--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The prostitute journalist is a familiar…" description: "\"The prostitute journalist is a familiar and well-understood figure in the Middle East, and Saddam Hussein's regime made lavish use of the buyability of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/christopher-hitchens-117_east_the-prostitute-journalist-is-a-familiar_1370444.jpg" --- # The prostitute journalist is a familiar and… ![“The prostitute journalist is a familiar and well-understood figure in the Middle East, and Saddam Hussein's regime made lavish use of the buyability of the regional press. Now we, too, have hired that clapped-out old floozy, Miss Rosie Scenario, and sent her whoring through the streets.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/christopher-hitchens-117_east_the-prostitute-journalist-is-a-familiar_1370444.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/christopher-hitchens-117_east_the-prostitute-journalist-is-a-familiar_1370444.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/christopher-hitchens-117_east_the-prostitute-journalist-is-a-familiar_1370444.jpg) > “The prostitute journalist is a familiar and well-understood figure in the Middle East, and Saddam Hussein's regime made lavish use of the buyability of the regional press. Now we, too, have hired that clapped-out old floozy, Miss Rosie Scenario, and sent her whoring through the streets.” [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. The quote critiques how authoritarian regimes manipulate media by employing sensationalist journalists to shape public perception. **In simple terms:** Governments use sensationalist media to control narratives. Key Takeaway Question media literacy and demand accountability. Themes media manipulation political control propaganda Mood cynical critical skeptical Type political media criticism When to use this quote - journalism - political analysis - public discourse - media consumption Key Concepts authoritarianism press freedom information ethics Questions to Reflect On - How does sensationalism affect public trust? - What responsibilities do journalists have under oppression? A Different Perspective Such tactics can backfire, eroding public trust in all media. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/east/) [Familiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiar/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hussein/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Journalist Familiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist-familiar-4717697/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Middle east](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Press Hired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/press-hired-2290110/) [Presses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presses/) [Prostitute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prostitute/) [Prostitute Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prostitute-journalist-4717696/) [Regimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regimes/) [Rosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rosie/) [Saddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddam/) [Scenarios](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenarios/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [The press is the hired agent of a monied system, and set up for no other purpose than to tell lies where their interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-press-is-the-hired-agent-of-a-monied-system-and-set-up-for-no/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [We all know about the car breaking down on a deserted road scenario. That's cliché. I'm thinking more of Cider with Rosie, as in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/we-all-know-about-the-car-breaking-down-on-a-deserted-road-scenario/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [Cara Delevingne, Gisele Bundchen and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley are all gorgeous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vogue-williams/cara-delevingne-gisele-bundchen-and-rosie-huntington-whiteley-are-all/) [Vogue Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vogue-williams/) > [“You’re saying your mother engaged in unprotected sex outside her primary relationship?’ ‘With some other student,’ replied Rosie. ‘While she was dating my’ –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/you-re-saying-your-mother-engaged-in-unprotected-sex-outside-her/) [Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/) > [When I was a kid, Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell were mere blips on the gaydar; and they were both still in the closet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/when-i-was-a-kid-ellen-degeneres-and-rosie-o-donnell-were-mere-blips/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [“Just then a familiar voiced spoke right in to Stephens’s ear which startled him as his eyes once again began slowly opening. “Don’t try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-peeling/just-then-a-familiar-voiced-spoke-right-in-to-stephens-s-ear-which/) [Gary Peeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-peeling/) > [Back in the twentieth century, we thought that robots would have taken over by this time, and, in a way, they have. But robots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-norris/back-in-the-twentieth-century-we-thought-that-robots-would-have-taken/) [Mary Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-norris/) > [“My gaze drifts up again to the break in the wall and the night sky beyond it. 'So why call this the Keep of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caragh-m-o-brien/my-gaze-drifts-up-again-to-the-break-in-the-wall-and-the-night-sky/) [Caragh M. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caragh-m-o-brien/) > [Ring around the rosie. A pocket full of posie. Ashes ashes, we all fall down. Some people say that this poem is about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/ring-around-the-rosie-a-pocket-full-of-posie-ashes-ashes-we-all-fall/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [You know what my mum once said?’ said Rosie… ‘She said that if a just-married couple put a coin in a jar every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-know-what-my-mum-once-said-said-rosie-she-said-that-if-a-just/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Essie came up behind Rosie and put an arm around her neck, then took the glass from her hand. "God, I hope that's vodka."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-morgan/essie-came-up-behind-rosie-and-put-an-arm-around-her-neck-then-took/) [Lara Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-morgan/) > [I remember going onstage on Broadway in this Leigh Bowery thing for a track like "Ich Bin Kunst." I've got breasts, this latex dripping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/i-remember-going-onstage-on-broadway-in-this-leigh-bowery-thing-for-a/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [Alex: Rosie, I wanted you to be the first person to no that I’ve decided to become a heart surgeon! Rosie: Cool, does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/alex-rosie-i-wanted-you-to-be-the-first-person-to-no-that-i-ve/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [Those of us of a certain age grew up expecting that by now we would have Rosie the Robot from 'The Jetsons' in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-enriquez/those-of-us-of-a-certain-age-grew-up-expecting-that-by-now-we-would/) [Juan Enriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-enriquez/) > [Here comes old Rosie she's looking mighty fine, here comes hot Nancy she's steppin' right on time. There go the street lights bringing on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/here-comes-old-rosie-she-s-looking-mighty-fine-here-comes-hot-nancy/) [Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/) ## 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 ... 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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 East quotes > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kavner/i-sound-new-york-i-sound-east-coast-much-more-than-a-blonde-person/) [Julie Kavner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kavner/) > [You don't know whether he's thought through how this is going to affect the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/you-don-t-know-whether-he-s-thought-through-how-this-is-going-to/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [I love love songs. But I love pop music as well: Girls Aloud, Kylie, the Spice Girls, East 17, Mika.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/i-love-love-songs-but-i-love-pop-music-as-well-girls-aloud-kylie-the/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [These fledgling democracies in the Middle East, they're actually fighting for their freedom. And what are they rioting for in England? Leisurewear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/these-fledgling-democracies-in-the-middle-east-they-re-actually/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [When you're "East Coast" person, you are so insufferable, and you have no idea. And I was. One, because I was miserable, and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/when-you-re-east-coast-person-you-are-so-insufferable-and-you-have-no/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [We're in more wars today under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than under George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan. 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