--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I became a journalist because I did not…" description: "\"“I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information.”\" — Christopher Hitchens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/christopher-hitchens-117_information_i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not_2883645.jpg" --- # I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on… ![“I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/christopher-hitchens-117_information_i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not_2883645.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/christopher-hitchens-117_information_i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not_2883645.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/christopher-hitchens-117_information_i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not_2883645.jpg) > ““I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information.”” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Journalism offers independent information beyond reliance on newspapers. **In simple terms:** Journalism provides independent info. Key Takeaway Seek independent sources. Themes media independence information Mood skeptical inquisitive Type journalistic philosophical When to use this quote - news consumption - research - public discourse Key Concepts journalistic ethics media literacy critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How to verify independent sources? - What responsibilities do journalists have? A Different Perspective Independent media can still be biased. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Journalist Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist-did-4011436/) [Mainstream media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mainstream-media/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Newspapers Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers-information-4011437/) [Rely Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rely-newspapers-3492574/) ## Related quotes > [I do not read newspapers. I do not take any information which I don't want to take. I make sure I keep my composure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shikhar-dhawan/i-do-not-read-newspapers-i-do-not-take-any-information-which-i-don-t/) [Shikhar Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shikhar-dhawan/) > [I know that we shall meet problems along the way, but I'd far rather see for myself what's going on in the world outside,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/i-know-that-we-shall-meet-problems-along-the-way-but-i-d-far-rather/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [I became a journalist partly so that I wouldn't ever have to rely on the press for my information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-became-a-journalist-partly-so-that-i-wouldn-t-ever-have-to-rely-on/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [We now demand the light artillery of the intellect; we need the curt, the condensed, the pointed, the readily diffused - in place of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/we-now-demand-the-light-artillery-of-the-intellect-we-need-the-curt-2/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [One of the issues that we professional newspaper columnists are required by union regulations to voice grave concern about is the federal budget deficit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/one-of-the-issues-that-we-professional-newspaper-columnists-are/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Embarrassed journalists ask me embarrassing questions, and they get embarrassing answers, and then hand out embarrassing stories to the embarrassing editors, who put them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yao-ming/embarrassed-journalists-ask-me-embarrassing-questions-and-they-get/) [Yao Ming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yao-ming/) > [I'm 68 and a half years old; I grew up with newspapers; I love newspapers; I love the news business. I started CNN; I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/i-m-68-and-a-half-years-old-i-grew-up-with-newspapers-i-love/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [“A few months ago, I was sitting morosely at my desk, wondering why I had ever agreed to review Barbara Bush: A Memoir for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/a-few-months-ago-i-was-sitting-morosely-at-my-desk-wondering-why-i/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Only the aspirants for president are fool enough to believe what they read in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/only-the-aspirants-for-president-are-fool-enough-to-believe-what-they/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The biggest difference between Kennedy and Nixon, as far as the press is concerned, is simply this: Jack Kennedy really liked newspaper people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/the-biggest-difference-between-kennedy-and-nixon-as-far-as-the-press/) [Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/) > [ \[Electronic newspapers will bring\] plenty of ulcers for journalists because they'll have new deadlines every 60 seconds. It'll be a race to file. On… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-wilcox/electronic-newspapers-will-bring-plenty-of-ulcers-for-journalists/) [Russ Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-wilcox/) > [The best discussion of trouble in boardroom and business office is found in newspapers' own financial pages and speeches by journalists in management jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/the-best-discussion-of-trouble-in-boardroom-and-business-office-is/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [Primarily affecting low-information voters and members of the mainstream media, Obama Worship Syndrome attributes impossible capabilities to Obama's political opponents, finds excuses for every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/primarily-affecting-low-information-voters-and-members-of-the/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [If you're working on better conditions for prisoners, if you make that a popular issue and you invite mainstream media to weigh in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/if-you-re-working-on-better-conditions-for-prisoners-if-you-make-that/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [As a young black woman, I notice at times in the mainstream media framing of the 'me too' movement you see a white female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/as-a-young-black-woman-i-notice-at-times-in-the-mainstream-media/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More Information quotes > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“We know that children with autism like order, that they are often very visual and that they can be quite literal. They deserve beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele-devine/we-know-that-children-with-autism-like-order-that-they-are-often-very/) [Adele Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele-devine/) > [I'm not going to be part of looking at information only partially. I'm not going to be part of just coming to quick conclusions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cleland/i-m-not-going-to-be-part-of-looking-at-information-only-partially-i-m/) [Max Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cleland/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I didn't expect to be so comfortable handing my child off to a nanny without getting any of her information. As soon as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/i-didn-t-expect-to-be-so-comfortable-handing-my-child-off-to-a-nanny/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/) [Angela Llama-Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-llama-butler/) > [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/) > [There's nothing more special than intellect and labour that makes painting work. There's no magic there; it's information, and it's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/there-s-nothing-more-special-than-intellect-and-labour-that-makes/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [That's what makes a human a human, if we store information outside our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/that-s-what-makes-a-human-a-human-if-we-store-information-outside-our/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The mere imparting of information is not education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/the-mere-imparting-of-information-is-not-education/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) [Browse all 6,395 Information quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not-want-to-rely-on-newspapers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Information" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not-want-to-rely-on-newspapers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/christopher-hitchens-117_information_i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not_2883645.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/christopher-hitchens-117_information_i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not_2883645.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/christopher-hitchens-117_information_i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not_2883645.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information.” — Christopher Hitchens", "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": "Christopher Hitchens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I became a journalist because I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not-want-to-rely-on-newspapers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-became-a-journalist-because-i-did-not-want-to-rely-on-newspapers/#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 } } ] } ```