you guys will tell my story faithfully." That's getting to the core principle of being a journalist or a documentarian where people trust you with their stories.”

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

## About This Quote

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

Journalists must earn trust to faithfully convey others' stories, highlighting responsibility and integrity.

**In simple terms:** Trust is essential for truthful storytelling.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize trust and accuracy.

Themes

journalism trust ethics

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

ethical reflective

When to use this quote

- documentary filmmaking
- interviews
- news reporting

Key Concepts

responsibility authenticity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you maintain trust under pressure?
- What safeguards ensure story fidelity?

A Different Perspective

Trust can be fragile and easily broken.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [If you're a journalist - and I think, on some level, I'm a journalist, and proud to be a journalist, or a documentarian, however…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/if-you-re-a-journalist-and-i-think-on-some-level-i-m-a-journalist-and/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [Someone comes and drags you in front of the camera, and they're already saying, "Okay, we got it. Moving on." You get one or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/someone-comes-and-drags-you-in-front-of-the-camera-and-they-re/)

[Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/)

> [In documentary, you're directing with your camera even if you're not saying anything. So I was familiar with working with a person to nudge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/in-documentary-you-re-directing-with-your-camera-even-if-you-re-not/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [In the U.S., it's like, you start with a great script, and then on set - not everybody, but definitely in the Apatow group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/in-the-u-s-it-s-like-you-start-with-a-great-script-and-then-on-set/)

[Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/)

> [The notion of sitting down and conjuring up, not only words in which to clothe thoughts but thoughts worthy of being clothed--the whole thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-notion-of-sitting-down-and-conjuring-up-not-only-words-in-which/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Teachers often make the mistake of thinking they're the boss of the class; they're not. The boss of the class is sitting down there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/teachers-often-make-the-mistake-of-thinking-they-re-the-boss-of-the/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Producing, for me anyway, it's coming up with material. It's sitting down with you know the likes of Martin Scorsese, Johnny Depp, Michael Mann…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-king/producing-for-me-anyway-it-s-coming-up-with-material-it-s-sitting/)

[Graham King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-king/)

> [America should really wonder about a President Trump, who had a campaign manager with ties to Putin, pro-putin elements in the Ukraine who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/america-should-really-wonder-about-a-president-trump-who-had-a/)

[Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/)

> [Civil disobedience can help to focus attention on a particular injustice. It was used historically to highlight wrongs in society - turning ancient redwood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brune/civil-disobedience-can-help-to-focus-attention-on-a-particular/)

[Michael Brune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-brune/)

> [If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/if-you-don-t-enjoy-getting-up-and-working-and-finishing-your-work-and/)

[Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/)

> [I love Kimberly Peirce. Incredibly intense is a good way of describing her. Brutally honest. Really sharp. She's a director for actors. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-love-kimberly-peirce-incredibly-intense-is-a-good-way-of-describing/)

[Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/)

> [I worry that the level of interrupt, the sort of overwhelming rapidity of information — and especially of stressful information — is in fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/i-worry-that-the-level-of-interrupt-the-sort-of-overwhelming-rapidity/)

[Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/)

> [I hope to begin a new plan... not sitting down to local matter but walking and watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-palmer/i-hope-to-begin-a-new-plan-not-sitting-down-to-local-matter-but/)

[Samuel Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-palmer/)

> [It's the way I enjoy making art - I like sitting down and making five beats; I enjoy that process. I can go two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole-2/it-s-the-way-i-enjoy-making-art-i-like-sitting-down-and-making-five/)

[J. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole-2/)

> [When I was council president I had a rule that people could sleep on the job. I modified the rule. You could actually sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-street/when-i-was-council-president-i-had-a-rule-that-people-could-sleep-on/)

John F. Street

## More by Brian McGinn

> [The real battle is in choosing in the edit room. It's in how you contextualize information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/the-real-battle-is-in-choosing-in-the-edit-room-it-s-in-how-you/)

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

> [That's what happens when you're making a movie, you find yourself really loving all these people sitting across from you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/that-s-what-happens-when-you-re-making-a-movie-you-find-yourself/)

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

> [Being nonconfrontational allows people to feel like they can say anything they want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/being-nonconfrontational-allows-people-to-feel-like-they-can-say/)

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

> [With the rise of the reality show, everyone thinks they can be a celebrity, or that it would be a positive to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/with-the-rise-of-the-reality-show-everyone-thinks-they-can-be-a/)

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

> [The way we as a world consume stories - and sometimes people - is a phenomenon that we're seeing much more of now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/the-way-we-as-a-world-consume-stories-and-sometimes-people-is-a/)

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

> [Everyone had so much to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/everyone-had-so-much-to-say/)

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

> [Of course, you can never really know if someone is fully revealing himself to you or not, so all we can go by is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/of-course-you-can-never-really-know-if-someone-is-fully-revealing/)

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

> [The idea of celebrity is becoming more and more appealing to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/the-idea-of-celebrity-is-becoming-more-and-more-appealing-to-people/)

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

> [I think that the key to any interview is allowing people to feel comfortable enough that they forget they're being interviewed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/i-think-that-the-key-to-any-interview-is-allowing-people-to-feel/)

[Brian McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

[Explore all 10 Brian McGinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/)

## More Believe quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/)

[Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/)

[Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's hard any time people are sitting down and looking at you across a camera and saying, \"I believe that you guys will tell my story faithfully.\" That's getting to the core principle of being a journalist or a documentarian where people trust you with their stories.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Brian McGinn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-down-and-looking-at-you-across/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Believe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-down-and-looking-at-you-across/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/brian-mcginn-41234_believe_it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-do_272102.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/brian-mcginn-41234_believe_it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-do_272102.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/brian-mcginn-41234_believe_it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-do_272102.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's hard any time people are sitting down and looking at you across a camera and saying, \"I believe that…” — Brian McGinn",
                "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": "Brian McGinn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcginn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's hard any time people are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-down-and-looking-at-you-across/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcginn/it-s-hard-any-time-people-are-sitting-down-and-looking-at-you-across/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
